T
TC
Guest
Cheers Gordon, I was gonna do the same......but I\'ve got so many already in the freezer, I doubt if I\'ll need to sheell any more for quite some time.
willywetegg
Administrator
IT is ages since I last shelled my own but would agree that it is worth it. Where abouts is the best place to buy them, bearing in mind I do not live at the coast.
Jim.
Jim.
T
TC
Guest
There\'s a fishmongers in So.Shields where I get mine, Jim.....£1.30 lb
willywetegg
Administrator
Cheer\'s Tony will get all the info next time I see you mate.
Jim.
Jim.
T
TC
Guest
Just give me a shout if you want me to get you some, Jim.
willywetegg
Administrator
TONY CAN YOU GET ME SOME MUSSEL MATE LOL.
Jim.
Jim.
T
TC
Guest
Aye.....lol......They\'re not open on Wednesdays, though.
I can get you some on Thursday / Friday, if you like.
Will you be down my neck of the woods this week?
I can get you some on Thursday / Friday, if you like.
Will you be down my neck of the woods this week?
willywetegg
Administrator
If you and Ian are fishing I will be down. Catch you later about that when you know mate.
Jim.
Jim.
Davyred
Well-known member
I used to shell my own years ago when there were stacks of coalies on the sunderlland piers, used to easily go through 10lb of mussel in a 4 hour club match 
A bloke called Jack Melton (He writes the angling column in the Sunderland echo) taught me how to shell them when I was a young un, a short bladed, blunt knife was best. If anyone ever seen Jack shell mussel, it was like a blur of hands, knife and mussel shellls
Tony, is the fishmongers you\'re on about called Vaseys?
A bloke called Jack Melton (He writes the angling column in the Sunderland echo) taught me how to shell them when I was a young un, a short bladed, blunt knife was best. If anyone ever seen Jack shell mussel, it was like a blur of hands, knife and mussel shellls
Tony, is the fishmongers you\'re on about called Vaseys?
T
TC
Guest
That\'s the one Davy.
Mind you, I seen a worrying sight in there the last time i was in just before Christmas.....The big picture of John Wayne on the wall behind the counter had a \"for sale\" notice on it.
That picture\'s been there since I was a lad......I hope they\'re not selling up......they\'re the only proper fishmongers in the whole of South Tyneside.
[Edited on 5/1/2005 by TC]
Mind you, I seen a worrying sight in there the last time i was in just before Christmas.....The big picture of John Wayne on the wall behind the counter had a \"for sale\" notice on it.
That picture\'s been there since I was a lad......I hope they\'re not selling up......they\'re the only proper fishmongers in the whole of South Tyneside.
[Edited on 5/1/2005 by TC]
If yo get stuck Will you can try morrisons they usually have bags of mussel, I myself have a cousin that works for large wet fish and shellfish distrubution comp near Redcar ( cannot be precise just in case his boss looks in 
)so I get as many mussel as I like, he scrounges the hermits off thier suppliers.
Only prob with hermits is that they turn to mush if you freeze em down, but cracking bait if they are fresh.
)so I get as many mussel as I like, he scrounges the hermits off thier suppliers. Only prob with hermits is that they turn to mush if you freeze em down, but cracking bait if they are fresh.
B
blastman
Guest
hi all, i prefer to freeze mussle on the hooks attached to hook trace ideal for pulley rigs had best results cast out when frozen i like some others mentioned use the wide mouthed food flasks ideal for frozen crab as well. might be out of the way for some but sid brookes the wet fish sop on church street in seaham harbour has fresh mussle in regulary as well as the indoneasian prawns large and small , dont know his phone number or what days he has them in or his prices but gets them every week regards john
willywetegg
Administrator
Cheers John. It is always another place to try. Don\'t have a decent wet fish shop around my area now apart from the fish counter at Morrisons and a wee shop that sells any fish you want as long as it\'s Cod or Haddock.
Jim.
