Mullet Down West: Review of 2021

Time to reflect on, what has been, another difficult year in pursuit of the elusive grey ghosts. They have certainly lived up to their reputation this year displaying an almost uncanny ability to melt away without trace whenever I've put foot on the bank. After the interruptions caused by Covid last year, it was good to get a full 12 months of potential opportunities. However, the non-appearance of the fish has meant some months have been difficult or totally unproductive.

In many ways this year has been similar to 2020 with a good start (eventually), followed by a disappointing summer and a premature end to the season. This resulted in a similar total for the year which, in itself, was disappointing given that about 6 weeks were lost in 2020 due to lockdown. This shortfall was brought about by the delayed start (no fish caught in Jan/Feb) and the poor performance of the summer venues, especially Sutton Harbour. On a more positive note, the overall distribution of sizes was shifted favourably compared to last year with reductions in the 1lb and 2lb bands and an increase in the 3lb band. This gave rise to an increased overall average size, in fact, the best recorded to date.

I recorded a similar number of sessions and hours, so the lack of success cannot be attributed to lack of effort. Again, I am restricted to fishing weekends so have been at the mercy of the tides and weather. That sounds like a lame excuse so I guess the message should be "Must do better". No new venues were introduced this year, which I suspect is because the struggle to catch anything has tended to focus my efforts on trusted locations, as opposed to taking a chance on unknown areas. There will come a point when I will NEED to do this as the list of 'trusted' venues becomes ever shorter.

Another problem that has continued to haunt me has been the number of hooked fish lost. This was most prevalent in the first half of the season, although I believe I may have sorted this now, only time will tell. More about that later.

The most pleasing aspect of the season has undoubtedly been the return of the annual visit from my lifelong friend and partner in crime, MarkB. It was beyond great to resume this tradition after the Covid-enforced layoff in 2020. Although only an all-too-short extended weekend over the August bank holiday, we managed to pack in several sessions at some new (to Mark) locations. Some modest sized fish were caught along with the usual laughs and the obligatory offerings from 'Ronald' and 'The Colonel'. Long may it continue.

No real dramas or moments of muppetry occurred except for a couple of frantic moments in what I have now named the 'Swim of Death' (SoD). The current score stands at 3-1 to the mullet.

Highs and Lows  (in no particular order)

The first fish of the year weighed 4/02 and came on 20/03/2021. This was a venue best and the earliest ever 4 setting the bar very high for the coming season.

Sadly it was not to last and I had to wait until 23/10/2021 to get the next one, the season best at 4/06 coming from the same location on the same weekend as last year's best.

Another venue best was caught on 07/11/2021 weighing 3/11, the first fish at that weight and 2nd to last fish of the year.

The last fish of the year 3/03 on 13/11/2021 signalled an abrupt end to the proceedings.

One of the biggest disappointments of the year came in the form of a near 5lb Gilthead Bream. Many anglers would consider this a worthy catch but hey, it's just not Cricket.

Fish were caught from 8 different locations, the same as last year but 2 down from 2019.

Venue-wise, the biggest underperformance was noted at Sutton Harbour producing just 2 fish compared to 8 the two previous years.

Average size for the year was 2/10, my best ever recorded.

Top 5 weight 19/05, over 1lb down on last year and slightly below 2019.

14 fish over 3lb, an improvement on last year but well down on 2019.

July, August and September all returned catches well below average (much the same as 2020) but things rallied a little during my best ever October.

No thin-lips or golden-greys again this year.

Other changes and additions

The ongoing saga of the lost fish suffered in the past 2 years rages on. However, having changed my hook pattern yet again part way through this year, I can finally report a significant upturn in fortunes. After a tip from MarkB, I am now using Preston PR355 hooks for all my rigs. Since the change there has been a dramatic improvement in the percentage of fish landed. Thanks Matey. Sadly this all came too late to save my hair! (about 30 years too late if truth be told).

I have had to make a repair to the tip ring of my main float rod after the ceramic insert dropped out. So far, so good on that one.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for one of my Shimano reels which suffered a bail-arm failure. I have tried to source replacement parts on the internet but due to the multitude of different models I have not been able locate the correct part with any degree of certainty. The one option I haven't tried is to contact Shimano directly. They may be able to shed some light and supply the appropriate parts. That's maybe one to explore before the beginning of next season and if the cost is not too exhaustive, I can get it back into service. For now, I have bought a cheap replacement which has performed quite well this year.

Last updated 28.12.21