# Fish Meal and Clay , cheapest place to buy?



## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

So I thought I would try this "shrimp baiting " thing I've read about, it says mix fish meal with powdered clay. I know we have some clay dirt roads around here I could probably just scoop some up on, but that stuff is a mess. Wondering where the best place would be to buy the fishmeal, and also powdered clay, or anything else that you think would be a good binder

Thanks as always


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## otto (Dec 3, 2007)

I don't know of anywhere locally that sells fish meal, you will probably have to order it off of the net. As far as clay goes, why not try Michael's or some other type of craft or hobby store?


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## cmw (Oct 28, 2007)

Back in the 50's ,as a kid, we used clay soil and fishmeal for shrimping. Lived in Jacksonville and there was clay soil around. We would mix the fishmeal with the clay soil, add water and make balls about the size of greapfruits. Then bake them in the sun for a day to get them hard. Worked great. I do not remember where we got the fishmeal but you might try a feed store. Just a guess.


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## grassbed hunter (Apr 6, 2008)

u can buy fish meal at fram suply or feed stores there is one on pine forest rd u can use blood meal to mix fish oil in sheetrock mud it will work to make base ball size balls of oakmeal fish oil an sand or sheetrock mud throw righton sandy spots right next to the grass i have tryed this on johnson beach it does work but some time it can take awhile i did it for bait :banghead


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## 1bandit (Jul 17, 2009)

Try crushing up some Wheaties cereal and mixing it with sand and a little water.


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## oceansbreeze (May 1, 2009)

I have used cheap dry dog mixed with 1 part menhaden oil and3 part water, be carefull not to add to much menhaden oil (you don't want it to float a way); make it into ball/puckand then let dry in sun on a pieces of wax paper.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

never thought about using sheetrock mud... sounds like a great idea


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

_*If you want the best Clay - *_

_*Call Clay- Doh*_


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

is that a forum member?


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

Just found a 15 pound bag of fish meal from barnes feed and seed on Palafox for $33 ouch. 

Want to catch shrimp cheap, that's about how much 10 pounds of shrimp cost and still need the clay or sheet rock or some other binder.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

Hey for anyone interested, I just found a 50 pound bag of "fish bait cubes" for $14.20 at Pine Forest Saddlery Farm and Garden on Pine Forest Road. This has fish meal in it and says "for baiting of fish, shrimp, and cray fish". Its premade in cube/cylindrical pieces and dissolves pretty rapidly in water. I am going to give them a try and I'll let you guys know how it works out


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## eddy2419 (Oct 28, 2007)

Has anybody had success with shrimp baiting in P'cola or OB??


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

Well I went out to Shoreline park the other day, a few hours before sunset. I tried and tried baiting them at the edge of the grass beds with no luck. 

This is an area where I have repeatedly gone out there at night and scooped them up with a net, though not in large quantities. I look for the glowing eyeballs at night. If they were there, they didnt come out of the grass and get the bait. Not one. I did catch a ton of pin fish though. Im thinking this is a good way to catch bait fish, but not so much shrimp. 

I guess I need to try a different area.


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## eddy2419 (Oct 28, 2007)

I think the reason it is so successful in the mid-Atlantic states is because it is illegal to pull a shrimp net in-shore. The pin fish deal does sound like a winner though.


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## FLbeachbum (Jul 17, 2008)

I agree with the post about the Atlantic side, I lived on the coast of SC for four years. We baited (corn meal with clay frozen) all during season and tore them up. Most of the areas we worked were up in the creeks and marsh areas with 4-5 feet of water at high tide and thus no shrimp boats. And the blue crabs were everywhere.


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## firefighter14 (Aug 22, 2009)

I use rabbit food; its cheap and it works. Throw a coffee can full off the dock wait four or five hours and plenty of shrimp in the cast net. An old creole told me that trick and it works.


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## eddy2419 (Oct 28, 2007)

> *firefighter14 (9/7/2009)*I use rabbit food; its cheap and it works. Throw a coffee can full off the dock wait four or five hours and plenty of shrimp in the cast net. An old creole told me that trick and it works.




Where do you do this? Sounds pretty cool. Do the pin fish not eat it all up? I assume rabbit food sinks?



I have also thought about hooking a mesh bag with squid in it, cast it out, then throw a net on it for bait. Anybody tried this?


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## angus_cow_doctor (Apr 13, 2009)

same concept as snatch hooking mullet. Problem with mullet is that they run out from under the net so fast. You almost need to throw in front of a running school and have the net land on the fish that are a little slow.

We used dogfood and rabbitfood to bait the mullet. Put it in a mesh bag as well and hang it over the boat, occasionally giving it a light shake to keep it slowly feeding out the pellets.

Is there anywhere around the bay where someone has seen shrimp recently? I would love to get better at this shrimp baiting thing.


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## firefighter14 (Aug 22, 2009)

Magnolia River in Alabama, I am within 1/2 mile of Weeks bay so it stays relatively salty at this end of the river; have more trouble with mullet than pin fish...


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## Terrybell (Aug 5, 2020)

otto said:


> I don't know of anywhere locally that sells fish meal, you will probably have to order it off of the net. As far as clay goes, why not try Michael's or some other type of craft or hobby store?


I bought my fish meal at Ave hardware. As far as clay baseball field


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

Terrybell said:


> I bought my fish meal at Ave hardware. As far as clay baseball field


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## Sleep (Apr 3, 2018)

choppedliver said:


> So I thought I would try this "shrimp baiting " thing I've read about, it says mix fish meal with powdered clay. I know we have some clay dirt roads around here I could probably just scoop some up on, but that stuff is a mess. Wondering where the best place would be to buy the fishmeal, and also powdered clay, or anything else that you think would be a good binder
> 
> Thanks as always


You could try a pottery supply place like First City Art center for the powdered clay


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

Sleep said:


> You could try a pottery supply place like First City Art center for the powdered clay


you do realize this thread is 11 years old right?


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## Sleep (Apr 3, 2018)

Splittine said:


> you do realize this thread is 11 years old right?


Sure didn't, thanks for the heads up.


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

Splittine said:


> you do realize this thread is 11 years old right?


Some of these old posts are still useful. I had not thought of using rabbit food. Clay-Doh needs to come back to the forum. I miss his posting.


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