Jim.
Seen this and thought it might be useful (thanx go to moggy for finding it)
Mussels and Razorfish
Mussels can be bought alive from fishmongers or frozen from bait shops and pet shops. Most housewives know to reject mussels that don\'t clamp shut when tapped but anglers need not worry about this as mussels which are \"off\" often make the best bait. Live mussels can be parted from there shells by severing the anterior and posterior adductor muscles and scooping out, or leaving to die in a bucket (helps bring out the flavour). Mussels are not on the menu normally as they are protected by a hard shell, those which are eaten have normally died and have been washed out. Tie mussels on to the hook with thread, taking care not to pull to tight. I like to freeze them on the hook and keep them wrapped separately until needed, this allows them to be cast further, they will defrost quickly once they hit the water. Adding pilchard oil to the mussel before freezing increases its effectiveness. Although the edible mussel Mytilus edulis is the one normally used as bait the horse mussels Modiolus modiolus can also be used. Other native species are too small to bother with. Mussels bought frozen pet shops are very small and make good lugworm and mussel cocktails. Mussel beds are also good places to fish.
Razorfish Ensis siliqua, also called pod razor and spouter fish are rarely for sale so have to be gather by hand. Walk along the low tide mark without shoes on very softly and look for keyhole shaped holes in the sand. Pour salt down the hole and grab tightly when it pops out. The smaller Sword razor is also suitable. Treat as mussels for bait.
Many species of bivalves can be found buried in the sand e.g. gapers, scallops, tellins, cockles, oysters, etc and are worth trying for bait where they are abundant.
Do not bother with limpets
Mussels and Razorfish
Mussels can be bought alive from fishmongers or frozen from bait shops and pet shops. Most housewives know to reject mussels that don\'t clamp shut when tapped but anglers need not worry about this as mussels which are \"off\" often make the best bait. Live mussels can be parted from there shells by severing the anterior and posterior adductor muscles and scooping out, or leaving to die in a bucket (helps bring out the flavour). Mussels are not on the menu normally as they are protected by a hard shell, those which are eaten have normally died and have been washed out. Tie mussels on to the hook with thread, taking care not to pull to tight. I like to freeze them on the hook and keep them wrapped separately until needed, this allows them to be cast further, they will defrost quickly once they hit the water. Adding pilchard oil to the mussel before freezing increases its effectiveness. Although the edible mussel Mytilus edulis is the one normally used as bait the horse mussels Modiolus modiolus can also be used. Other native species are too small to bother with. Mussels bought frozen pet shops are very small and make good lugworm and mussel cocktails. Mussel beds are also good places to fish.
Razorfish Ensis siliqua, also called pod razor and spouter fish are rarely for sale so have to be gather by hand. Walk along the low tide mark without shoes on very softly and look for keyhole shaped holes in the sand. Pour salt down the hole and grab tightly when it pops out. The smaller Sword razor is also suitable. Treat as mussels for bait.
Many species of bivalves can be found buried in the sand e.g. gapers, scallops, tellins, cockles, oysters, etc and are worth trying for bait where they are abundant.
Do not bother with limpets
willywetegg
Administrator
Nuclear powered Willy, she who must be obeyed WILL be impressed lol.
Jim.
Jim.
T
TC
Guest
Well, this might enlighten you a bit about shelling mussels....
Tala\'s sent me this series of pix........
Cheers Tala
I\'ll put some pix up of me shelling the next lot I do......BUT.....I didn\'t really have much of a clue at first and you can\'t really learn it from pix....practice is the key (and they\'re cheap enough to practice on.)
[Edited on 8/1/2005 by TC]
Tala\'s sent me this series of pix........
Cheers Tala
I\'ll put some pix up of me shelling the next lot I do......BUT.....I didn\'t really have much of a clue at first and you can\'t really learn it from pix....practice is the key (and they\'re cheap enough to practice on.)
[Edited on 8/1/2005 by TC]
