Having had success with trout fishing a couple of days
earlier, I decided to chance my luck and go mullet fishing on the lower Torridge.
It was an evening session at low tide which I find the most
successful time for catching mullet. I walked to my usual spot where there are
normally plenty of signs of mullet, but nothing.
I looked around and put in some loose feed, both on the
bottom in the edges and floating crust and after 10-15 minutes I noticed one
taking in the margins much lower down.
I forced my way just above where he was taking through a bed
of sedges taller than me ant tried to get onto a mound with grass growing which
I though would be OK. As I stepped out, I stumbled and put my foot into the
silt and went straight up to my knee. As I tried to pull it out using my other
leg, that one went into the same depth too. I should have known better, especially
as the tide is high, if you can’t get out you are in trouble. I managed to reach a tree bough and with that
and my rod and net, I gradually hauled myself out, but it was hard work.
Giving up on that spot I moved down another 50 yards and
there were the mullet. I free-lined a piece of flake in the margins and missed
a couple of takes without spooking the fish, then caught this nice mullet, and
they really do fight well. It was curious to see other mullet swimming with the
hooked one as I played it and also accompanying it as I returned it to the
river.
I shouted Graham, who was with me on this, his first trip. He
came with his fly rod and had several casts. He did have one take but was
distracted by me doing my usual falling over stunt. After that, the sport
stopped and the fish moved further away. I think they were aware of the fly
line in these high banked swims and bait fishing would prove far more successful.
The other highlight of the night was watching a barn owl
patrolling on the far bank. Sadly, I had
brought my standard lens for taking pictures of the fish and not my long lens
which would have been ideal for taking pictures of the owl.