mussels 4 bait.good or bad

[saving private brian]

.i seen a topic on mussels here and i have great access to loads of them here.have used them a good few times but to no success.i just use them fresh.i dont boil them even thou some people do.i think boiling them burns out there goodness.i also freeze them fresh in there half opened shell which i think is the proper way to freeze them.it keeps them in good shape

I want to from other anglers is

1=is mussles a good bait

2 = wat fish have ye caught on a mussle bait.

3=wats the best way to use them.fresh from the shore or slightly boiled and frozen

Thanx Brian(sorry this is under worng forum.)

[fro66]

I've never had much success with them apart from the occasional flatty. When i use them i secure them to the hook with a small rubber band to stop them coming off during casting

[saving private brian]

ya fro elastic or not there very hard to keep on the hook.maybe coctails is all there good for.i think hugo said in a post earlier that there good stuffed in 2 a squid body

[chrisfeeney30]

Brian,
I use them every now and again. As you said very easy to collect but the work starts after that.
I rekon there a pretty good bait for some species, iv had doggies, whiting and coalies on them. Have only used them a handful of times though. Find it helps to tip your baits with them on slow days.
In my opinion boiling them would be a stupid thing to do as the scent wouldnt be the same after.
I collect a lot and then bring them home.
When i get home i open them all by either: 1) running a knife through the the side cutting the muscle that controls the muscle opening and closing or 2) tapping them sideways with a stone.
Then i scoop them all out put them into a zip lock bag.
Here you can either freeze them in this bag or go and use them.
To bait up with them get a baiting needle with a hollow end.
Slide the muscle meat up the needle untill its almost covered in it.
Get a fine bait elastic and whip them all together so il looks like a massive sausage.
Then you can just slide them up the hook and cut to the size you need.
Use some more bait elastic to secure it onto the hook and your ready to go.
It is a lot of work in my opinion but can be worth it at times when things are slow.
Hope this helps..

[saving private brian]

ya thats brill chris.i agree with u there.im gonna use them more in cocktails any more.there a messy bait thou.also there good for tipping i believe.i read some where too recently that a lot of anglers under estimate cockles as tipping baits.i can get loads of them too so mite try them.its hard to beat the bait u dig and catch urself rather than the frozen stuff in the shops

[chrisfeeney30]

Ya exactly, i know where ya will be getting cockles, used to dig them for my nanny up there a few years back! Give them a go, let me know how you do

[cw1]

There's a mussel bed where I dig my lug so I usually pick up a few to use as tipping bait or to use on their own their own. Messy to put on the hook and elastic is essential. Use them fresh and usually crack them open while on the beach in between casts. Have caught codling on them in rough weather.

[cw1]

There's a mussel bed where I dig my lug so I usually pick up a few to use as tipping bait or to use on their own. Messy to put on the hook and elastic is essential. Use them fresh and usually crack them open while on the beach in between casts. Have caught codling on them in rough weather.

[Big Bass]

i prefer lug or crab myself depending on where im fishing.I used mussels along with lug all through the winter, found them good for codling,whiting and coalfish. i use them fresh out of the shell,put a few on a bait needle,bind them with elastic and they slide straight onto the hook,once on the hook use a bit more elastic to make sure they are secure

[hugo]

I read somewhere that mussels give off a scent trail similar to peeler crab. I've only ever used them as part of a cocktail so its hard to say what fish go for them specifically (except wrasse of course). But I'd be interested to try them fresh in a swim feeder if i could get them handy - Brian can you PM me where you harvested yours?

[Kaner]

Caught two lovely Sea Trout out in Greystones this year using Muscle..........

[RockHunter]

I reckon mussel is a very good bait.
On a session last year when I didn't have time to dig lug and was out of razor fish I picked up a few mussels on the way to the mark I wanted to fish and had three bass in quick succession on just mussel.

I also caught my personal best wrasse on mussel last year on the Beara Peninsula.

I have had quite a few flounder on mussel too.

[rab01]

Great bait when used with squid for codling. Take all the guts out of the squid and stuff it full of mussel. With a sharp pin pierce holes in the squid so the mussel juices can ouse out.

[paulybo]

have used them with mixed results even on the same marks they have been great one time and rubbish the next
i buy the live ones from tesco put them in a colander and pour a kettle of boiling water over them then straight away run them under the cold tap this toughens the skin but keeps them snotty
have also found the more they are thawed and refrozen the better they are they really stink but this seems to be the attraction