st.johns river update

[m slayton]

hello again , we hit the st,johns river the drawbridge on 44 just befor deland , the cats were not bitting but the stink shad dam sure were and some bigg suckers 1-3 lbs , i tryed to use one as cut bait but got no bites , after catching 20-30 huge shad we broke out the layin mash aka chicken feed and tied on about 5 tiny hooks and tipped it with tiny peices of white rubber worm and caught about 35-40 big BIG mullet 1-4lbs wtf i didn't know they get that big , but guess who is smoking some mullet tomarrow lol , so if u got some recipes for the brine please let me know , most folks round here just soak em in salt water and them smoke them , but i hate mullet they taste like mud but my father inlaw has a big smoker and i am down for trying something new .

also we mix out own mullet chum , get 10lbs of laying mash ,2lbs of flour and half a big container of oatmeal mix well and ad water , just enough water to make the mix stick together this allows it to sink and spread out , tossing dry chum floats and you need that oatmeal n flour to help fool the fish in to bitting the tiny hooks with the white rubber worm peices on it and it truely works , there was a lady next to us with just plain laying mash and she wasn't catching crap till we started tossing our chum in her spot , the trick is to use a small bobber 1-2 foot up the line from your last hook so bobber skip 2 feet then add a tiny hook tie a double knot then skip 6-10 inches and add another hook repeat till u have 4-5 hooks on ur line then add a split shot on the tag end or the last bit of line on the bottom of ur rig , then cast it out and toss balls of ur chum on top of the bobber or drag ur bobber in to the chum cloud it makes when it hits the water and just watch for ur bobber to slightly move and set the hook fast like ur blue gill fishing .

also when u get aload of mullet don't forget they have a gizzard that is better eating then chicken gizzards , i belive its the only fish with a gizzard ????? and they are decent when floured and fryed gl all hope the cats are bitting soon and those stink shad and mullet also make great freezable cut bait , warning the moms wives and house members mite not like that stink shad in the freezzer

[DanG]

Good report, Matt!

Mullet is an odd fish. As you said, it is the only one with a gizzard instead of a stomach. They eat algae, mainly by taking a blade of grass into their mouth and sucking the algae off of it. They will mistake anything long and slender for a blade of grass. They also will inhabit either salt or fresh water. A salt water mullet is my #1 favorite eating fish, either smoked or fried, but a fresh water mullet ain't fit for a possum to eat. Like you say, they taste like mud. They are an oily fish though, and make great catfish bait.

[FloridaCathunter]

Good report, Matt!

Mullet is an odd fish. As you said, it is the only one with a gizzard instead of a stomach. They eat algae, mainly by taking a blade of grass into their mouth and sucking the algae off of it. They will mistake anything long and slender for a blade of grass. They also will inhabit either salt or fresh water. A salt water mullet is my #1 favorite eating fish, either smoked or fried, but a fresh water mullet ain't fit for a possum to eat. Like you say, they taste like mud. They are an oily fish though, and make great catfish bait.

One day Flatheads will live there

[m slayton]

i would love to see some flat heads this way! when u turn the lil ones loose tell them to come to central florida and bring there friends mr blue cat too