The New Jersey Mullet Run is a distinct segment of Jersey’s Fall Run. It’s the starter fluid that fires up the Shore’s inlets and beaches. As summer winds down the days get shorter, less sunlight and cooler nights get the air and water temperatures trending colder and the weather starts to turn. This transition it when things flip on and the Jersey Mullet Run comes alive.

The run can be short, so get after it and strike right away when the mullet start moving. Some of the fall’s best fishing can take place during the season’s first couple Nor’easters so surf anglers should be comfortable, ready to fish and able to capitalize in stormy conditions. It’s also important to point out that Mullet Run Tactics can be effective even when the mullet run is over.

There are basically two different NJ Mullet Run Tactics than anglers can choose… Bait Up & Soak or Pack Up & Plug!

Bait Up & Soak

Mullet can range in size from finger muller (small baits ranging from 3-5″) up to corn cobs (large baits weighing a pound or more). Cast net your own bait or buy fresh / frozen from the bait shop. Mullet can be fished a variety of ways; whole, chunk, strip.

A classic skewer style mullet rig is the most popular way to fish a whole mullet in the Jersey surf. These have a 1/0-5/0 size double hook which has has a slot for the rig’s stiff wire skewer to be attached or detached. This allows the hook to be fixed at the tail of the bait which is where bluefish tend to strike. Some of these rigs also have a float added for attracting color and also bring the bait up off the bottom, away from the crabs and gets it to swim in the current.

TIP: When rigging be sure to slide the mullet back down and either settle the hook as deep as possible into the bait (as shown in the photo above) or put one of the two hook into the tail. Be sure to always have at least one hook exposed for best hook ups.

Other popular rigs are the classic bluefish chunk rig (shown above with a half of mullet chunk) as well as the Doodle Bug, Fire Ball Rig and a Hi/Lo or One Drop rig. These rigs can be used to fish a whole mullet, a chunk of mullet or a strip of mullet. Below shows a strip of mullet fished on a simple hi/lo rig with 3/0 hooks which is perfect when small cocktail blues are present. These rigs will also catch fluke when cast and slowly retrieved off the surf.

Mullet is awesome fished live on a plain hook and it can also be deadly fished live off a popping cork on top or a small egg weight on bottom. It all comes down to what the situation calls for.

Pack Up & Plug

Plugging (casting lures) during the mullet run is very effective because mullet tend to swim in tight to the beach and they are a small-medium size bait. This makes it east for anglers to match the hatch.

Match the hatch!

• Size: 3-5+”
• Profile: Big head for their size
• Colors: White, Silver, Blue, Grey
• Movement: Distinct v-wave,
• Depth: Tends to hang around the surf line in shallow water

Mullet move in a unique way, in schools on the surface, commonly in tight to edge. Their wide nose puts out a v-wave on the surface. Some perfect matches are wake bait – metal lip swimmers and Red-fins as well as floating poppers, Bomber Wind-cheater, light swim baits and darters.

Rather than diving into specifics here , I’ll reference a detailed blog on the best mullet run lures. For more on top producing fishing lures for the Jersey Shore Mullet Run check out this blog article…

Best Jersey Shore Mullet Run Lures

Game Species

A lot of game species chase mullet. The main game here are striped bass, bluefish, fluke, weakfish and occasionally speckled trout and redfish. Yup Jersey surfcasters get a mini window each year.

School sizes striped bass that are mostly made up of residents striped bass that have hung around the area all summer long. There’s also a better class occasionally with fish in the 30″ but rarely in the 40″ range during this part of the run.

Bluefish love mullet and get active during the run. Commonly small class ranging from the year’s young (snappers) ranging up to cocktails in the 2-4# range and occasionally there’s times where bigger blues can show up to the party.

The 9th Inning of fluke normally coincides with the mullet run. It’s one of the best time to fluke fish the surf and inlets in search of large class fluke.

Fishing the jetty’s is a great option to find exiting mullet. But if creeping the rocks… Be Careful!!! Rocks are slippery but there’s more to consider. This time of year the region gets long period tropical swell energy. What look like a calm flat ocean can sometimes have very spaced out inconsistent wave action. The lully set waves can easily catch an angler off guard.