Thicklip Grey Mullet
Chelon labrosus
Grazes algae and detritus in harbours, which makes it maddeningly hard to hook and, pound for pound, one of the strongest fish in European waters.
Also known as: Grey mullet
World record
Frits Kromhout van der Meer · Zuid Pier, Netherlands · 1996
Overview
- Scientific name
- Chelon labrosus
- Family
- Mugilidae
- Max length
- 29.5"
- Typical length
- 15.7"
- Max weight
- 14 lb 2 oz
- Depth range
- 0–20 m
- Conservation status
- Least concern
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Fight
- Table quality
How to catch it
Bread flake on a light float in a harbour, after ground-baiting with mashed bread for an hour. Patience is the whole technique.
How big does it get?
What turns up on an ordinary day, and what a very good one looks like. Almost nobody catches a maximum-size fish — this is the honest spread.
1.8 m angler
Character
What this fish is actually like to catch.
Where it lives
Its band in the water column, against the ocean's real depth zones.
When to fish for it
Relative catch activity through the year, northern hemisphere.
Distribution
Trophy Score of all :n logged catches of this species. A score means nothing until you can see the population behind it.
Top catches on FishRankings
The heaviest of this species recorded by our community.
Nobody has logged one yet. Claim the top spot.
Log a catch4 Related species
| Species | Species | Worth | Max length | World record | Depth zone | Fight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flathead Grey Mullet Mugil cephalus | 211 | 3' 11" | 17 lb 10 oz | Seabed Brackish | ||
| Milkfish Chanos chanos | 252 | 5' 11" | 25 lb 0 oz | Surface Brackish | ||
| Atlantic Tarpon Megalops atlanticus | 250 | 8' 2" | 286 lb | Surface Brackish | Vulnerable | |
| Bonefish Albula vulpes | 222 | 3' 5" | 16 lb 3 oz | Surface Saltwater | Near threatened |
"Worth" is what a catch of that species is worth before any of your own skill counts — higher means harder to find and harder to beat.