Fishing for mullet is possible only in sea and adjacent waters, where active fish come out in schools to search for food. In our country, the production of mullet and related fish species under such names as pelengas, mullet or sharpnose is carried out in the Black Sea waters. Local fishermen take an enviable interest in organizing this kind of fishing, using for these purposes quite standard methods of fishing with float and bottom gear, as well as some specific techniques unique only to catching a trophy in the form of mullet.
The tactics of searching, hooking fish and fishing methods are varied, which is what I would like to tell fishing enthusiasts about in the continuation of the article introducing the reader to fishing gear for catching mullet in the Black Sea. In addition to an overview of the gear, from the information provided, the angler will learn how to effectively find a school of fish, detain it at the fishing point, and what bait to use to catch this delicious trophy.
Habitats and feeding areas
You can catch mullet in the Black Sea in coastal areas where there are rocky rises from deep areas of the water area, as well as in those places where there are artificial structures in the form of breakwaters and piers, concrete embankments and road dams, slopes going to the bottom to depths of up to ten meters . Schools of mullet often choose the quiet backwaters of seaports, bays, estuaries, rivers flowing into the sea, and also inhabit estuaries. When choosing fishing spots, in addition to external signs that facilitate the habitat of a school of fish, attention is paid to the content of the food supply in the waters, which the mullet feeds on.
The fish lives in water areas densely populated with marine mollusks and, in particular, such as mussels and rapana. Places abounding in sea worms, which can often be seen in estuaries, also attract schools of fish. Mullet is not averse to feasting on some types of young algae, especially in the summer when it blooms and is carried by rivers into the sea, where the fish gather in large schools.
Features of fishing with a cork
The “cork” tackle is a simple cork from a plastic bottle, to which leashes with hooks are attached, and a weight is attached to the bottom.
The bait is stuffed inside, and we hide our hooks in it. The principle of operation is that the fish swims up to the bait, tastes it and, together with the food, sucks in the hook and is hooked. You can attach a bell to the top of the fishing rod to signal a bite. You can fish with a cork both from a boat and from the shore. It is also convenient for fishing at night. This tackle is relevant any day.
In winter, fishing with a cork is ineffective, but in early spring, when peaceful fish go to spawn, luck can come even at shallow depths. In summer, the bite does not last long, mainly in the morning or evening, but during the daytime the fish stands still in the holes and will need to be looked for.
In the autumn, the fish can be compared to a bear; it walks along the bottom and looks for food. Autumn is the best time for fishing.
Crucian carp, carp, carp, mullet, and silver carp are well caught using a cork. It is better to put foam on the hooks and then hide it in the bait. When immersed in water, the cork moves smoothly and smoothly due to the weight. When washed away by water, the foam floats up, attracting fish. If the bite is not suitable for you, then instead of polystyrene foam you can attach corn, pearl barley, a worm or some other bait that will be more suitable for catching fish.
Cork has many advantages:
- the tackle is very simple and can be made at home, with your own hands;
- there is no need to hook the fish, as it sucks on the bait with hooks and hooks itself;
- you can fish at any depth and distance from the shore;
- Suitable for catching any peaceful fish.
How to catch mullet in the Black Sea
Mullet fishing in the Black Sea begins in early spring and lasts until late autumn. The fish loses activity only when the water cools below 10 degrees and at such a time goes into open sea waters to significant depths. The most productive season is considered to be summer July and August, when the water is warmest and the fish actively feed in the coastal zone. In the winter months, fishing is possible only in estuaries, where schools of fish, although their intensity has decreased, continue to feed throughout the year. Morning and evening hours are characterized by more active biting. During the day, the fish’s gluttony is a little weaker. During periods of famine, trophies are mined around the clock, including at night.
Preparation
Loban has excellent taste characteristics, which allows you to prepare a lot of different dishes from it. To bake fish in the oven you will need the following products:
- mullet weighing about 2 kg;
- 6 potatoes;
- 2 tablespoons unrefined sunflower oil;
- bulb;
- 2 tomatoes;
- half a lemon;
- Bay leaf;
- paprika.
Once all the necessary products have been prepared, you can proceed directly to cooking the fish. The process of preparing lobani is as follows:
- the fish carcass is freed from the entrails and thoroughly cleaned;
- washed and dried;
- processed with spices and left for half an hour;
- vegetables are cut into rings and laid out in layers on a deep baking sheet;
- fish cut into equal pieces is placed on top of the vegetables;
- meat and vegetables are watered with vegetable oil and lemon juice;
- The baking sheet is tightly covered with two layers of foil;
- the roasting pan is placed in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees;
- The dish should be cooked within 30 minutes.
