Mussels for bait

[Sand Eel]

Has anyone got any tips for preparing mussels for bait. I managed to shell a load this afternoon but had a problem keeping them whole.
I put all the bits on a baiting needle and wrapped loads of ghost cocoon round to form a sausage shape. looks a bit flimsy though.
Any ideas on getting the whole mussel out:question:

 

[bluepied2280]

there is a knack to getting them out whole,after awhile you will learn,try afew different ways to suit yourself

 

[chuck]

were is the cheepest place to get mussel in south shields

 

[WolfyDave]

Hi there, when i'm shelling mussel i usually split the shell and then remove the mussel using 1 half of the shell. Using the shell like a sharp spoon. Then i cheat and mount them on hook traces and freeze them in an ice cube tray.

Dave

 

[angler100]

I was looking at Fox arma bait mesh. Might be good for soft baits like mussel. Has anybody tried it?

 

[Lowrider]

I stuff squid with mussel. Keeps everything whole,easy to mount on a hook and bind with bait elastic.
If you want you can poke some holes in the "squid package" to help the juice ooze out

 

[angler100]

As good as anything. Does it catch?

 

[lobsterwells]

i have used amo mesh with mussel it works a treat makes life a whole lot easier . i knock up about 10 baits before going out and putting them on i just used elastic thread .

 

[Lowrider]

As good as anything. Does it catch?

Had my biggest fish with that.
Off Blyth beach couple of seasons ago.
Cod just under 7 pound

 

[korky65]

alreet sandy, a very cheap alternative to solve your baiting problem with mussell, is to shell a few then cut the top off your old tea bags, empty tea out then fill up, these bind on the hook great with cotton or elastic whilst alowing all the juices to escape. cod seem as if they just swallow the lot and arnt that fussy having caught a few my self over the years on this method.

 

[Sand Eel]

Some good stuff here, I'm going to try the tea bag (cheapest) method first. Cheers.

 

[angler100]

I've heard some ppl use old pair of tights??

 

[Tall Tony]

What denier for the tights, fishnets for large baits

Like the tea bag one...some good idea's brewing

 

[codho]

You need a blunt round ended knife to skien them, split them by sliceing through the end where the white muscle is, once open just work the knife round under the flesh until it's free.Best to leave them on newspaper for about an hour to let them shot out the excess water, then bag them up and freeze.

 

[chuck]

weres the cheepest place to get mussle these days

 

[Fishygone]

If you go on to WSF main forums Bait Discussion section at the top theres a sticky ( supermarket baits ) good info to be had there.

john.

 

[angler100]

My mate used to salt them to draw out excess liquid. Anybody else do that?

 

[MickA]

I was looking at Fox arma bait mesh. Might be good for soft baits like mussel. Has anybody tried it?

Yes mate, it works a treat. Not just for mussel either, all those little scraps of bait that you would struggle to get on a hook, just hoy them and and an instant usable sized bait. Also great for making cocktail baits.

 

[gadji]

mussels for bait

mussels for bait

i like korky65 and lowrider's idea and wonder if winkles or wilicks as we call them in the northeast would also work? has any one tried ?

 

[lukey]

i have used amo mesh with mussel it works a treat makes life a whole lot easier . i knock up about 10 baits before going out and putting them on i just used elastic thread .

how much are the meshes?