[Darren Edwards]

guys,here is a pic i took last may from about 45 feet above the water

.there were 3 decent size fish cruising the shallows around the dark boulders.they are in this pic, but my phone cant pick them out.i couldnt make out if they were bass or mullet but they were decent fish.my question is,if you were stalking moving fish at a distance,is there any way of making out if there bass or mullet.i know bass will mix with mullet but surely there must be a way to cancel one from the other......just to save precious time.last year while i was plugging a reef,i noticed an unusual pattern on the water quite far out.sea was slightly choppy but this patch of water reminded me of water slightly simmering in the pan.i attached a patchinko and nailed the cast,as soon as it hit the water it was fish on...bloody foul hooked mullet.another question is,when bass mix with shoaling mullet do they mix completly or do they stay behind or under the mullet just picking up scraps.cheers daz

 

[trev richardson]

Darren,
It might seem obvious but I sometimes carry a pair of binoculars and yes you can still get a good enough view to identify the fish. Although you still have to be at the right location from the sun to stop the glare. I dare bet some of the guys will have super light and small models but I just stick in my standard 10 x 50's

 

[James Davis]

This probably seems obvious too (and depending on how far away you are) bass do break the surface especially in calmer waters like your photo and if you look out for the spiked dorsal fin that should help. Like I said, pretty obvious so apologies if I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here!

 

[Darren Edwards]

no worries fellas, trev,just recently added binocs to my bag, should help.james ive watched mullet break the surface many times aswell as bass ....but like you say depending on how far you are ....say 50 yards level with the water and theres fish mooching and sometimes braking the surface with the odd rush and bowave.i dont know much about the mullet but if i could collect more info on there habits then it should help,one quick one.....would mullet chase into fry and cause water disturbance.thanks daz

 

[Mark Sleep]

There is a harbour over here that you get lots of Bass in and even more Mullet. Sadly no fishing allowed, but I have got pretty good at ID'ing fish from a height, through body and head shape. The lower down you get, the harder it is I think. Quite often though Mullet I have been watching often roll, flashing their flanks to the surface. From watching fish, it would appear Mullet do this a lot more often than the Bass I have seen.

 

[Andy Marquis]

The easiest way to tell if they are breaking surfce is through the tail fin. Mullet have a long scythe type tail which when seen is fairly obvious. Saw some this morning, tails only sticking out of weed, the rest of the mullet must have been eating crap under the floating weed.

Mullet also rest a lot more, they will sunbathe where the bass I have seen always seem to keep moving. Slow but moving, just cruising through.

 

[Iestyn Jones]

Hi mate, Si spotted a shoal of fish Sunday, they were pretty close when I went to id them, so there was no mistaking them as mullet! round blunt head, cruising rather than moving fast, body profile, dorsal fin and tail could all be seen reasonably well. Agree though that at distance it becomes more tricky with glare on the surface and looking at long dark shadows in the water!!

 

[Nathan Bell]

That looks a cracking spot Daz!
As Iestyn says the round blunt head is the give away with the Mullet, it's easier too tell from above generally, they like too roll and flash too.
If i see Mullet about i often chuck a plug at them both surface and divers, more than a few times this has resulted in a bass. I think the Bass tend too hang bellow and slightly behind the mullet and use them as a decoy/camouflage(spelling?) too get closer too potential prey that don't see the mullet as a threat. Just my thoughts on it not gospel by any means.
As food for thought when fishing for redfish in the states the key is too find the mullet shoals and the reds are usually hanging below and behind them, the fact that the mullet often break the surface means there easier too spot from distance.
Finally with regards too mullet hitting fry. I remember standing on Trefor peir a few years ago very early morning waiting too launch the boat. I looked in too the crystal clear water, it was only 1-2ft deep and what i thought was a huge mullet was cruising in and out of the weed. I was watching her thinking, if only they were easier too catch. Then a shoal of white bait appeared 4 ft away from her and all hell broke loose, she smashed into them sooooo fast and sent them crashing out of the water in all directions. As i stood in shock and awe of what i had just witnessed i realised it was in fact a bass of potential double figures not a monster mullet.
That image will stay with me forever and now i don't wait too find out what species they are. If in doubt chuck a lure at them,you never know that mullet looking beast might be the Bass of a life time!
Cheers Nath!

 

[Darren Edwards]

cheers for that fellas,great info.nath i think youve hit it on the head....if in doubt chuck a lure.i can just pick out a fish in the pic above...little bowave behind it.

 

[John Morgan]

A fellow BASS member posted this: Monocular. More compact and lighter than binoculars.

As for what fish you saw . . . very difficult to identify at that distance I would have thought; but the others have covered the obvious distinctions with the shape of the head and dorsal fin. They do also follow nose to tail and flash and dodge . . . almost as if they were playing tag.

J.

 

[trev]

Daz, think we need to have a close look at our local marinas this summer,we know that they are stuffed with mullet,large and small, them silvers have just got to be in amongst them,i fancy trying just as the tide starts to ebb ,they have got to be waiting in ambush just outside the entrance for small mullet coming out of the marina,think the two species are not that far from each other alot of the time.

 

[Darren Edwards]

lots of places to try this year trev and that mouth is one of them.water temp slowly gettin there fella.bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pedro B]

Most of the time the fish that we spot are mullet and not bass.

I'm not saying that bass don't break the surface, but at least while fishing in the surf when we see slow moving fish near the surface and that go in groups, most off time are mullet and not bass.
It's quite easy to difference the two (body shape and swimming ).