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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 939
Hall of Fame Lunker
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OP
Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
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Did a little midnight seining this weekend and caught this along with a few fish: There is no photo shopping I promise you! I can't grow fish like you guys but try and beat this mussel
Last edited by esshup; 09/15/14 04:01 PM.
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,086 Likes: 93
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,086 Likes: 93 |
That is a serious size mussel!
I have been surprised to find several in my pond that are 3-4 inches long and the pond is only a couple years old.
John
I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,028 Likes: 274
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
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I have some good sized ones but not like that.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,952 Likes: 184
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,952 Likes: 184 |
BIG clam!!! By the way are they a plus or minus for ponds? I can get plenty at a creek near me if they are good.
Thanks
Pat W
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,183 Likes: 44
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,183 Likes: 44 |
Just think of the RES needed to eat that thing, it would be a monster!!
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,110 Likes: 478
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,110 Likes: 478 |
It is a filter feeder and says your sediments are oxygenated and healthy. Technically it is not a clam but a freshwater mussel. Clams have a slightly different structure inside around the hinged area. Most clam species are marine habitat types.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/15/14 01:15 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Wish my mussel were that big!!!
Do nature a favor, spay/neuter your pets and any weird friends or relatives.
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Joined: Aug 2014
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Joined: Aug 2014
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But are they beneficial or not?
Pat W
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Ambassador Lunker
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Ambassador Lunker
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They're filter feeders, and I consider their presence to be indicative of good water quality. I don't mind them at all.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 939
Hall of Fame Lunker
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Moderators please update the thread title to the correct name from clam to fresh water mussel. Thanks for the mini lesson on mussels vs clams Bill!!
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,688 Likes: 281
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
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Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 939
Hall of Fame Lunker
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I was told they were nasty to eat. Although, they couldn't be any worse than that Old Milwaukee my buddy drinks...yuck!
Are those mussels any good to eat? I know the raccoons such do like them.
Last edited by mnfish; 09/15/14 04:38 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,110 Likes: 478
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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They are pretty or very rubbery texture. Smaller ones are probably not as tough meat. Clam type flavor. Type of algae that they are eating may impart a flavor.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
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Native freshwater mussels are generally very tasteless. They are OK to eat safety wise though, unless taken from polluted waters. There are several species of native fingernail clams which are quite small. There are a couple of introduced species of freshwater clams from Asia found in parts of the US. Our native freshwater mussels have a parasitic stage. Most biologists feel they're generally not harmful to their fish hosts though. No doubt the mussels do provide a food source to fish. However, because of their larger size and hard shell. Their value is limited.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,712 Likes: 3
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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I was told they were nasty to eat. Although, they couldn't be any worse than that Old Milwaukee my buddy drinks...yuck!
Are those mussels any good to eat? I know the raccoons such do like them. Growing up in No. MN and No. WI, we tried them numerous ways when we were teens. As many here on Pond Boss know, I like a lot of crazy foods. I'm kind of like TV's Andrew Zimmern of Bizzare Foods. I will say that I've never found a satisfactory way of fixing fresh water shellfish from Minnesota or Wisconsin -- and I even eat lutefisk! If anybody has a good recipe, like beer battered freshwater clams, using Fitgers, Old Milwaukee, Grainbelt, Hamms ..., etc., please send it as a recipe for inclusion on the cooking page of Pond Boss Magazine! Ken
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,086 Likes: 93
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,086 Likes: 93 |
My brother is like you as far as trying what nature has to offer in the way of food. His conclusion, after trying many ways to fix them, was the same as yours. Nice white meat that looked good but could not get them to taste of anything but mud. I guess Zimmerman would call it an earthy taste.
John
I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
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