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Was out on the Rangitīkei River about halfway between tangimoana beach and bulls yesterday and found multiple big schools of what I identify to be grey mullet. They were in knee deep water feeding on algae in schools of around 10-20 in various areas throughout the river system. Has anyone had anything similar? Find this quite strange how a salt water fish is so far up the river system?…
I've seen mullet well upstream too, they can live in freshwater or at least brackish water. NIWA have recorded them around 150km upriver, so no surprises. Annoyingly, they do look like trout at times. I wouldn't mind, but the grey mullet won't usually take a fly.
We used put a butter fish net in lake wiararapa when duck shooting in the 90s and caught heaps prob 25kms from the sea , good smoked .
Saw in the news the other day bloke fishing 5km up the Haast river and a bloody dolphin chased his trout away haha
Sometimes the mullet will harass a huge white feather from a gull or goose
See plenty in the tukituki river behind havelock north
I didn’t realise they could live in fresh water, just surprised me on the amount of fish I was seeing. Had no luck on the spinner or fly they were just grazing away on algae in the river and my lures just seemed to spook them
I saw that! Some weird stuff going on lately. Marlin caught off manawatu and now dolphins up the river lol
okay -yes they will travel inland some distance - a net will catch them and smoked one damn good eating fish yummy
I have seen them at the Patea Dam wall which would be 45-50km up river from the mouth
Caught a yellow eyed mullet in lake waihola recently, that about 18km up from the coast.
Currently working in Te Awamutu. Big schools of them here, must be 100km by river to the sea
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I think there are some in the waikato in Hamilton
I saw a bit on TV about them using a weed chewing machine in Lake Horowhenua at the moment and they mentioned there was Mullet in the lake. Sounds a bit suspect to me but maybe possible ? No that I would eat anything coming out of that lake
I Used to live in the area, half way between Bulls and Scott’s ferry.
Always been grey mullet in the River, I’ve seen them up past Bulls, a few times,
Caught a couple on very small Nymphs, on the fly rod, you can also catch the odd flounder, (black flounder I think) up the river, quite a few Km past the sea, they put up a pretty respectable fight, got one just below the bulls bridge, a a few behind flock house. All on flies or worms.
Also seen them at Patea Dam face, as someone above had said.
live north of Aukland on the Kaipara River we are about 12 k from the harbour by river still completely tidal
still plenty of mul
my mate duck hunts on a farm further up the river probably more like 20km completely fresh water no longer tidal and plenty of mullet swimming past
they go miles
my uncle used to work on a farm that had a lot of reclaimed land that had a farm pond with completely fresh water but plenty of mullet we put a net in there a couple of times and got some monster mullet up to 4 or 5 kg good bait not edible they stunk inside they were breading in there but we think they must all come from a school that got trapped when they reclaimed and landlocked the place
Better than a manbun
Crazy eh , nature is amazing
Bull sharks 1000k up the Nile river , and in Melbourne right up to the bridge .
And the there is this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNA5tdWO3tk
My most crazy was a flounder up up at the Seddon bridge…
My favourite sea run trout down the bottom of the Waimea & Motueka river , amazing fish !
I do remember in my teens when I lived in Palmy north, (early 70's) playing down in the Manawatu river and several times spooking flounder in the shallows under the Willow trees. Never thought much of it.
I have seen flounder up above the old Fitzherbert bridge and caught a couple.
Long way from the tide.
We’ve got seals running up the Tahakopa River for miles. Absolutely hammered the trout population.
There are mullet in the Wairoa and Mungakahia rivers in Northland past where there is any visible sign of tidal impact or salt water. Often see 20 or 30 in a school. Used to get catfish in the eel nets in the Hikurangi swamp, guess they would still be there.
Yeah, very common in the waipa and mangapiko. I've seen them all the way past Te Kuiti in the Mangaokewa stream, and that would be pushing 200kmQuote:
Originally Posted by MSL
Mullets every where these days it’s the in thing
Yeah it was a thing back in the mid 80s too. Business in the front, party at the back
Quote:
Originally Posted by longrange308
At Whatipu in the Waitakere Ranges, there are huge (long) mullet in freshwater lakes. The lakes were created by sand dune movement, blocking off streams.
I used to do quite a bit of surfcasting at Whatipu but never thought to look in any lakes :)
i grew up in Huia (fosters bay) and my mum had a job once or twice a week cleaning at the Whatipu LodgeQuote:
Originally Posted by Ranger 888
good times
My 223 has its mullet badge.
Took a few shots,have to wait till they are right up on the surface
I once witnessed an impressive sight of mother nature on the river I w/bait on in Sth Westland.A black serpent of a Grey Mullet wall slowly snaking up the river on the surface on an incoming tide.I don't think a school is the right term.Approx 300 yards long densely packed across the full width of the 100 yard wide river.In no particular hurry.They appeared to be surface feeding on pollen spores? or maybe plankton?Went inland 2 miles to the top of the tide ,then slowly mooched back down to the mouth.They are usually present at the mouth when the bait is running but only in numbers or 1-200.This wall had an inestamal number but the biomass must have been in the several hundred tonnes.Only seen the phenomenon once.Looked like pearing into a salmon farm Tank.Totally buggered the baiting for that day
@Dazzh and I saw a seal near Okororie when drift shooting the Waihou years ago.
Probably 170 km from the sea.
Many moons ago some greenie clowns loaded seals into choppers and flew them into the headwaters of some West Coast rivers in an effort to rid the 'Wai' of introduced trout:omg::omg::omg:
I remember vividly overhearing the chopper pilot commenting that 'the bastards sure can wriggle'
Bait stocks were getting down and as I break out into hives at the thought of buying the stuff motivation was required. Caught last Thursday, Lower Waikato River. These were fresh run fish. Couple for the smoker, rest salted for bait.
Attachment 270811
That would have been right up there with the last things I expected to see that day. A very healthy and happy looking seal that one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross Nolan
