Catching mullet
on the fly
By Robert
Fulton
North and
The show’s
producer, Joe Albea, was very interested last year when he learned
that the I had figured out a way to catch mullet on a fly.
This is unique because mullet are generally vegetarians
feeding off small water plants and moss growing on river rocks.
But, these mullet swim
When Pee Dee
River guide Capt. Robbie Burr told me the mullet were feeding on
mussels, I called local fly fishing guru Steve “Nightcrawler”
Patterson and asked him to tie some fluffy white flies.
Mountain
trout stream guide Ollie Smith came down hill to fish with us.
Conditions were perfect…for the fish: air temperature near
100, clear sunny sky, and plenty of dead mussels floating in the
river. Perfect for the
fish but rough on the fishermen.
Amazing what people will endure when they’re catching fish.
And we caught a lot of them. Photographer Mark Pullen was
kept busy clicking his digital camera and videographer Joe Albea was
humping his shoulder-mount HD video camera all around the boat. With
two fly casters in the boat, along with the guide,
a photographer, and a video camera man.
We did the “fish-on dance” where people have to duck under
and hop over fishing line as we moved from one end of boat to the
other in order to get good filming footage and keep the fish on the
line.
Mullet,
being a saltwater fish that can survive in fresh water, are strong
swimmers and put up a good fight.
Surprisingly, they don’t jump when hooked, yet mullet are
known for their jumping when escaping predators. The fish weigh up
to
The “gear time”
that the show does, a short two minute explanation of tackle used to
catch the fish, took us 5 takes because Ollie and I were punchy from
the heat and constant casting.
We would get tickled, which made serious commentary
difficult. I mean, when
a guy asks you, “Thanks for sharing your mullet,” (a
hairstyle that is short in the front, top, and sides, but long in
the back) and points at your head, it’s hard to avoid the humor of
the pun.
Joe
was pleased with the filming and said, “This is the first time
mullet have been filmed hitting a fly…and in High Definition!”
The
The
show
was
shown December 13th, on UNC-TV.
UNC-TV’s premier outdoor series
Carolina Outdoor Journal returns for an all-new
season, beginning Saturday, September 6, at
After anglers across the South view the show on
December 13th, I don’t think the