Large snook taken on a Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil topwater lure, a great pick during the mullet run. (Photo courtesy of Yo-Zuri)
September 16, 2025
By David A. Brown
When giant snook, tarpon, jacks, sharks and even big redfish plow through the annual mullet run, anglers find one of the year’s tightest concentrations of predatory potential. The spectacle of the massive schools of migrating mullet is jaw-dropping, but let’s be honest, nothing beats a bent rod and a screaming reel.
Earlier in the Atlantic run—as well as the smaller Gulf version, which often finds predators focused on finger mullet—smaller baits that mimic the juvenile forage fish deliver well. Options here include the MirrOlure Pro Dog Mullet , Cotton Cordell Jointed Redfin or the Bomber Saltwater Grade Mullet twitchbait.
When the strength of the mullet run finds those classic eruptions with volley after volley of terrified adult mullet leaping and darting to avoid relentless predators, that’s when your full-size baits deliver the serious line stretchers. Ten different anglers will show you 10 different mullet run tackle boxes, but a handful of dependable styles merit consideration.
A big snook caught during the mullet run. (Photo by Capt. Jim Ross) Rigged Swimbait Mullet Run Lures: Z-Man's Mulletron LT. (Photo courtesy of Z-Man Fishing) One of the most user-friendly mullet run options, a rigged swimbait offers chuck-and-wind simplicity. For this task Z-Man’s 6-inch Mulletron features a realistic image thanks to the photo printed technology, while the wedge-shaped tail creates a natural swimming motion that helps sell the ruse. Most helpful is the top hook line-through harness that holds the Mulletron’s custom heavy-duty sickle-style hook in place, but also allows the bait to slide up the line after a hook set. Reducing leverage, this decreases the chance of a fish throwing the hook.
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Savage Gear also offers an effective model with its Pulse Tail Mullet Pro . This one enhances the line-through design by complementing the single top hook with a treble on the belly. With 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-inch sizes, this bait allows you to match different stages of the mullet run.
Other rigged swimbait options include the Storm WildEye Swim Shad , the LIVETARGET Mullet Swimbait , Hogy Protail Paddle , and DOA ’s Baitbuster and Swimming Mullet.
Mullet Run Lures: Storm WildEye Swim Shad. (Photo courtesy of Storm) Unrigged Swimbait Mullet Run Lures: Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ. (Photo courtesy of Z-Man Fishing) Big paddle tails like the 6- and 7-inch Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ offer a versatile tool in your mullet run arsenal. This strategy allows you to quickly change bait size, shape and/or color on the fly. The predators targeting a mullet run are hardly picky, but it often comes down to getting noticed and that typically means standing out from the massive meat ball around which you’re fishing.
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Pick a jig head size that allows you to make an accurate cast at your relevant range. Durability and presentation consistency merit consideration and while Z-Man’s ElaZtech material stands up to the mullet run brutality (shark teeth excluded), you’ll want to keep your bait properly positioned on long casts and aggressive retrieves. A few drops of Super Glue or Loctite on the jig collar will prevent slippage.
Subsurface Hard Baits Mullet Run Lures: Rapala X-Rap. (Photo courtesy of Rapala) Often built for longer casts and greater durability, hard-body lures like the Rapala X-Rap play a vital role in mullet run success. Calling this bait his fall favorite, Capt. Jim Ross said the ones with green or black backs and silver sides work well, but the mullet pattern is his go-to.
“The size 10, 12, and 14 X-Rap all work depending on what portion of the mullet run we are into,” Ross said. “In the September and October time period, we usually have fingerlings and medium sized silver mullet to about 9 or 10 inches, so the two smaller versions outperform the larger one. Later in the year, the black (striped) mullet are more prevalent, so the size 14 works best then.”
Yo-Zuri’s Mag Darter , with its unique inverted cupped face dives into the fray and emits an erratic underwater darting action that mimics a mullet running for its life. The bait’s magnetic weight transfer system increases casting distance.
Topwaters Mullet Run Lures: Heddon Saltwater Super Spook topwater lure. (Photo courtesy of Heddon) Without question, the most exciting bite in all of fishing is that savage, paint-chipping, surface assault, and the mullet run offers plenty of opportunities to experience the thrill. Capt. Ed Zyak knows a topwater will deliver on the beach, but he’s a big fan of slinging these baits when incoming tides pull the action into the Indian River for one of the most exciting and productive mullet run scenarios.
“I focus my search on ambush points — anything that sticks out, where the mullet have to make a little turn or go around a point or a pocket,” Zyak said. “I focus a lot on tarpon and snook during the mullet run and I look for places where the predator has a chance to engage that baitfish when it’s getting swept around a point or pushed back into a pinch point.”
Mullet Run Lures: Rapala’s Magnum Skitterwalk. (Photo courtesy of Rapala) Baits like the classic Heddon Saltwater Super Spook with its 5-inch body and three treble hooks walks like a dream and snares fish, even with the often frantic and ill-aimed strikes common to the mullet run. Others include Rapala’s Magnum Skitterwalk and Strike King’s Saltwater Mega Dawg .
Topwaters also serve you well around jetties, as the surface presentation runs less risk of snagging the rocky structure and the various accumulated line and debris.
Designed with a long profile and a concave face, Pencil Poppers like the Tsunami Talkin’ Popper or Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil a sizable target that gurgles and spits during an aggressive retrieve, but smoothly walks side to side with a slower, more deliberate cadence.
Mullet Run Lures: Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil. (Photo courtesy of Yo-Zuri) Bonus Bites For the mackerel, bluefish and jacks looking to pick off a few bites without ending up between big snook, tarpon and sharks, those shiny, long-casting baits like Luhr-Jensen spoons and Gotcha Plugs will expand your options. These baits are particularly effective for pier, jetty and beach anglers.
Mullet Run Lures: Luhr-Jensen Krocodile spoon. (Photo courtesy of Luhr-Jensen) Similarly, don’t overlook some of your saltwater standbys like white or chartreuse SPRO Bucktail Jig and weighted shrimp lures. With the latter, the original DOA Shrimp fits the bill, as does a Berkley Gulp! Shrimp on a 3/8- to 1/4-ounce jig head.
Don’t sweat it when others boast about their big fish baits. You definitely want some of those too, but keep this in mind: The mullet run comes in waves and when a big push reaches your area, you gotta play it the way the fish want to play it, but between the heavy rounds, you can stay busy with the locals waiting for the next food train.
