With a corny title such as that it's pretty obvious the thread's subject. I have a Chinese wife and with her culinary skills, plus a policy of 100% no food waste, I learn valuable lessons from her every day. Now this subject requires a few pictures, I need to actually show my thoughts. This morning I visited my local supermarket and purchased some mussels, they were out of them yesterday so I knew these were fresh.



I always clean mussels, I remove the actual mussel that joins the shell, I also remove what is similar to a backbone.



With this kitchen policy of no waste, the liquid in which the mussels were cooked is also saved for fish stock. It's also ideal for chowders and most other fish related dishes providing they are not fried.



Now this is the important part and I wish to pass this snippet on to you. This is the first time I have ever really taken any notice of the part that is similar to a backbone, in truth my wife is always eating them as fast as I can get them out the body. I was immediately struck with the notion that before me I had a perfect small bait, look at this and you will see what I mean.



If examined carefully you have what could easily be taken for an immature crayfish. At six centimeters long surely an ideal tasty morsel for a small hook; with two or three, a handsome offering for a larger mouth.

Now these offerings are cooked, perhaps that may detract from being best bait, but consider this. If you purchased a feed of mussels, I always buy about fifteen, once cooked, remove this part and drop them in a small jar of pilchard oil and I am confident you have a quality bait in the making. The longer they are left in oil the more they will absorb. I don't target Moki, perhaps I should, but I find it hard to believe they would swim past a bait that is common food for them, especially one that is leaching out a beautiful oil attraction.

I am just adding a quick edit. I would suggest before immersing those pieces in pilchard oil, take a small needle of a large pin and pierce the brown part (especially) several times, this will really help the oil to soak in.