The fish prepared according to this recipe has a rich taste and a specific aroma of fragrant spices.
Lobani meat goes well with various vegetables and herbs
It also happens: How to catch a pheasant with your own hands
Black mullet can not only be baked in the oven, but also fried. To do this you will need the following products:
- 500 g lobani meat;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- 50 g wheat flour;
- spices;
- fresh greens.
The preparation of this dish is carried out according to the following scheme:
- the fish is butchered and cut into small pieces;
- the meat is breaded in a mixture made from flour and spices;
- pieces of fish are placed in a heated frying pan and fried on both sides until golden brown;
- Fried loban is sprinkled with fresh herbs.
Dishes prepared from lobani will appeal to all seafood lovers and will not leave even the most demanding gourmets indifferent.
What to catch mullet with
The best way to catch mullet is with animal bait.
Important! The classic animal bait for all types of mullet fish is considered to be the Nereis sea worm, which is stocked in estuaries and placed in alcohol liquid for preservation, thus providing itself with a constantly working effective bait for a long time.
In addition to sea worms, ordinary dung and earthworms, sandworms, as well as the meat of mollusks, mussels and rapana are used for fishing. It is quite suitable for catching shrimp or crayfish meat. Of the plant species, the most promising bait is made from the crumb of French bread, especially if, in addition to the already existing aroma, it is lightly sprinkled with anise oil. You can also quite successfully use various flavored types of dough, selected by consistency and smell for the prevailing fishing conditions.
Diet
Whitefish: photo description
The main part of the diet of black mullet is detritus, which is a complex organic substance. It includes:
- dead plants;
- remains of worms;
- other aquatic invertebrates.
It also happens: How to catch bees
The loban has a pointed lower lip, thanks to which it can scrape off the top layer of organic deposits from shell rock or rocky soil. Powerful pharyngeal teeth grind rough food, which facilitates its easy digestion. When detritus reserves are low, fish can switch to feeding on living microorganisms.
Bait for catching mullet on the Black Sea
Fishing for mullet in the Black Sea from the shore in summer is most productive with the use of preliminary feeding. The bait should arouse the interest of a school of fish and hold the fish in the fishing zone for a significant time. Most often, fishermen independently prepare bait mixtures from ingredients such as flour, white bread, minced sea fish, mussels or rapana. Depending on the taste preferences of the trophy, processed cheese and chopped dung or earthworms are added to the feed. The bait for mullet must necessarily be one of the components of the bait being prepared for fishing.
Feeding tactics
Feeding tactics include daily systematic feeding of the fished area. The fish quickly gets used to feeding food in certain areas, without moving far from the place where they can profit from tasty bait. Having determined the fishing point on the beach, bait is served every day, three days before the start of fishing, and during the fishing itself, food is periodically thrown in as the bite intensity drops. Avid fishermen feed the point throughout the fishing season, constantly obtaining excellent results. Properly prepared bait keeps an insatiable school close to the feeding table for a long time.
At the Black Sea
The most preferred type of bait in the Black Sea is the sea worm - Nereis. A mullet suits him everywhere and always. It is most often mined in estuaries, in the thickness of muddy soil. It is quite difficult to obtain, but in many places where mullet are caught, it can be purchased. It should be stored in cool water, since in warm water it quickly dies and its already soft body becomes like jelly, which makes it very difficult to hook.
It happens that a sea worm cannot be obtained at any cost. Odessa fishermen use a trick that has been tested over the years. Then, when Nereis is quite available in large quantities, it can be preserved using ordinary vodka.
The worm is poured into a jar with a screw-on lid, filled with vodka and placed in the refrigerator. You can even put it in the freezer. The nutritional value for mullet of such a worm does not suffer at all, and the vodka is quickly washed out by sea water in a matter of minutes after casting the bait.
Where there is various food waste in the water, and these are port areas, mullet can be caught using other baits. Such baits can be pieces of freshly caught fish , shrimp, mussels, crabs, earthworms and even the pulp of white bread. In every new place, you should trust the experience of local fishermen, from whom you can directly or indirectly learn about the time, places, and bait.
Read this article on how to choose worms for fishing.
