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Fish guide

Golden grey mullet

Chelon auratus · Mullet

Also called mullet, golden grey

Golden grey mullet
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What fish is this?Identify a fish from a photo

The smallest of the three grey mullet, found around harbours, river mouths and sandy beaches, mostly in the south and west.[1]

How to recognise it

  • A prominent gold blotch on each side of the head, on the gill cover.[1]
  • Longer pectoral fins that reach the eye when folded forward.[2]
  • No dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin, unlike the thin-lipped mullet.[1]
  • The smallest of the three, to about 45 cm and 2 kg.[1]

When and where

Season
Jun–Aug[3]
Found over
harbours, estuaries, sandy beaches[1]
Baits
ragworm, bread[1]

Mullet tend to move northward in summer, and spawn further offshore in winter.[3]

Sources

  1. Planet Sea Fishing: Golden grey mullet
  2. British Sea Fishing: Mullet species
  3. NW IFCA: Mullet

These notes are a draft: we gathered them from the sources above and are still checking them. We don't work out best times for this fish yet. The size rules come from the same checked byelaws as every other fish.

Size and bag limit

Minimum size
Sizes vary along the coast. Pick your spot to see the rule there.
Bag limit
None set for the whole UK.
Minimum sizes around the UK
AreaMinimum size
Kent & Essex IFCA30 cm
Sussex IFCA36 cm
Southern IFCA36 cm
Devon & Severn IFCANone
Cornwall IFCA20 cm
Isles of Scilly IFCANot checked yet
North Western IFCANone
North Eastern IFCANot checked yet
Northumberland IFCANot checked yet
Eastern IFCANone
Welsh GovernmentNot checked yet
Scottish GovernmentNot checked yet
DAERA (Northern Ireland)Not checked yet