Chatham (Sun Pier) 26/7/01

This was one of those trips that was a long time in coming ……
I’d spoken with Leon Roskilly on a number of occasions about tagging along with him to see how the art of mullet fishing was executed Chatham style…. But for one reason or another we’d never managed to do so…

I have to put my hand up and say I have never fished for mullet …the overlap with the bass session (may-oct), coupled with the total uncertainty of how to go about that particular brand of sea fishing has always meant that the mullet have lost out … although I’m sure mulleters out there are smiling thinking “it’s you that’s lost out!!!!”….

A few weeks previously Leon had joined me down at the Folkestone Warren and had brought his mulleting gear with him .. more for demonstration purposes than with a keen sense of fishing.. as he’d intended to target garfish on float tackle … but that’s another story……

Anyway the up shot was that Leon was able to give me a significant amount of information about his style of mullet fishing with the odd newbie question from yours truly ….. I was hoping to apply some of these skills to the Mullet in Jersey when I was next over there….. or indeed on the Dover Breakwater or PoW.
Below is a synthesis of that imparted knowledge and my observations of Leon at work….

Mullet Fishing .. the Leon Roskilly way….

Equipment:

*13ft match rod or equivalent .. soft through action … suitable for small tench and chub
Leon suggested a match rod that he’d reviewed for AnglersNet made by Decathlon
http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/reviews/decath01.htm
(I actually went over to the Decathlon outlet at Canada Water in Rotherhith subsequently, and picked up two of the rods .. as it happened they were on sale!!!! And so for 29quid each, not only did I pick up a rod, got a small match fixed spool reel thrown in!!!!)

*4” Centre-pin reel, wide drum with screw tension drag …. Ratchet optional
(tends to be better than fixed spool .. able to trot line out as required, plus control of drag to play the fish etc.. see below)
Leon was using a Leeds centre-pin … but any wide drum centre pin would do…
http://www.center-pin-fishing-reels.com
(Through the AnglersNet Coarse fishing forum I managed to get a web address for secondhand centre-pins:
http://www.traditional-angling.co.uk/
When I phoned and explained what I was after, Steve Middleton (I assume that’s who it was) was very helpful indeed and sorted out a Jecta-3 reel for 45 quid.. which arrived promptly the next day!!).

*Hook lengths: 16” of 6 to 4lb flurocarbon … depending upon line diameter required..
(Probably best to avoid things like Berkley “Vanish” and go with the more specialist hook length flurocarbon lines)..

*Main line: 6-8lb mono (again diameter dependent) approx 100yds

*Link flurocarbon to mono with hook/rig ring

*Hooks: size 8 or 10 (smaller if you prefer) ….. short shank; wide gape … paint with white enamel to reduce visibility in the break flake…
(I would have thought something like the Kamasan Specialist hooks or similar would fit the bill)

*Floats : Insert wagglers (self-cocking or not) etc .. small pike floats for more open water

*Use float adapter (base tube) for quick change over..

*Closed end cage feeders for self hooking running ledger rig ……

*Diamond file for hooks

*split shot (non-toxic)

*Bucket

*Onion sack with tether line …. Onion sacks hard to get hold of so use Brussel sprout bags or the purple Beetroot string/nylon bags. ….
(I tried an Exfoliator sponge that I cut open …. Little on the weak side, and not as good as the more open mesh vegetable bags at releasing the bread …. But may be more effective in open waters)

*Unhooking mat

*Weighing sling

*Polaroid sunglasses …. A must!!!!

Ground Bait:

Bread … sliced loaves will do … plus a little fish oil (pilchard or what ever) if required..
Break up and add to water in bucket … work with hands to give a blocky bread mulch…
Place in onion sack …. Lower into water and tie off tether rope.. with bag at surface plus slack, to allow tide/ current to work the contents out of the bag….
Fish over sack or slightly down stream…. Jig bag very gently every so often to release a plume / cloud to maintain interest, but not too frequently or the fish will be spooked… Replenish bread in bag as required…
Plus…. Sprinkle crumbs on water every so often… but don’t over do it

Baiting the Hook:

A bread flake rap….
Pluck a 1” square of soft bread from a single slice ….. no crust….
Fold the square around the hook and pinch at the shank…. Trim with fingers any loose material ….. Dunk breaded hook in water … remove … and lightly press to remove trapped air, so that bread will sink…..
Replace bread as required … normally every five minutes or so…..
Typical depth of working …. 16 to 20” but experiment to find feeding depth….
Self hooking rigs tend to show a lower rate of success, compared to a firm lifting of the rod at the time of strike either with float fishing or free lining…..
Use the centrepin reel to release line in a controlled manner using the fingers or palm of the hand as the fight demands, maintaining tension but without having the small hook being ripped out of the mullets mouth, which so easily happens with the slower response imposed by the manual adjustment of the drag system of fixed spool reels….

Armed with this new found knowledge, plus my new rod and reel purchases, along with an assortment of coarse fishing terminal tackle from Surbiton Angling Centre I drove down to Chatham….

