Ever used mussel meat as bait for surf fishing? This at all times turns into related when sand crabs disappear and anglers marvel what sort of bait to make use of for surf fishing. So, I needed to take the time to offer an in depth overview of how I’m going surf fishing with mussel meat as bait.
What Form of Mussel Meat For Bait?
I exploit frozen, de-shelled, cooked mussel meat. The picture under is a photograph of 1 mussel. They normally are available baggage or bins of anyplace from 1-2 kilos. I sometimes desire them to be sized like those displayed inside this text. I can’t inform for certain if the vibrance of the colour makes a distinction, however for some motive, I lean towards the brighter orange ones over the duller pink ones.
The place to Get Mussel Meat
Previously, I used to get my mussel meat at Asian fish markets and the native market I used to make use of is known as Vien Dong: 5382 College Ave, San Diego, CA 92105. Since about 2023, I started having a tough time discovering them and not too long ago discovered these mussels which have been nice.
After buying the mussel meat, I lower every in half, section them off into baggies and preserve them frozen. Normally, I preserve about 20-30 half items in a bag.
The right way to Hook Mussel Meat for Bait
After chopping the person mussel in half, it is best to word one issue. There are two completely different sides of the mussel and the one displayed within the picture under is the simpler one to hook for freshmen. That white/opaque, round half within the center there may be probably the most hardy piece of the mussel, so hooking it straight by that may be a good guess.
The opposite aspect is slightly trickier however it’s simply nearly as good a bit. It would take a while to get conversant in hooking this aspect, however proper within the center, is a continuation of the identical substance because the white/opaque half displayed within the first piece there. Whenever you insert the hook, it is best to discover a denser portion that the hook ought to pierce through-and-through.
The right way to Fish the Surf With Mussel Meat
When you’ve acquired your mussel meat on the hook, your objective is to fish it simply as you’d sand crabs. There’s no jigging or jerking and no retrieve in any respect. You’ll forged out and let it sit as you make certain to maintain pressure on the road. Should you’re fishing with mussel meat for the primary time, you would possibly discover the way it falls off the hook a lot simpler than sand crabs or sandworms and approach simpler than Fishbites. The one resolution to that is studying methods to forged easily. After a while, it is best to start to get used to a fragile forged and it’ll be second-nature.
When fishing with sand crabs, the perfect rig to make use of is a Carolina Rig. Make sure that to arrange the Carolina Rig (video) correctly and use the appropriate gear.
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What Does Mussel Meat Catch?
Mussel meat will catch a wide range of species and it’s even a strong possibility within the summertime. It’ll catch corbina, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, perch, leopard shark, and infrequently some rays and really not often, halibut. However, the principle objective for me is a wintertime bait. I’ve acquired a superb article right here on alternate baits to sand crabs and it’s undoubtedly well worth the learn.
Within the wintertime, mussel meat is my go-to bait, adopted by frozen sand crabs and Gulp sand worms. However Fortunate Crafts and different jerkbaits and swimbaits play a extremely massive position come late-winter and spring. Within the winter and spring, mussel meat will catch a lot of good perch.
