The key to catching is picking the right tidal state and plenty of groundbaiting or pre-baiting.
In general, a rising tide is best, fishing from mid-tide to high water. And spring tides are usually better, but it depends on the spot. If you fish a spot on a rising tide and see no activity or action, stay on for the ebb because some places fish best on the ebb.
In Cornwall, the mullet have a liking for mackerel flesh. To make up the groundbait, skin, fillet and chop the fish (one macky is enough) into tiny bits. I get three or four sliced loaves of white bread, take it with me dry, then do this:
Put a whole loaf in your landing net and plunge it completely underwater. Lift the net out quickly and use the net to wring out all the excess water and, more importantly, air bubbles. Fling the wet bread into a bucket and repeat the exercise. Now add the minced fish and use your hands to break the bread up into particles and mix it. That's the groundbait.
Use the biggest waggler you can find - at least 4SSG but the specialists convert a big Drennan Crystal Chubber by adding a long antenna to it with Araldite. You need all the weight down the line, with the hooklink tail at least 3 ft long. Add a microswivel 18ins from the hook because the rig will spin up badly if you don't.
I usually go for a sliding float rig because deep water seems to me to be more productive with the method. Especially with big balls of groundbait going in. For the same reason, try to choose a spot which hasn't got a rip current through it, which will whisk your groundbait miles away.
Bung in a couple of big balls at a comfortable distance, close to some feature like a rock, buoy, seawall. Set your bait to fish a good six inches overdepth. And use big bits of breadflake on a size 12 or 10 hook, 4lb fluoro hooklength, 6lb mainline, strong float rod or Avon.
Don't bung in more bait until you see some indication of a bite (from any fish). Then bung in more. If you get a shoal in front of you, you can't overfeed it.
Hope that works for you. I've fished off the Headland at Newquay (past the harbour along Headland Road) and it's perfect for this method. You might also get garfish on slivers of mackerel skin, and ballan wrasse on ragworm, with the same rig.