I arrived slightly early .. well an hour to be exact …. Found my way around Chathams one way system more by luck than Judgement …. Pulled into a Car Park (behind the Chatham Heritage Centre) so I could get my bearings, and found I was within 2 minutes walk of the Sun Pier …. So far so good…

Gave Leon a buzz on the mobile and then walked to the Pier ….
The sun was already blazing down, although cooled by a light northerly breeze …. The tide was almost fully out (LW around Noon) , but the end floating pontoon section still had water … and a number of Junior anglers .. with rods, bikes, scooters.. and even a small tent!!!

Waited for 10 minutes or so and then Leon arrived .. we walked down onto the lower section and set up camp on the first pontoon.. which at the time was sitting very nicely in the sandy-mud, with NO water…. Leon assured me that this would be no problem once the tide had turned, as the mullet could be showing with only a foot or two of water….
As we waited Leon set up a bread bag on the inside of the outer floating pontoon for later, and proceeded to show me the Mullet scrap marks on the algae incrusted superstructure of the pier….

They look just as Leon had described them … as if someone had taken two fingers and run them about 4inches along the surface ….. well at least we knew mullet had been around on the previous couple of tides .. we would just have to wait and see what this tide had to offer….

Fairly soon after Steve Burke arrived … who whilst having experience of mullet fishing at Ramsgate Harbour had come along like myself to pick up any further tips from Leon…
Leon’s mobile went off … it was Nick Fisher who’d got caught up in Chathams oneway system and wanted directions for parking and the pier … just as I had an hour previously.. Shortly Leon returned with Nick …. And once introductions were completed the serious business of tackling up began …..
Leon advised us all to start off by float fishing rather than ledgering as this seemed to produce a higher rate of success with selectively timed strikes rather than self hooking..
With only a slight breeze, small insert wagglers (sp?) were the order of the day, set around 20inches from the No10 white painted hook. The 20 inch thing Leon explained was due to the fact that as we would be fishing from the floating pontoons, any greater depth would result in a rapid movement of the float and terminal tackle away from the bread bags due to the under currents below the platform.

Steve set up fishing from the connecting swing bridge to fish the first bread bag on the outer pontoon ….

Whilst I set a second bag up and fished from the outer pontoon itself.
Meanwhile Leon was setting up with Nick on the inner pontoon with two swims with bread bags .. one on the edge by the connecting bridge and a second on the outer edge..

I hadn’t realised before, but Nick had brought his radio recording gear so that he could possibly use the material in the future … looking back on it, seemed like a very sensible idea… catch the action as it happens rather than trying to plan it …
I now know why his radio programmes have that very real “Live” feel to them… because effectively they are just that…
Leon seemed to be doing a sterling job of explaining his methods and approach to mullet fishing .. despite an ever growing horde of children and teenagers wishing to show their enthusiasm towards fishing and the radio mic!!!!….
And again I was struck by Nicks professionalism by specifically taking time out to chat with the youngsters and to record their thoughts as the day progressed …. thus keeping them involved whilst collecting material for younger listeners....
On the same tac, Steve was amazingly placid … even when the kids were deliberately causing the swing bridge to sway violently, and had him grabbing his gear in double quick time or risk having it land up in the drink …. I’m not sure that if I’d been in the same position, that I’d have kept with my solemn promise to Leon NOT to use some of them for shark bait!!!!!!

Anyway .. with all the distractions coupled with the almost constant need to hold the rod and watch the float whilst repositioning it as required, resulted in my normal note keeping going right out of the window… sorry folks …. But this is sort of how I remember things working out…. Sure Leon, Steve or Nick will tell me otherwise if I’ve got it wrong….

Steve was almost in from the off .. well when I say in, I mean he'd had a number of very positive bites (about 7 or more), with the float being draw right under .. no nonsense affairs …. But in true classic mullet style the fish were not connecting to the hook …. This resulted in one rather frustrated but focused Steve ….
During this time I think I had 2 bites with the float trembling and then being drawn under.. but just like Steve I failed to connect ….. then things went a little quiet ….

Well that was until Leon gave a shout …. He was in …..
Steve and myself went over to the second pontoon …. It was obvious that Leon was into a fish .. the rod was bent, and giving a number of pulsed pulls as the fish was trying to dive to freedom …. But what grabbed my attention was the general melee that was ensuing around him …. Nick was busy at work, getting Leon to describe every detail of the fight as it unfolded, with what seemed like a 1001 youngsters crowding around trying to see, help or offer advice …. Leon played the fish, gave the interview, and seemed to be answering questions all at the same time …. Gave the impression of supreme confidence with just a slight tremor in his voice every so often as the fish went on yet another run….

