The Fall Mullet Run on Florida's East Coast: How to Fish It

Ryley Monaghan · October 14, 2026 · 3 min read · Florida Atlantic coast

Every fall, huge schools of mullet leave the rivers and lagoons and run south along Florida's Atlantic beaches. Behind them come nearly every predator on the coast: snook, tarpon, jack crevalle, bluefish, sharks, Spanish mackerel and redfish. For a few weeks you can catch big fish from the beach, a pier or an inlet jetty without ever leaving land.

Here's how to find it and fish it.

When the mullet run happens

The run starts in the north and moves south. It usually kicks off in September on the northeast coast and builds through October, reaching South Florida into November. The first real cold fronts push it hardest — when the wind swings north and the water cools, the mullet move.

You'll know it's on when you see dark, nervous patches of bait just behind the breakers, with fish crashing into them and birds working overhead.

Where to fish it

The mullet travel close to the beach and funnel through the inlets. The best places are where the bait has to squeeze through or where predators can trap it.

• Inlets: Ponce Inlet, Sebastian Inlet, Fort Pierce Inlet, St. Lucie Inlet and Jupiter Inlet are famous for the run. Fish the jetties and the outgoing tide.
• Beaches: any stretch with a trough close to shore. Walk until you find bait, then fish right behind it.
• Piers: the long ocean piers give you access to bait that passes just out of casting range from the sand.

What to throw

Match the mullet. Most of the time, that means something 3 to 6 inches long.

• Live mullet: a finger mullet hooked through the lips or the back is the best bait there is. Throw a cast net into a passing school to get them.
• Topwater plugs: walk-the-dog style plugs drive snook, jacks and bluefish crazy on a calm morning.
• Swimbaits: a 4–5 inch paddle-tail or a mullet-shaped swimbait, retrieved steady along the edge of the school.
• Spoons: a silver spoon casts a mile into the wind and catches bluefish and Spanish mackerel all day.

Timing your trip

• Tide: the outgoing tide at the inlets is usually best — it sweeps bait out to waiting fish.
• Time of day: dawn and dusk, especially for snook and tarpon.
• Weather: the day or two after a north wind front often brings the heaviest bait. Rough surf can be good for snook along the beach, but be careful on the jetties.

Gear

A 7–8 foot medium-heavy spinning rod, a 4000–5000 size reel, 20–30 lb braid and a 30–40 lb fluorocarbon leader covers snook, jacks and bluefish. Bluefish will bite through light leaders — tie on a short piece of heavier leader or wire if they're thick. Bring a cast net for live bait.

Before you go

Snook, tarpon and many other species have strict rules in Florida — closed seasons, slot limits, and special permits for some fish. Check the current FWC rules before you keep anything, and handle big fish gently. Large snook and tarpon should stay in the water.

Get today's plan

The run moves every day with the wind and the water temperature. Check today's conditions for Sebastian Inlet, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Jupiter, New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet. When you're done fishing, find a boat-up restaurant. For exact spots with GPS and the bite window on today's tide, get the full report in NGN.