UTERThe Florida fall mullet run starts on the Atlantic coast in late August, moves down the beaches through September, and peaks from Palm Beach to Miami in October, with snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks feeding behind it the whole way. The Gulf coast has a different run in November and December, when adult roe mullet school up and head offshore to spawn after the first cold fronts.
The fall mullet run is the biggest feed of the year on Florida's east coast, and you can fish it from shore. Here's when it reaches each stretch of coast, according to Fish Scouter's season calendar, and how to fish it from the sand.
Two different runs
Anglers use "mullet run" for two different events:
- The Atlantic fall run (late August–November). Huge schools of mullet move south along the beaches, the Intracoastal and the inlets. Most of them are finger mullet, the 4- to 8-inch fish that make perfect bait. The schools run down the coast from the Carolinas into South Florida. This is the run that pulls every predator onto the beach.
- The roe run (November–January). Adult striped mullet, heavy with roe, gather in the lower bays and river mouths and then run offshore to spawn. FWC describes adult striped mullet migrating offshore in large schools to spawn. Gulf-coast biology work puts that spawn between October and January, peaking in November and December. Fishing Florida's Gulf coast at the end of the year means fishing during the roe run.
Atlantic mullet run timing, north to south
| Water | Run starts | Peak | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville & St. Augustine | Late August, after the first northeast wind | September | October |
| Space Coast (New Smyrna to Sebastian) | August | September | October |
| Treasure Coast & Palm Beach | Finger mullet gather in August; the run starts mid-September in Martin County | September–October | November |
| Broward & Miami-Dade | September | October | November |
The dates move with the weather. The first strong northeast wind and the first drop in water temperature start it. A late, hot summer pushes everything back, and a big early northeaster can bring a week's worth of mullet down the coast in two days.
Gulf coast roe run timing
- Panhandle and Big Bend: roe mullet school up on the flats and at the river mouths in November and pour out of the bays and passes in December.
- Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor: roe mullet run out the passes in December and keep spawning offshore into January.
What follows the mullet
Anything that eats fish shows up for the run. Here's who you'll find behind the schools:
- Snook. They hang under the school and pick fish off the bottom of it. October on the Treasure Coast is the best beach snook fishing of the year. Snook harvest season rules apply, so check MyFWC. Treasure Coast snook · snook by season.
- Tarpon. Fish blow up mullet schools in the surf and at the inlets from Sebastian to Government Cut. This is the second Atlantic tarpon season. Treasure Coast tarpon · Miami tarpon.
- Jack crevalle. Packs of them crash through the middle of the school, and they're the loudest thing on the beach. Treasure Coast jacks.
- Sharks. Blacktips and spinners work the outside edge of the bait. Space Coast blacktips.
- Bluefish and Spanish mackerel. They slash through the schools in the surf, mostly from the Space Coast north. Space Coast Spanish mackerel.
- Redfish and flounder. On the Atlantic side, the bull red spawn at the Mayport jetties overlaps the run, and fall flounder stage at the inlets. First Coast redfish · Space Coast flounder.
Where to watch it from shore
You don't need a boat for the mullet run. The bait comes to the sand. Good places to start:
- Inlet jetties and seawalls: Sebastian Inlet, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie, Jupiter, Boynton, Hillsboro, Port Everglades and Haulover. Mullet have to squeeze through the inlets, and predators wait at the mouth.
- Fishing piers: Juno Beach, Lake Worth and the Fort Pierce jetty walkway give you height to see the schools.
- Open beach: any stretch of Hutchinson Island, Jupiter Island or the Palm Beach beaches when the run is on. Watch the first trough.
- Bridges at night: Intracoastal bridges on the incoming, with snook and tarpon under the lights.
Fish Scouter's map marks piers, jetties, fishable bridges, beach access points and seawalls. Set "How are you fishing?" to Shore and the app picks out the spots you can reach on foot.
How to fish the mullet run from shore
Find the bait first
Look for "nervous water": a dark, flickering patch on the surface where mullet are crowded up and flipping. Birds diving, mullet jumping all at once, or a sudden spray of bait are the signs that predators are on it. Walk the beach in the direction the schools are moving (south) and stay with them.
Live bait
A cast net full of finger mullet is the best bait you'll ever have. Hook a mullet through the lips or just in front of the dorsal fin on a circle hook sized to the bait. Use a fluorocarbon leader heavy enough for snook gill plates and jacks. Throw it to the edge of the school and let it swim. A mullet that breaks away from the school is the one that gets eaten. Check FWC's current mullet and cast-net rules before you net.
Lures
- Topwater plugs the size of a mullet, walked along the edge of the school at dawn.
- Paddle-tail swimbaits in white or silver, run under the school for snook.
- Flutter spoons and heavy jigs to reach the outside edge for jacks, blues and Spanish.
Timing
Dawn and dusk are best, along with the first days after a northeast wind starts. The incoming tide at the inlets pushes bait in. At night, bridges on the incoming hold snook under the shadow lines. Watch the surf: a big northeast swell can make the beach unsafe and muddy the water. On those days the inside of the inlets usually fishes better.
Mistakes that cost fish during the run
- Casting into the middle of the school. A lure or bait lost among thousands of mullet rarely gets picked. Work the edges and the back of the school, where predators cut off stragglers.
- Staying put. The schools move south, sometimes fast. If the bait has passed you, walk after it or drive ahead to the next beach access point.
- Fishing the wrong side of a blow. The first days of a northeast wind bring the bait. After three or four days of hard wind the surf is often too rough and dirty, and the inlets and the Intracoastal side fish better.
- Light leaders. Snook gill plates and jack crevalle wear through light line. Fish heavier fluorocarbon than you'd use on the flats.
Gear for the beach
An 8- to 9-foot spinning rod with 20- to 30-pound braid covers almost everything that follows the run. Add a 30- to 50-pound fluorocarbon leader for snook and jacks and some wire if bluefish are around. Bring a cast net and a bait bucket with an aerator so the mullet stay lively.
Know when it's on
The season calendar gives you the month. A northeast wind and a cooling surf tell you the day. We think Fish Scouter is the best way to know what's biting, because it does what a printed calendar can't: it combines this season calendar with the live water temperature from the nearest reporting sensor, the NOAA tide and the wind, ranks every species for the water you're on each hour, and explains each ranking in plain words. Its seven-day outlook shows when the wind swings northeast, and Shore mode picks out the piers, jetties and beach access points near you. Try Fish Scouter free.