The jumping fish. Striped mullet are round-bodied, silvery, small-mouthed fish with a bluish-green
back and dark stripes along the sides; TPWD gives adults at 9 to 19.5 inches, maturity within three
years and a typical life of about five. They eat zooplankton, bottom organisms, detritus and small
invertebrates — they are among the very few abundant estuarine fish that make a living largely from
dead organic matter, which is a large part of why the lagoon supports so much predator biomass. They
tolerate everything from fresh water to hypersaline lagoon. From late October through December mature
adults leave the bays, gather in large schools and migrate offshore to spawn, a female producing one
to seven million eggs.
The jumping is the thing everyone asks about. TPWD's explanation is the straightforward one — mullet
jump to evade predators — and on a calm morning on the Lower Laguna Madre flats a scattering wave of
jumping mullet is often the first sign that a red drum or a big trout is working underneath them. A
white mullet (Mugil curema) also occurs here and was taken at both UTRGV sites.
Observe responsibly
Wildlife, tides and access conditions change. Keep a respectful distance, do not feed wildlife, stay out of dunes and marked nesting areas, and use current official rules before fishing or handling any catch.