fishing with mussels

[riverman]

its surprising to see the number of anglers who don't take these with them on stillwaters.they can be lethal and more often than not.the number of anglers who look totally surprised when they ask me what i've caught and what i've been using.i fish them on a size 12 with loose fed hemp over the top.

 

[ian g]

I've found them a bit hit and miss , some places they work great but others not a touch . I have a local pit where they worked really well for tench . Good bait and pretty cheap

 

[sam vimes]

I'm keen to get a bag of frozen cockles to try on my favourite venue. I'm less keen on mussels as they are a bit big, a bit too expensive and a bit more fragile than I'd like. The sad thing is that I've been trying to get a bag of (cheaper) cockles for about three years. Look on the websites of many supermarkets and it says that they stock them. When I've actually tried to buy them, I've always been told that they don't carry them in the branches I'm looking in.

 

[ian g]

I used to buy mussel meat from the chiller shelf at my local Tesco . Not looked for it for a good while . Morrisons would be a good bet ,they carry a good range of fish.

 

[seth49]

I use both cockles and mussels, I buy the cockles from a fishmonger on a market stall, the ones in brine not vinegar, and the mussels from asda from the freezer section.

on there day they are a good bait cockles for nearly everything, and mussels for carp and tench mainly although I’ve had some good roach on pieces of them, I find the mussels are best fished on a hair inside a bait band, they last a lot longer on the hook that way, and just hook the cockles on, which can be a good bait for crucians as well.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I too use cockles and mussels,I catch on both,I used to buy cockles from Morrisons,but they have now stopped stocking them,so in the Luton indoor market the fishmonger sells a kilo of frozen cockles,certainly not cheap,but enough for 5 or 6 sessions for me at least and a trip with the bus pass gets it done...as for the size of mussels,I like them because they stop smaller fish picking them up,a few weeks ago I used cockles trying for tench and kept getting bites from rudd,even two of them...

 

[mikench]

I too find them hit and miss and cannot easily locate cockles other than in vinegar . I use a tip from Kev for any large soft bait like mussels, prawns and make a small mesh bag with them which store well and last for ages particularly when the fish are disinterested. it’s made by Fox and doesn’t melt like pva.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Cockles fish well when fed with hemp,or micro pellets,tench,carp and perch love them,but they aren't a bait I'd use for a bag of fish,more one that sorts out better quality ones as are mussels,my feeding of them are maybe four cockles a cast,or three halved mussels,starting with maybe a dozen cockles,or six halved mussels...contact your local fishmonger,maybe ask the fishmonger in your local supermarket,they aren't cheap,so if you have no confidence it's best to stay clear....

 

[nottskev]

Mussels are one of those baits - a feast or a famine. Morrisons do a decent size tray for about £1.50. I won't go barbelling without them for the first couple of months of the season - not the easiest bait to use, being a bit soft and easily taken off the hook, but on the right day big fish will almost take them out of your hand. I've noticed, though, that they always seem to stop working as the season goes on, and not because they're over-used. I rarely see them being used.

I've found they go down well in some carp waters, and at times I've caught as many good fish freelining mussels down the side as the blokes on boilies, buzzers etc.

 

[S-Kippy]

Cockles can be lethal for tench but I have struggled to find a reliable supply. Tesco used to do a big bag of frozen cockles for a fiver and that would last me ages. Never done any good with mussel meat but cockles,in my experience, were instant. I never loose fed any because carp and bream love them too and those are the last things I want in the swim when I'm after tench.

 

[rayner]

Cockles are a better bait for me they work better on the waters I fish, I also like to use prawns. I think they work best when they are used regularly. The feed I use with them is hemp plus a pinch of micros. feeding too much can kill the swim.

 

[@Clive]

If mussels and cockles work on your local fishery then garden snails will too. They are a good bait for stalking carp that can be seen browsing in weed beds and marginal weed. I have just collected a few to use next week for mullet and carp. If I use prawns in France it usually results in some zoo creature wrecking my rig.

 

[Badgerale]

I've tried them but find they get pecked away by small fish too easily - whereas a raw prawn will stay put.

I'll probably give them another go at some point but at the moment I question if there is an advantage to them over prawns.