De Mond dash

**William Ewels** · 10-02-11

Been spending some time with my old Dad for his 80th birthday in Somerset West. He's a keen fisherman but now having trouble walking and it has been hard to find spots that he can cope with.

I remembered De Mond which has easy access, so when there was a decent weather forecast early this week we made a quick dash there.

We arrived just before 9am - obviously bright light and the tide seemed about half way out, so not ideal conditions. Stuck around the bridge area to make it easy for my Dad. About half an hour with crease flies and flippers produced a couple of swirls from small leervis but no strikes.

Plan B = mullet. Got a bread chum line going and soon we had swirls, so swung into action with bread flies. No hectic action but enough to put a smile on Dad's face:

Some of the mullet, by the alien frowns they carry, seemed to be thinking harder:

Then I got a couple of heavy takes (on 5x) that blew me away each time before I knew what's what! Striped mullet I knew they had to be - so re-rigged yet again and tried to pay more attention to protecting the tippet and before long I was hollering whoopeee:

Had some refreshments in the shade and enjoyed some of the visitors:

Then back to the action:

Now I have a question for the bright guys here. I'm on a quest chasing 100 species on one rod - they all count, even the 6cm white stumpnose I got - so about these striped mullet, I never got a good look at them apart from the pics. Are they different to the other mullet (which I assume are basic common or garden harders) or is it the same species just bigger? They have such similar body shape including the yellow patch each side - but the snout looked a little different.

Thanks
William

**E.T.** · 10-02-11

Fantastic!!!!

**fish** · 10-02-11

Hi William,

Great, aren't they just awesome fish can probably be described as a junior milkfish. The Striped Mullet is a different species - Liza tricuspidens, the smaller plain silver one is the Southern mullet - Liza Richardsonii. Haven't seen much Flathead/Bullnose mullet at Demond in the past few years.

**fish** · 10-02-11

Great pic of your dad.

**Herman Jooste** · 10-02-11

What a brilliant thread.

Well done on putting that grin on your dad's face. RESPECT.

Maybe a little lesson to be learned for our younger members??

How does that song go again ????

**William Ewels** · 10-02-11

Thanks for the encouragement guys

and the species info.

Fish I love these striped mullet - long fast runs and we even got treated to a couple of spectacular jumps. I can inform everyone that when one of these completes a one and a quarter summersault it ends in a violently inelegant flop

Herman thanks for saying that - it means a lot to me and him. I hope that in 30 years time when I'm 80 somebody will respect me enough to buy me a beer and take me mullet fishing

It's not the most exotic thing going but it's quality fishing all the way;

**fish** · 10-02-11

These pics are just very special - awesome! Quite new in the birding scene, what is the one above the Cape Francolin - a Boubou?

I took a few Stripeys in the 2kg+ class on light tackle, very underestimated species.