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Find Mullet And You'll Find Reds

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By BILLY NOBLES

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 18, 2008

GO FISHING is a look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Billy Nobles, left, with "Reel Animals" partner Mike Anderson.

The redfish are everywhere on Tampa Bay, from downtown Tampa to the Gulf shores.

One surefire way to find them is to look for schools of mullet. You can spot these easily, because mullet will leap into the air.

There are several schools of thought on why mullet do this, from sighting the school to knocking off parasites, but my personal favorite was told to me years ago at the Frank Sargeant Outdoors Expo. A little boy asked me, "Captain Billy, why do mullet jump?" I told him what I just told you. He then asked, "How about just to 'mullet' over?" This cracked me up.

Back to the fish, and looking for the mullet. You don't want to find the small mullet, because a 36-inch redfish and a 12-inch mullet don't mingle. Mullet are vegetarians, stirring up the bottom while feeding on algae and grasses. This stirs up crabs and baitfish, which are on the menu for the redfish.

This time of year, nearly every oyster bar on the Bay deserves a good look. When approaching, take your time. My favorite artificials are the Berkley Gulp, MirrOlures Top Dog, DOA Shrimp and the old standby gold spoon.

Earlier this week, Mike and I filmed an episode of our show with captain James Goodwin to take on redfish with fly rods. I haven't fly-fished in more than 20 years. We chummed up the redfish with sardines and had them swimming around the boat.

Catch captains Billy Nobles and Mike Anderson on the "Reel Animals Fishing Show" on Saturdays from 6:30-7 a.m. and Sundays from 11-11:30 a.m. on WFLA, Channel 8, and on Sundays from 8-10 a.m. on WWBA, 1040 AM. To book a charter, call 1-866-GAMEFISH or vis

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