Surf Fishing With Mussel Meat
Ever used mussel meat as bait for surf fishing? I know I’ve touched upon this a lot lately, but it’s led to many questions from subscribers and readers in general. So, I wanted to take the time to give a detailed overview of how I go surf fishing with mussel meat as bait.
What Kind of Mussel Meat For Bait?
I use frozen, de-shelled, cooked mussel meat. The image below is a photo of one mussel. They usually come in bags or boxes of anywhere from 1-2 pounds. I typically prefer them to be sized like the ones displayed within this article. I can’t tell for sure if the vibrance of the color makes a difference, but for some reason, I lean toward the brighter orange ones over the duller pink ones.
Where to Get Mussel Meat
I get my mussel meat at Asian fish markets and the local market I use is called Vien Dong: 5382 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105. I haven’t seen them at any bait shops, but I haven’t shopped around too much either.
After purchasing the mussel meat, I segment them off into baggies and keep them frozen. Usually, I keep about 20 in a baggy for about 5 or 6 bags total. I see that as 40 baits for the day.
How to Hook Mussel Meat for Bait
After cutting the individual mussel in half, you should note one factor. There are two different sides of the mussel and the one displayed in the image below is the easier one to hook for beginners. That white/opaque, circular part in the middle there is the most hardy piece of the mussel, so hooking it straight through that is a good bet.
The other side is a little trickier but it’s just as good a chunk. It might take some time to get familiar with hooking this side, but right in the middle, is a continuation of the same substance as the white/opaque part displayed in the first piece there. When you insert the hook, you should notice a denser portion that the hook should pierce through-and-through.
How to Fish the Surf With Mussel Meat
Once you’ve got your mussel meat on the hook, your goal is to fish it just as you would sand crabs. There’s no jigging or jerking and no retrieve at all. You’ll cast out and let it sit as you make sure to keep tension on the line. If you’re fishing with mussel meat for the first time, you might notice how it falls off the hook much easier than sand crabs or sandworms and way easier than Fishbites. The only solution to this is learning how to cast smoothly. After some time, you should begin to get used to a delicate cast and it’ll be second-nature.
When fishing with sand crabs, the best rig to use is a Carolina Rig. Make sure to set up the Carolina Rig (video) properly and use the right gear.
- Rod: Okuma Celilo (8’6″ MA) or the Okuma SST (8’6″ MA)
- Reel: Penn Battle II or III 4000 series
- Mainline: 15-pound monofilament
- For Bait: Carolina Rig:
- Leader Line: 15-pound fluorocarbon
- Swivels: 15-19mm barrel swivels
- Hooks: size #2 or #4 owner mosquito hooks
- Weights: 1-oz egg weight
- Beads: 8mm fishing beads
- For Lures: Lucky Craft FM 110 and Shimano WM 115 SP
- Other best surf fishing rods and best surf fishing reels
What Does Mussel Meat Catch?
Mussel meat will catch a variety of species and it’s even a solid option in the summertime. It’ll catch corbina, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, perch, leopard shark, and occasionally some rays and very rarely, halibut. But, the main purpose for me is a wintertime bait. I’ve got a good article here on alternate baits to sand crabs and it’s definitely worth the read.
In the wintertime, mussel meat is my go-to bait, followed by Fishbites but Lucky Crafts play a really big role come late-winter and spring. In the winter and spring, mussel meat will catch lots of good perch.
Thanks for your help, Nick!
Not a problem!
I know this is an old post, but new tip for me. I stopped using mussel, because I could not keep it on the hook. I have to take my wife to this market to do her shopping when we go to San Diego. Good selection of seafood, going in two weeks l. I will buy the frozen mussel.
Thanks
Nick
Hi Nick, great presentation on fishing with mussel meat, it was perfect.
And nice perch !!!
Thanks, Richard! Hope your trout fishing lives up to how fun the surf has been for you.
Thanks my friend, will see.
I will keep you posted.
Where did you catch these big boys at?
Almost all my catches are within San Diego County. The same size can be caught up and down county lines. Others specific catches were at a rocky beach and perch and hali love rocky beaches.
Hi Nick I gave your reply some more thought and you know since I started my little journey in surf fishing since October I put surf fishing at the top of my list as far as having fun, relaxing, and feeling good, compared to all the different types of fishing I’ve done over the years…Thanks to your articles and website my friend.
The same thing for me. Love all sorts of fishing, but in my mind, it doesn’t get any better than the surf.
AMEN !!
Great article Nick, thanks! I will try getting some mussels at an Asian market next time. Last time I bought some small bright orange ones at Blue Water Tackle in Solana Beach, but they basically just fell apart into small grainy pieces when thawed. Do you ever use bait thread for keeping bait on the hook? Probably not the best for the ocean, but occasionally I will use a small amount to keep cut anchovy on the hook. Thanks again!