In this article you will learn how to choose and knit fishing hooks
Fishing gear
To effectively select tackle for mullet in the Black Sea, you need to decide on the best concentration points of schools of fish and, depending on the distance where they are located, make a decision about the prospects of the tackle. During the warm period of the year, it would be useful to examine the water area intended for fishing by swimming with a mask to inspect the water column for the presence of a trophy. A more effective and convenient method, regardless of the water temperature, will be the method of exploring the water area on a boat with an echo sounder. Having identified the camping sites of the school and decided on the type of gear, you can begin fishing with gear, which we will consider in the continuation of our material.
Float rod
In places where fish come close to coastlines and artificial structures, conventional fly rods are used for fishing. For dynamic hunting, lightweight telescopic fishing rods 5–7 meters long are selected, equipped with monofilament with a diameter of 0.2 mm and including a sticker or spindle-shaped float weighing no more than three grams. The rig is completed with a leash at least 20 cm long and 0.15-0.18 mm thick, as well as a hook with a long shank of at least number eight. The bait is placed at a distance of 15 cm from the bottom, between the stones, and at the slightest movement of the float a sharp hook is made.
Catching mullet on a cup
Fishing for mullet on a cup is very popular among Black Sea fishermen. This is a bottom fishing technique, for which the angler makes a special combined device that acts as a sinker and a feeder at the same time. Most often, a plastic yogurt lid or a blank similar in shape and volume is used for these purposes. A spinning rod or feeder rod with a spinning reel equipped with a 0.15-0.18 mm braided line ending with a carabiner with a swivel is used as the frame of the tackle. The lid at the bottom is equipped with a weight of about 50 grams and is equipped with 0.2 mm monofilament leashes with a hook. The cups are filled with bait and served at the fishing site. When a fish approaches the food, it discovers the bait and swallows the hook.
Tackle and bait
Each tackle must be correctly assembled, taking into account the casting distance and feeding characteristics of the mullet. • The bottom fishing rod is equipped with a long spinning rod (3.5-4.5 m) and a spinning reel with a spool of more than 4000.
Hooks No. 6-8 should have a long shank with notches that prevent the bait from slipping. • To assemble the float tackle, a rod 7-8 m long is required.
It can be equipped with a “meat grinder” or have a swing design. The float is selected with good stability.
Models in the shape of an inverted pear are best suited. For loading, several small weights are used, evenly spaced to the leash.
The inertia-free reel must have a smooth running and a precisely adjusted clutch. A 0.10-0.12 mm braided line is wound onto the spool.
A float is placed on the main line, and a stopper with 3 swivels is tied to the end of the cord. The leash is made from transparent monofilament 1-2 m long and a No. 10 hook.
The best natural baits for catching mullet are various worms. In the Black Sea, nereis (sea worm) is usually used.
It is mined in the muddy sediments of estuaries. Mullet also bites well on small pieces of fresh fish meat, mussels, ordinary worms and white bread.
When using bombards, you can attach silicone worms, edible rubber, as well as small spoons to the hook. Mullet fishing is not only an interesting and exciting pastime.
It is believed that pelengas are extremely picky in terms of choosing bait. Experienced fishermen claim that this fish is successfully caught with only one bait, which can sometimes be quite difficult to find.
This is the Nereis worm. It usually lives in estuaries, reservoirs near the sea, and is sometimes found at the mouths of rivers flowing into the sea.
Without knowing the favorite habitats of Nereis, you can spend a long time poking around in the mud in search of bait, however, as a rule, it is not difficult to buy such bait in any coastal village.
If fishing takes place on the shores of Abkhazia, it is worth looking for the so-called Inkit worm (the name comes from Lake Inkit).
There is another bait option used when catching pelengas. This is a sandstone.
This worm can be found in small burrows located on sandbanks (however, searching for this bait can also take quite a lot of time, and the fish still prefer Nereis).
Sometimes pelengas bite on other worms, but experienced fishermen consider this phenomenon to be an exception to the rule rather than a pattern.
https://delvaneo/artsea/lovlya-kefali/privada-dlya-lovli-kefali-na-sredizemnom-more. html - A lot of very interesting information about baits used in the Mediterranean Sea for catching mullet and other useful information.
https://rybolov. webtalk/viewtopic.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OP6JgnDyazo
umclidet/buri-v-shalande. htm - general description of mullet (buri) on the website of ichthyologist from Israel - Alexander Chernitsky.
https://blogribaka/kefal. html - general information about mullet fish and just an interesting blog from a real fisherman.
