SEA MULLET

How do you catch sea mullet on Hatteras Island?

Sea mullet are the first fish back in the spring surf, and sand fleas are almost all you need.

Start with the rig

A sea mullet, or whiting, in the surf zone off the Outer Banks

Right now

Reading the buoys for sea mullet…

When sea mullet show

Prime
Good
Off

JANOff
FEBOff
MAROff
APRGood
MAYPrime
JUNPrime
JULGood
AUGGood
SEPPrime
OCTPrime
NOVGood
DECOff

Sea mullet show in April and stay through November, with the best runs in late spring and fall.

What to tie on for sea mullet

4 bait-to-rig lines for sea mullet, led by sand fleas. These do not change with the weather, so print them and keep them in the truck.

Sea Mullet bait, rig, sinker and rod table
Bait	Rig	Sinker weight	Rod and line
Sand fleas	Two-hook bottom rig or pompano rig, size 4-1 hooks2-4 oz pyramid or bank sinker7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12-15 lb mono or braidThe number one bait. Rake them out of the wash as the tide drops.	2-4 oz pyramid or bank sinker	7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12-15 lb mono or braid
Bloodworms	Two-hook bottom rig, size 4-1 hooks2-4 oz pyramid sinker7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12-15 lb lineWhen the fleas are gone, worms still get bit.	2-4 oz pyramid sinker	7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12-15 lb line
Fresh shrimp	High-low rig, size 4 hooks2-3 oz pyramid sinker7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12 lb lineSmall pieces on small hooks, fished in the first slough.	2-3 oz pyramid sinker	7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12 lb line
Fish Bites (crab or shrimp)	Two-hook bottom rig, size 4 hooks2-4 oz pyramid sinker7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12-15 lb lineStays on the hook when the crabs are thick.	2-4 oz pyramid sinker	7-9 ft medium surf rod, 12-15 lb line

Banks and inlets for sea mullet

4 access points where sea mullet actually show, each with its walk-in facts and today's call.

CAPE POINT

Cape Point

4WD, or a long walk

HATTERAS INLET

Hatteras Inlet

4WD, or walk from the village

FRISCO PIER

Frisco Pier

Pier: walk on and pay at the gate

ORV RAMPS 34-55

Ramps 34 to 55 (ORV beach)

4WD only

The sea mullet tackle

Gear guides

Light surf rods and small-hook rigs.

See the pick

Sea Mullet: the three calls

Fish the first and second sloughs, not the horizon. Sea mullet feed in the wash, right off your feet.
Keep the rod in a sand spike and watch the tip. The bite is a tap, not a slam.
Small bait, small hooks. A nickel of shrimp on a size 4 gets more bites than a whole shrimp on a 1/0.

Finding the whiting

Sea mullet, or whiting as most of the banks call them, are the honest little bottom feeders that keep a winter surf session alive. They work the wash zone just behind the breakers, nosing through sand for crustaceans, so a small hook and a scrap of shrimp or bloodworm fished on the bottom does the job. Two or three at a time on a spread of rods is normal when a school settles in. They bite best on the move of the tide, and they school tight, so where you find one you usually find a dozen. Light line and a small weight get more of them than heavy gear ever will. A gentle lob casts further than a hard swing, and letting the rig settle before you tighten up keeps those little hooks fishing instead of fouled. When the school drifts off, walk the beach until you find the colour line again instead of waiting on a dead hole. They are a cold-water fish here, and a session in January can out-fish one in July.

Water: Surf zoneSandbars and sloughsPiersInlets
Methods: Bottom fishing with single or double-hook rigSurf fishing with pompano rigCasting and retrieving small jigs