Fresh water muscles

[bootlace]

Im interested in using some as bait and was wondering how i find them in a river.I have been told that they leave a trail,but i ve been unable to find any as yet.any help would be appreciated

Thanks Jon

[mouse71]

we use to just dive for them, noticed they were easier to find in the sandier sections of the creek, cooked a few up as well, not bad but can be a bit chewy;D

[finga]

Stuff using them for bait. Eat the buggers.
That way your assured of a feed instead of wasting them on fish.

[Haji-Baba]

Hey Finga,

A mate of mine cooked up a topnot pigeon years ago and topped it off with a few mussels and boiled rice.

He had no idea what he was doing and after a day or so in the back of the ute
he heated it up on the fire and tipped the lot out onto a plate.

What a revolting mess that was.

Actually it was down on "The Undulla Creek" south of Condamine Township.

Have fun Haji-Baba.

[supa29]

mate we used to get them in the rivers out home, we just used to walk along and feel for them with our feet. they sit just under the mud or slim and you can feel them quite easy. you can also use a stiff prong rake with long points if you can find a fairly flat area, but usually only catch catfish on them. where you heading fishing because crayfish or yabbies are better than muscles anyday.

and for those who eat them you must have been desperate because as croc dundee said you can eat it but it tastes like shit.

supa.....

[mudrunner]

mate we used to get them in the rivers out home, we just used to walk along and feel for them with our feet. they sit just under the mud or slim and you can feel them quite easy.

where you heading fishing because crayfish or yabbies are better than muscles anyday.

and for those who eat them you must have been desperate because as croc dundee said you can eat it but it tastes like shit.

supa.....

yep. freshwater mussels taste like shit.

use freshwater shrimp, yabbies or worms, boiled eggs, bardi grubs, etc.

[FNQCairns]

Is there a worse feed ever conceived? I have tried them a few times throughout t my growing up years and seriously unless properly starving I wouldn't bother, as bait they suck too but for sure they will catch anything that lives in the water if given luck and enough time.

Whatever the bottom just walk around feeling down with your feet if they are there you will find them.

[finga]

mate we used to get them in the rivers out home, we just used to walk along and feel for them with our feet. they sit just under the mud or slim and you can feel them quite easy. you can also use a stiff prong rake with long points if you can find a fairly flat area, but usually only catch catfish on them. where you heading fishing because crayfish or yabbies are better than muscles anyday.

and for those who eat them you must have been desperate because as croc dundee said you can eat it but it tastes like shit.

supa.....
I think they must be like eel-tailed catfish in the taste department.
If the catty's are caught in slime and mud they taste like slime and mud.
If the catty's are caught in clean water with a clean bottom they taste yummo and one of my favourite fish to eat.
The mussels we eat we get from a decomposed granite bottom which is quite clean and they taste not bad at all.
I will admit a cray is much, much better to eat but a green curry made with the mussels isn't too bad on the tooth either.

[bondy99]

Really, freshwater mussels taste like shit??? :o

Must be a lot of people who have eaten shit to say freshwater mussels taste like shit :o ::) ;D

[mouse71]

we use to just sit them on the hot barby plate, as soon as they opened would add a bit of black sauce, wait a few minutes, chow down
disregarded any that did not open on the hot plate
not to bad, can make an all right feed on 'em, but there is a lot better8-) ;) ;D

[FNQCairns]

It's a good point above, it might be all about the dominant/mix of primary producers available for the muscle to feed on at that time, my ones have always been from standing water and muddy, actually once from running water but still relatively muddy.

Still today i look at them and get a shiver at the thought of eating one.

[bootlace]

thanks for the help fellas,not interested in eating them just fishing with them.i don't mind catchin cat fish either as they put up a pretty good fight imo.

[Haji-Baba]

Hey Bootlace, I saw a huge carp caught on a mussel in The Macantyre River quite a few years ago.

It was as long as a corn sack whatever that measures, and the person who caught it, against all our advise, took it home and smoked it.

I heard that some of the local cats died soon after.

Have Fun Haji-Baba

[supa29]

sorry to side track your thread muscles can be alright but try crayfish, put shrimp traps in river any where there is some sort of weed or grass, worms or borer grubs are good but one of the best baits is the arrow frog if you can catch them. Might be a bit hard with the amount of water around but you will find them near creek or dam under bark or sticks and logs just roll them over at night and look witht he torch. even find them in com tracks at water edge, put them on hook through the rear leg so you dont kill them and let them kick around under the water, yellows and cod cant resist them

any way good luck will struggle to catch anything after that flood but next year will be a cracker out west in the rivers, always after a flood it gets great.

i still stand that the muscles taste like crap you may as well boil cow shit mate taste better

supa

[rooboy98]

I think they must be like eel-tailed catfish in the taste department.
If the catty's are caught in slime and mud they taste like slime and mud.
If the catty's are caught in clean water with a clean bottom they taste yummo and one of my favourite fish to eat.


I agree 100% with Finga about eating eel-tailed catties out of clean water.

A mate and I caught a nice feed of them out of a patch of clear water down near Stanthorpe. Thrown fresh onto the BBQ plate, with nothing more than a bit of butter, pepper and salt and they were bloody nice eating.

Cheers,
Roo.

[Sheik]

Yeah my brother sat over one side of tthe creek and pretended to put a mussel on the fire and eat it so I did too and it tasted pretty ordinary. I was about ten. Best way to find them is to just go into the water to about your knees and just squeeze the mud or sand through your fingers. You'll soon pick em up if they're there. THere are nowhere near as many as there used to be maybe because of the drier seasons.
Eel tail catfish will eat them and you'll get cod on them too occassionally. Yellowbelly will very rarely eat them. As mentioned above, shrimp or yabbies are the best for them, and for cod. WOrms will get catties, yellowbelly and cod but aren't as good as yabbies or shrimp.

[odes20]

sorry to side track your thread muscles can be alright but try crayfish, put shrimp traps in river any where there is some sort of weed or grass, worms or borer grubs are good but one of the best baits is the arrow frog if you can catch them. Might be a bit hard with the amount of water around but you will find them near creek or dam under bark or sticks and logs just roll them over at night and look witht he torch. even find them in com tracks at water edge, put them on hook through the rear leg so you dont kill them and let them kick around under the water, yellows and cod cant resist them

any way good luck will struggle to catch anything after that flood but next year will be a cracker out west in the rivers, always after a flood it gets great.

i still stand that the muscles taste like crap you may as well boil cow shit mate taste better

supa

Hey I agree about the arrow frogs but arnt all frogs protected now?? If you know otherwise please advise.

Not that I agree with it because those arrow frogs are awesome bait. We used to
call them grey racers cause they are fast.

MUSCLES GREAT BAIT FOR WATER RATS

As for muscles, we used to use them for eel tail catfish and cracked open sitting on a rabbit trap plate they will catch you Water Rats, which are the only animal in Aust that has a genuine fur. However they also have been protected for a long time.!! ha ha

We had a family of freshly immigrated pommies living on the corner when i was a kid and the dad would go down the creek on weekends and get a tinful to cook up, must have put lead in his pencil! Cor Blimmie!

Cheers
John

[odes20]

A few pics to help the appetite.!

I s'pose if you start young!

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/odes20/imagesCA8CW2FI.jpg

Desirable?

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/odes20/images.jpg

Bewdiful!

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/odes20/imagesCADIENDL.jpg

My old Pommie Mate maybe? Lead for the pencil?

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/odes20/imagesCA1GO32D.jpg

[mouse71]

Hey ODES YOUR RIGHT ALL FROGS IN OZ ARE PROTECTED;)