Mullet tossing tips from a perennial champion
Mullet tossing tips from a perennial champion
By Fran Thompson
John Barbato (pictured) is not sure how many men’s overall titles he has earned during his 20 plus year’s tossing a mullet onto Alabama sand from the Florida side of the state line in the past 20 plus years. He won the overall title all three days in 2024. His wife, Desiree, also has at least seven Mullet Toss wins. He only threw two days last year and recorded the top throws (140’10” and 137’4″) on both of those days.
“I really don’t know how many overall titles I’ve won, but if you figure in winning Friday, Saturday and Sunday type deal, it is way more than 20,’’ Barbato said from his home near Pascagoula before the 2025 Toss.
Barbato, who won his first title when he was still a teen, is pretty certain it is way more than 20 and he is also certain that if he was given multiple opportunities to set a Mullet Toss record of 192 ft. with a perfect fish (medium size and frozen), he could not only set a new record, but also break 200 ft.
Barbato has some mullet tossing tips he is willing to share.
• First and most importantly, don’t throw a line drive. If you do, the mullet will hit the sand and stop. With a rainbow throw, the fish stands a better chance of rolling forward another 10 ft.
• Fold the mullet in half. That’s a no-brainer.
• Try to throw when the competition starts as there is less wind early in the day and competing with an afternoon wind in your face is an obvious disadvantage.
• Although some of his competitors prefer to pick the largest fish possible, Barbato says a medium size mullet is best. That being the case, he will always pick a frozen mullet over a thawed mullet regardless of the weight. “A frozen mullet will fly like a baseball,’’ he said.
• Stepping out of the ring or throwing the fish out of bounds should never ben an issue for a serious tosser. That has never happened to Barbato and it never will.
• Don’t drink any beer while in line to throw. Drink as much beer as you wish before throwing, of course. But once you get in line, stay in line. So, you don’t have to break line to use the facility.