I don’t personally use bait thread, but I know of some shark fishermen who do. If you get the right mussel meat, you shouldn’t need bait thread. And for anchovies, if I’m fishing frozen anchovies (say for halibut) I’ll use what’s called a stinger hook. Familiar with that?
I have heard of stinger hooks, but have not tried them myself. I’ll have to try them out. Also, another bait option to mention is frozen sand fleas. I grabbed a bagful of them near the end of Fall before they were gone, brought them home and blanched them, and froze them. I finally used them all up a few weeks back, but they work pretty well…caught some perch on them. Thanks again for the great content!
Good suggestion! And thanks for the support!
Awesome write up my man! Always following your catches. Heck yeah sd_surfslayer!!
Haha appreciate it! Thanks for reaching out.
Very interesting using cooked bait. My son has been experimenting with salting raw bait. He did it with some shrimp and it does toughen the meat up significantly, enough it seems to me to hold as well as a cooked mussel. We’re talking shrimp tails with shell on, though, so maybe salting a raw mussel wouldn’t have the same effect. I’d be interested in your thoughts on salting raw bait.
Salting raw bait makes sense to me. I know when guys boil and “blanch” sand crabs for the winter it’s effectively the same thing. I’ve heard guys have solid success on that but never myself.
There’s no such thing as a bad bait if it works…
I hope to be able to put the salted shrimp to the test this weekend. Tight lines!
Same to you! Good luck out there.
Lots of salt in a mayonnaise jar with frozen anchovies toughens them so they stay on the hook. Surf fishing Baja with no refrigerator. Worked like a champ for calico and halibut
Interesting. Hearing good things about salting your baits🤔
When casting for surf perch, the first waves are breaking, are you casting past that first breaking wave or closer as the wave is returning?
It all depends on the structure. I like to find one really good piece of structure and I cast wherever that may be.
This is like the best read every week! Thanks Nick! I just picked up some mussels, cant wait to try!
Thanks, Tim! Appreciate the kind words and wish you good luck as you go try that mussel meat out.
I’m gonna be driving down to Encinitas on Sun 01/31 to pick up some gym equipment and was gonna try and hit the beach for a couple hours. Any suggestions on where to soak a line?
I’d suggest if your going in the morning, try for a little south like maybe Del Mar or maybe pontos might work but directly in Encinitas would be tough with the morning/early afternoon high tide. If you’re doin after high tide, you’d be good to go Grandview or anywhere in Encinitas.
Thanks NIck. I probably wont hit the beach until 1-2 pm. Its an hour drive, shopping, and lunch thrown in the mix lol. I’ve fished Carlsbad Lagoon before but I think I’ll check out South Ponto Beach by the jetty if that’s the Pontos you’re referring to.
Yes that’s what I’m referring to. Give it a shot for sure. New spots are always fun!
TRUST ME, FISHING IS LIKE A BOX’S OF CHOCOLATE’S, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR
GOING TO GET…
Very true… very true
Well finally drove down south (for me) to Trails. Skunked. Even with the mussels…
Ah no! I went out this morning and got a couple perch on the LC… mussel meat was a zero for me too today.
I’ve decided to try the LC 110 flash minnow. I usually fish Oceanside. Other than the pier, one lonely rock by Oceanside blvd and the jetty, I’m unaware of any structure. Do I stand at the waters edge a few hours before high tide and cast close to the structure out as far as I can or move into the surf to get out over the waves?
Well my first piece of advice would be to either scope out the beach at low tide to find any rocky structure that you can come back to later.
Next, come back and fish it when it’s submerged within casting range.
If you’re good at reading structure in the surf, you can show up whenever and try to find the structure whether it be sandy troughs, rocks etc.
I would wade out if you’re not crazy sure about any structure… in that case the deeper the better. If you can find the structure, all you need to do is run it over the structure repetitively.
Thanks, I think I’ve been casting to close to shore. I’ll be out again soon! Casting deeper and Near rips and hopefully find some structure!
Perfect! Glad I could help.
Try salting your mussel meat. We get our mussels from a local marina here in the O.C.
We try to dhuck them whole and then place in a container and use liberal zmounts of salt. It pulls some of the moisture out of the and toughen them up (kinda like chewed bubble gum). We put them on the hook and secure with sewing thread. Work great for bait.
Hi Nick,
Do you have a brand name or picture of the mussels you buy. I have tried at least 2 from the Asian market. In both cases the mussel literally disintegrates as they thaw. They are like a frozen powder. The only “usable” part is the rubber band part that forms the outside. They don’t look at all like yours in the picture.
Thank you for all your awesome content
Doug
Hey Doug! I believe it’s New Zealand green shell mussel meat. I buy them here: 5382 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105 and I buy them as mussel meat and not on the half shell