Again to his credit the description that Leon had given of the typical mullet fight unfurled before our eyes….
The 15 to 20 second delay period when the fish seems to be disorientated by being first hooked and is relatively easy to control …. The subsequent series of very powerful dives and lunges for freedom in an almost chaotic and almost unpredictable manner, going from one direction, suddenly into another…. The progressive wearing down of the fish, until it comes to the surface, looking as if it is beaten … followed by one of the most dangerous periods as the fish fully “wakes up” and surges with maximum power with another series of dives and dashes that will test the terminal gear to its limit….... I remember Leon saying something earlier about Mullet being compared to turbo-charged Chub on steroids... and it certainly looked that way!!!!
Eventually Leon managed to bring the mullet to the Landing net that Steve already had in the water (always have the net submerged in the water, and bring the fish to the net .. never the other way around)…..
Steve then helped Leon with the Mullet to the unhooking mat, where Leon had his picture taken, along with a number of the youngsters…. I guess the fish was in the 2 to 2.5 lb range …. In all that was going on I didn’t take note of its true weight :-(

Well that was enough to galvanise us back into action and have us all determined to catch our own mullet .. even the youngsters were suitably impressed and were taking about getting some bread and trying for mullet themselves the following day……

Steve may have had a couple more bites, but my float was defiantly on the motionless side…. Mind you I had gone with the expectation of catching nothing, and defiantly not landing any fish … centre-pin reel fishing is a whole new experience for a fixed spool or multiplier man like myself….. my main priority was to watch and learn …..

I was starting to feel a little hungry (when am I not since I gave up smoking in October!!!), so I decided to go over grab a sandwich from my tacklebox on the second pontoon and have a chat and watch Leon at the same time….

No sooner had I got the sandwich in my mouth and leaned over (carefully making sure my shadow was nowhere near the float or breadbag), than the float went down .. this was followed simultaneously by Leon striking with a firm sideways flick of the wrist …. And bang.. Leon was into his second fish …..

It rapidly came to the surface and looked to be a better fish than the first .. I should point out that as the water was almost a brown chocolate colour that one could not see the fish until it virtually broke surface…. The fight again proceeded in classic style with a whole series of lunging dives … eventually Leon managed to bring the fish to the surface where it rolled onto its side ….

Steve went to net it .. only to have the mullet go into overdrive, and literally jump straight out of the net, just as Steve started to lift the net clear of the water!!!!! .. and so the fight was on yet once again, with the mullet careering from one direction into another with a series of energetic bursts….. Leon managed to control the fish, whilst again conducting an interview by Nick, and a whole gaggle of youngsters crowding around…..
Steve managed to net the fish on the second attempt and took it to the unhooking mat …. I mean while wetted the weighing sling that Leon passed to me …. The fish came in at 3 and quarter lb … nice fish …. I took a few pix, before Leon gently returned the fish a little distance away from the swim….

Well to cut a long story short .. things went very quiet after that with very little in the way of bites or action … Leon swapped over to a self-hooking rig in order to move around more and give guidance along with preventing giving himself back-ache …. Steve started using groundbait and maggots …. And I tried to focus on my float!!!!
Nick came around to interview Steve and myself on our thoughts of the action so far …. Nick managed to hit the spot when he described me as a “Mullet Virgin” … very apt, and I really couldn’t have put it better….. LOL

Got around towards 5pm and Nick got a phone call reminding him he had a plane to catch the following morning to Spain.. at 4am … so He felt he had to go and do some packing or he was going to be in BIG trouble with the Mrs!!!!!

Not long after Nick had gone, Steve gave a shout to Leon and myself .. he was in to a mullet ….
At first he thought it was a small fish, but as the fight developed and the fish started to “wake-up” , it became apparent to all that this fish was no tiddler of a pound or so that Steve had first remarked upon….. time and time again the fish produced some very energetic dives with the rod tip being brought into the water, with the confined space and the potential snags that Steve was being forced to play the fish around, I strongly suspect that Steve was being forced to control the fish much more that he would have liked …. After what seemed ages, the fish started to come up towards the surface but not sufficiently for us to see it in the murky water ….

The fish then went into berserk mode, and started crash diving in all directions.. it was really at this point that Steve lost control and was forced to try and play the fish too hard or risk loosing it to the pontoon supports … the excess pressure applied to the small hook by the surging power of the mullet resulted in the hook being pulled free … and one very gutted Steve :-(
Not long after this the tide turned and that spot became too difficult to fish….

Leon, Steve and Myself then focused on the inner pontoon with the dropping tide… and despite Leons enthusiasm for this particular spot and this specific state of the tide, the Mullet failed to show .. or more specifically to feed on our hook offerings, as the water clarity prevented any chance of seeing mullet if they were there or not!!!!

By 8pm we decided to stop … we could have continued for another hour, but we were all rather tired by this time and thinking of getting home…..

One thing I should recount is a follows…..
During the day, on at least 5 occasions people came down to the pier to specifically feed the swans …. A reason that the mullet are normally so willing to take bread!!!! However this activity also potentially drew the swans towards the bread bags …. But Leon with his large brimmed camouflaged hat, would pick up the landing net and hiss at the swans … who simply turned away without a fuss or commotion and swam off…..
Leon told us that the Swans had learnt that ONLY when Leon took off his hat and packed up the landing net visibly would they get the contents of the emptied breadbags ….. and that’s exactly what happened …. Hat off, net away …… and within 30 seconds we had twenty odd swans from all directions right in front of us, waiting for their bread reward for their good behaviour though out the day….. Both Steve and myself just stared in disbelief at Leon and his amazing performing swans.....

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