swan mussels

[Wag]

I was born in Whitton, but we moved to South Ferriby Sluice when I was 4. Our house was about 30 yards from he river, so I could fish whenever I wanted, pretty much. The best fishing then was up at Horkstowe Bridge and the Scabcroft stretch. My older brother once pulled out 100lb of roach and bream in a match at Scabcroft, I had to run home halfway through to get another keepnet! They ruined the river by canalising the banks and lining them with shuttering, it made it nice and flat for the match anglers to sit and fish, but destroyed all the old cattle drinks, collapsed trees and bream holes I knew. I don't suppose the Ancholme is anything like as prolific now, but I do hear there is some good fishing on the old river section near Brigg.

[Spindle]

They make a good catfish bait, or so I'm told. Try hair-rigging them for carp, cut small bits off for other fish such as tench.

I used to rake a load out of my canal and use them. These days though you'll probably catch crayfish after crayfish

[phil dean]

thanks spindle, i just need to find a suitable pond with a large number of mussels

[zappagod]

Yes Wag they still have regular matches on the Ancholme but the big bream and tench are few and far btween but it keeps the bit bashers happy. SO SAD. ALL THE BEST ZAPP

[Pete Elleray]

Hi Zappagod. I don't know if it is mentiond in any of Fred J Taylor's books but he used swan mussels as a tench bait at 'Benniworth Haven'. They make a super bait but please don't chop lots up for groundbait - they are slow growers and it doesn't take much to clear them out of a swim.

 

Yours, Pete

[monkeyboy]

Try Drayton Reservoir. I know there are swan mussels in the water as there are shells on the bank that have been washed up. Id love to try one to eat cos they are massive, and a fat git like me loves shellfish.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Does anyone know if Pike would eat these mussels. I cracked one open last year and thought it looked like a fairly substantial meal. I put it on as a dead but nothing had a go. I assume a pike wouldn't turn its "nose" up at it. Anyone?

 

[The Diamond Geezer]

zappagod:

Are swan mussels edible for humans

I prefer duck breasts myself; most of the swan muscles I've tried have been a tad tough, but maybe it's the way I cooked them

 

DG :cool: