# How to use mussels for bait?



## woodie

Hi,can anyone tell me how you use mussels for bait.There soft and don't hold well. Any advise would be helpful.
Thanks


----------



## FL FISHERMAN

Whatever you do don't get the big clams that they put on ice and stick your fingers in there because they seem half open and dead. THEY ARE NOT!  And they will gladly close down on your fingers and leave you screaming.(first and last time I ever did that  ) But when I used them at pt pleasant a few years ago I would hook them through the meaty part twice and then through the soft part again. Now granted you are not going to be able to throw it a mile but it stayed on for me. I am sure some of the people on here have better tricks up their sleeve. But again watch out for the big ones they are sneaky.


----------



## david123

*mussels for bait*

Never used them, but you've given me an idea.....cheesecloth...it's biodegradeable and you could tie up a bundh of mussels in the cloth and tie it off with twine to get a bait bag....maybe the scent would attract some tog....

I've used the same thing with catfish baits with some success and the cheesecloth holds on the hook provided you don't try and cast too far. They make nylon mech for this purpose, byt the nylon never goes away if it gets off your hook. 

Dave


----------



## woodie

*Good idea!*

Hi David,sounds like a good idea for a bait bag. My wife suggests we nuke them a little to make them tougher. I'm looking to hit tog and trigger off the jetties of the southern shore. I love the fight and release(and the colors) of these fish.
Thanks


----------



## david123

*no nukes*

if you're gonna collect them ahead of time, and I suppose that you are since you want to microwave them, then try this....

Shuck the mussels and put them in a gladware container. Layer them with coarse kosher salt. This has two benefits. It acts as a preservative and also toughens them up. I'm afraid that the microwave will destroy the natural scents and oils present in the fresh mussels. The salt won't. 

I've used this technique with leftover squid strips and after the salt treatment, they stay on the hook longer.


----------



## david123

*afterthought*

I think i would not go to the trouble of shucking them completely. I am gonna try this next time i'm on a jetty where the mussels are accessable. I'l just break the closing muscle and put the half with the meat in it in the bait bag and be done with it...

dave


----------



## woodie

This sounds fantastic..I can't wait to try it. The tip about the squid will be helpful too.
Thanks for caring.


----------



## RuddeDogg

*Mussells....*

Try bait thread it works ok.


----------



## david123

*mussels for bait*

Well, options are available. Now you've gotta let me know how it goes!

Dave


----------



## AngryPirate_Grrr

I use a product called "Ghost Cocoon" to hold assorted morsels on the hook, and it hasnt failed me yet.
Heres a link:

http://www.ghostcocoon.com/


----------



## shaggy

Sorry, I have tried my dangdest to avoid this thread  , but you don't use mussels for bait, you steam 'em up, topped with a butter/garlicdipping or a good ol' fashioned Italian marinaro sauce, a few cold ones, and enjoy one of life's simple pleasures. In Baltimore, got a place called Berthas, and serve mussels many ways, and as the bumper sticker states:

EAT Bertha's mussels!

Sorry, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Have Jeep will travel


----------



## SteveR

A gob of mussel on the hook encased in a square of old panty hose and held with a small rubber band has worked for me in the past.........


----------

