Swan Mussels are great bait for many species including carp, tench, catfish, chub and many others, on waters where the carp fishing is slow it is always worth trying something different and more often than not you will be hard pushed to find anyone using this great bait, not because the bait doesn't catch carp but more because many just won't spend the time searching for and collecting them or because they just don't know where to find them or how to use them.
Where to find Swan Mussels You will find mussels mostly in lakes which have alkaline as apposed to acid water in them, they will be mainly found in the shallow silty margins often near weeds and reeds. To catch them just use a net or a rake to pull them closer to the edge then pick them out with your hands. If possible try to get them from as many different waters as you can because they are very slow growing and a lakes stock can easily be wiped out buy just one or two anglers, so only take what you need and return the rest. Preparation To begin with you need to open the mussels and to do this you insert a sharp knife into the joint of the shell then slowly (see the photos below) minding your fingers of course cut your way around the hinge until you can just pull the shell open, most of the mussel is useless as hook bait the part you want is the yellow mussely foot which is tough enough to be used as hook bait, the rest can be cut up and used to bait up with. Place the yellow foot on a suitably sized hook as in the photo blow and your away, give it a try!
Tactics Swan mussels are perhaps best
float fished see our float fishing guide (yes you can catch big carp
on a float) but
can
also be ledgered
effectively, it is best to prebait if you can, a good way to fish them is over a
large bed of hemp but you may have to put up with the smaller fish grabbing your
bait until the bigger fish move in and push them out. |
