Swan mussels muzings

[laguna]

Bad start to the day yesterday on the lake, so after about 4 hours my mate decided to get the drop shot rig out and have a wonder around with a small rubber lure while I persisted in my chosen peg on the float rod fishing for bites.

After about an hour he came back with his prize - a 6" swan mussel. mg: Not the perch he was hoping for! Not all that unusual as these things regularly scoff at anglers bait, except this one decided to clamp itself around his lead!

How is this even possible considering he wasn't fishing static on the bottom, but casting and bouncing his rig back towards him, what made it attack his lead?

As far as I know they don't have eyes and neither his lure or lead was scented.

Anyway he eventually went back on the float and rejoined me for the last hour and we both caught a few perch and roach on maggot.... at dusk!

 

[rich66]

My thought would be that by pure fluke the lead dropped onto the mussel while it was open and feeding. It would have reacted instantly and closed trapping the lead

 

[rayner]

rich66 has the answer.
Mussels are filter feeders so attacking a lead would be impossible.

 

[thecrow]

Some interesting video of a swan mussel


YouTube

 

[The bad one]

Rich66 is bang on, as your mate was with the lead

Knowing you Chris you'll be looking at it with a view to a new bait to launch on the market

 

[laguna]

rich66 has the answer.
Mussels are filter feeders so attacking a lead would be impossible.

Yes they are filter feeders yet between us we have still caught them on various baits over the years.

 

[laguna]

My thought would be that by pure fluke the lead dropped onto the mussel while it was open and feeding. It would have reacted instantly and closed trapping the lead

That was my initial thought Rich. However it doesn't explain why, as filter feeders they keep geting caught eating our baits?
This latest episode of clamping down on a lead, makes me wonder if they are territorial.

 

[laguna]

It doesn't answer the question, but apparently many freshwater female mussels use lures to attract fish, when a fish bites the lure, it gets a mouth full of glochidia. The glochidia then live as parasites in the fish's gills for a short time before developing into juvenile mussels.

 

[rich66]

That was my initial thought Rich. However it doesn't explain why, as filter feeders they keep geting caught eating our baits?
This latest episode of clamping down on a lead, makes me wonder if they are territorial.

I still consider clamping down in the lead was probably a fluke, however I'm no expert on anything!
As for the baits perhaps they are just attracted to the concentration of food particles being given off by the baits and move right up to it, I've googled them as you've piqued my interest and one aquatic site mentioned that they eat small amounts of rotting vegetation, detritus etc they come across on the river ( aquarium ) floor. So perhaps they have come for an easy feast.

 

[Pete Shears]

The reservoir I fish regularly there are stacks of swan mussels mainly large ones,6"+, and I have had them clamp down on hookbaits,jigs when piking or after perch,and the dead ones seem to be responsible for cutting through the mainline better than my pocket knife.

 

[rayner]

I understood that fresh water mussels are protected, anyone know if this is true.

 

[john step]

The reservoir I fish regularly there are stacks of swan mussels mainly large ones,6"+, and I have had them clamp down on hookbaits,jigs when piking or after perch,and the dead ones seem to be responsible for cutting through the mainline better than my pocket knife.

That rings a bell. I recall once or twice over the years that upon striking and seemingly missing a bites the line had inexplicably failed and I was left with limp line.

Could have been mussels, the naughty blighters. You learn something everyday they say.