mussels

i've got a packet of mussels that my wife bought me to eat but I didn't use them in time so stuck them in the freezer to use for fishing, has anyone tried them in conjunction with the method feeder?

Could give them a go for Tench or carp when the weather warms up a little. Think you use a big hook (2,4 or 6) and hook it through the orange "foot".

---------- Post added at 21:00 ---------- Previous post was at 20:58 ----------

Cockles (not the ones in vinegar) are also good for tench barbel, chub and carp.

use a hair rig for mussels i use the Korum quickstops and hook thru the shiny eye bit, i also put a bit of corn on ,mussels go soft if frozen,i was using some yesterday but they fly off if too soft,the carp do like them

As it happens i use the korum quick stops anyway, i have frozen them so will just have to see what they are like.
By the way them korum quickstops are great for hair rigging sections of lobworm, i think its because the stop is fixed to the hair so doesnt fall out releasing the worm.

Frozen (and even refrozen) mussels are fine in my experience. I used to slap them straight on a size 2 hook - you need a huge hook because theyll fall off if you use a small one - this method works great in some situations and particularly for chub, but these days I much prefer to hair rig them and they stay on just fine IF you get the hair through the right places.

The best way is to go straight through the mussel length ways, although I cant remember which end needs to go next to the hook and which end needs the hair stop in it which is important! (I've been on a pike+zander only binge since september ;D). Its vital however that you stick the hair through the tough white blob of muscle at the thin end and try and catch the brown lips (shh you lot) that are next to the muscley bit as well as these are both the toughest parts, you want the other end of the hair to go through and come out of the brown 'tongue' at the wide end too, rather than just straight out of the fleshy bit as this tends to be too soft and will fall apart if your hair goes through this. I use the korum (or whoever) pellet stops - the ones that sit inside the bait - for mussels and for worms and they have fantastic holding power and you almost always get the hair stop back even if you lose the bait.

Getting mussels to stay on your hook/hair can be quite tricky to get it right so just play around and experiment until you get it right -theyre well worth it!

One more tip which is really handy - when youve had a take and your bait is all scragged up and falling apart, dont pull it all off the hair and put a fresh one on, just put a new mussel on the hair along with the scraps from the last one. This way you wont have trouble with the bait coming half off and not filling the hair properly and I've found it gives you better presentation generally. I like to have the hook usually right against the bait when I'm fishing with mussels.

Hope this lot helps, let us know how you get on with em!

Cheers fin for the detailed description.
I just re-checked the pack and noticed that they have been pre cooked will they still be ok or are they better raw?

Use them cooked i buy the ones from Asda 99p, make sure they are not in vinegar

ok i will try them this weekend hopefully, let you know how i get on.

Hi Nicky, how about these???

Mussels are just one of those baits I havent' tried but they sound so good they must work. I have used a Swan mussel for tench a few years and was gutted that it didn't take a fish

I just wonder if they are really suitable to pair with the 'Method'. A hard ball of ground bait wrapped around a feeder is torn a part by the fish - i would use something a bit tougher - perhaps a lob worm if that was the direction you wanted to go down.

Could try float fished mussels!!

Would arma mesh work?

No Knot i have seen those things before but never tried them have you.

I'm already using worms to good effect with my homemade banjo method feeders just had a pack of mussels that i didnt eat in time and thought i would use them up as bait if possible.

Whats arma mesh?

The sly guy at fox says :

Fox Arma Mesh

Don’t be fooled by first impressions, as this IS NOT PVA! It’s a new baiting system that utilises a mesh that doesn’t breakdown in water.

It was originally developed to prevent crayfish or other small ‘nuisance’ fish attacking your hookbait, but in fact offers a huge list of additional benefits that will appeal to all types of anglers: carp, match, predator and even sea anglers!

The mesh creates an almost invisible cage around your bait which stops small fish eating it, while still allowing the flavours to leak out into the water. It also means you can use baits on the hook that have previously been impossible including:

Spod mix

Mashed meat

Pellet ball

Paste

Liquidised bread

Sweetcorn ball

Chopped worms/maggots

Mashed fish for predators/sea species

It also allows you to fish pellets for long periods, without risk of breakdown, and it’s very effective when used with corn in the mesh and a piece of plastic corn as a hair-stop. We’ve even had our consultants use a mesh bag of hemp fished over hemp loosefeed with devastating results!

You load the Arma Mesh exactly as you would load PVA, using the loading funnel supplied. It comes in narrow (14mm) and wide (22mm) sizes, and refill spools are available.

thanks for that sagalout i'll be getting some of that it looks awesome.

I must admit I keep thinking of uses for it, I might even spend some of Mrs Lout's pin money on some. I fancy trying some with bit of cork, or a floating trout pellet in the middle to make it float and pack it with maggots or bread for carp of the top.

I think on the thread that discussed pigeon conditioner someone suggested feeding conditioner and using arma mesh filled with conditioner on the hair.

possibilitties seem endless and putting liquified bait into it should mean that it will give of alot of attractants.
Seems a bit expensive, though tackle box do something similar for a fiver.

Hi Nicky, no but know other who have to good result! Look in super markets for Garlic, It comes in a fine white mesh bag, have and do use this, and it's FREE!

Chaps I've said this before, but it's worth resaying. Women's tights! Any soft bait that comes off easilly. Push it into a piece of tights twist until well em tight, then tie off with floss or similar. Bob's your uncle and Fany's your aunt. I've been using this for years, it's almost invisible when done right and I've put everything from Banana and peanut butter in it to Mussels and worms. Give it a go, you'll be supprised how good it looks and it's sooooooo much cheaper than Arma mesh.

Right got hold of some fine mesh and just made up about 20 little bombs to put in the freezer ready for sunday, ended up putting some sweetcorn and pellets through the grinder added a handful of rock salt then made the little parcels with one mussel and a good pich of the mixture.

Ooooh, I'm all anticipation on the results. What do you think the cost works out at, for the mesh, per packet?