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How to catch Golden grey mullet

Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810)

About Golden grey mullet fishing

The golden grey mullet is a slender, torpedo-shaped coastal fish belonging to the family Mugilidae, featuring a dark grey back that transitions to a silvery white belly with faint horizontal stripes and a distinctive golden patch on the gill cover. Growing to a maximum length of sixty-one centimetres and a weight of two and a half kilograms, with common adults measuring around thirty centimetres, this species inhabits marine, brackish, and freshwater environments across the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. It is a neritic, schooling fish that frequents shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and lagoons down to twenty metres, feeding on benthic detritus, microalgae, and small invertebrates. Adults undertake seasonal movements, entering sheltered inshore areas during warmer months and heading to deeper sea areas for spawning between July and November.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    30 cm SL

  • Market value

    Medium

  • Habitat

    Freshwater, Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Golden mullet, Long-finned grey mullet

Golden grey mullet

Forked caudal shape

Deeply forked caudal fin indicates swimming agility.

Abdominal pelvic fins

Pelvic fins are located far back on the belly.

Opercle golden spot

Distinct golden patch on the operculum distinguishes this species.

Golden grey mullet fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    30 cm SL (max 61 cm FL )

  • Typical weight

    0.4 kg (max 2.5 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    9.7–20.7 °C

  • Depth

    10–20 m

  • Longevity

    8 years

  • Body shape

    Fusiform / Normal

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    44.9

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Low

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Peak

  • Midday

    High sun

    Active

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Peak

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Low

  • Night

    After dark

    Low

When to fish for Golden grey mullet

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Golden grey mullet

Tips for catching Golden grey mullet

Anglers target golden grey mullet primarily with light float fishing tackle in calm estuarine shallows, harbours, and sandy lagoons where these fish congregate to feed on organic matter. Because they possess small mouths and cautious feeding habits, presentation must be delicate using fine lines, small hooks, and light wagglers that register subtle bites. Groundbaiting with a mixture of breadcrumbs, flour, cheese, and crushed fish scraps helps to draw the school into the swim and hold them near the surface or midwater. Baits such as soft dough pastes flavoured with cheese, pieces of crust, or small morsels of bread fished just off the bottom or suspended near weed beds produce the most consistent sport during daylight hours, particularly from late spring through early autumn when the fish are actively cruising the margins.

Other names for Golden grey mullet

Local and alternate names anglers use for Golden grey mullet.

  • Golden grey mullet
  • Long-finned grey mullet
  • Golden mullet

Best equipment to catch Golden grey mullet

Compare fishing methods for Golden grey mullet — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 0.4 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Golden grey mullet

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Golden grey mullet migrates — Catadromous

Grows in fresh or brackish water and migrates to the sea to spawn. Estuaries and lower rivers fire when adults drop downstream.

How Golden grey mullet migrates — Catadromous 1. Eggs: Spawned out at sea. 2. Larvae: Drift with the currents towards the coast. 3. Juveniles: Enter estuaries, and many move on into fresh water. 4. Adults: Feed and grow in rivers, lakes and estuaries, often for years. 5. Spawners: Head downstream and out to sea to spawn.
Fresh water Estuary Sea

1 Eggs

Sea

Spawned out at sea.

2 Larvae

→ Estuary

Drift with the currents towards the coast.

3 Juveniles

→ Fresh water

Enter estuaries, and many move on into fresh water.

4 Adults

Fresh water

Feed and grow in rivers, lakes and estuaries, often for years.

5 Spawners

→ Sea

Head downstream and out to sea to spawn.

Many only reach estuaries and the lower river; eels travel far inland.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Golden grey mullet

Prey and predators of Golden grey mullet

Prey is what Golden grey mullet eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Predators

What hunts it

Fish

  • Epinephelus marginatus juv./adults

Where Golden grey mullet lives

Pelagic over the continental shelf — coastal open water, not the deep ocean.

Habitats
Freshwater, Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Epipelagic
Sunlight · 10–20 m
Water column
Open water
Does not use the seabed

Where this species lives