can you use mussles as bait??????????

what would you target and can you freeze them have you had any luck with them

you can use mussel as bait for flounder coalies and cod.it can be used fresh or frozen get a baiting needle and pile the mussel in it till it forms a sausage shape get baiting elastic and whip it tight till it forms the sausage then freeze it .when going fishing take it with you cut the size you need and away you go.can be used as a cocktail or on its one.cheers john

They are a good substitute for peeler crab.

An alternative to the method beachcaster said is to salt them down, this makes them a bit tougher so you can get them on a hook but you still need elastic to keep them there.

If freezing them definatley put them on needles first like he said. Freezing does probably keep the juices in better as well.

agreed. whipping them on a baiting needle really makes life easier. they can also be good for dabs, plaice, and surprisingly enough, whiting!

hi all,

yep in full agreement with all above, I find them best when used two or three days after shelling and especially good during stormy weather. mussels can often outfish peeler and lug in my neck of the woods for codling and are really deadly for coalies,


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I'll go along with Rocketman, it seems because it is less costly and less harder to come by Mussel get a poor rap, when like RM said at times it will out fish everything else.

Either fresh or frozen its always worth a try when all else fails IMHO

BTW....its a killer for Wrasse too, what do you think Wrasse use those big teeth on 8)

Tom.

Lads, Do you use the Mussels raw or use those frozen semi cooked ones found in some tackle shops? I Have had success with wrasse on these alright, I hadnt considered using them for anything else. Usually find they are dirt cheap too. A couple of euro a bag or so.

Lads, Do you use the Mussels raw or use those frozen semi cooked ones found in some tackle shops? I Have had success with wrasse on these alright, I hadnt considered using them for anything else. Usually find they are dirt cheap too. A couple of euro a bag or so.

hi petekd,

i have only ever used them raw wouldn't even consider them cooked, shell about forty or so mussles and leave for two or three days in a bucket in a cool place (shed ideal) i then drain the liquid off them and use one or two on a hook for the smaller spieces and anything up to five or six for larger cod using plenty bait elastic to secure them on the hook. i would also leave them at least a couple before freezing them down.

hope this helps.


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Shell Them and leave to ferment for a couple of days, dont have a shed so that sounds like a recipe for a divorce!! :lol: Rag in the fridge is one thing, fermenting shellfish quite another! Will try that though, cheers. Have used those semi cooked things alright and they work quite well for wrasse but that other way is gonna produce serious scent trails! Does leaving them in the shelled state for a couple of days toughen them up at all? Thanks for the info.

Rocketman,

Put them in a poli bag and freeze them down as quick as you can, that way the smell is not bad from the fridge. When you come to use them (be careful they can be delicate) they let out the scent quickly as they defrost in the sea... IMO a great bait, very under rated.

Tom.

if you wanna leave them to stew for a couple of days put them in a bucket with a good sealing lid. drain off the juice , 3/4 fill a mineral bottle with it and freeze it, thaw it out before going fishing and you can use it to soak other baits in while on the beach on a baited spare trace, this way it gives your baits even more fish attracting qualities no matter what they are!doesnt work all the time but is a cheaper substitute than using the likes of peeler crab oil.

a good choice to make a mussels saussage use an apple corer ,
i find this trick on English forum by "flounder al" ,it's more easy ,

for those ones that you buy in tackle shops is it ok to refreeze the unused ones after fishing. I know as a rule you are better off not refreezing baits but seeing as refreezing squid doesn't effect it (or so I've read) does it matter if you refreeze this.
col