Clay for Bait Balls

On here there have been several references to red clay when making bail balls for Shrimp. Is this a special clay or is it the red mud I have in my yard here in the Piedmont?

The red clay that’s probably in your yard. The darker, the better, less sand than the clay in the lower part of the state. When I used it, we would sift it through hardware cloth to get the rocks and larger chunks out. It is not as forgiving as the milled clay is with respect to the amount of water you add, IMO. Milled clay, kaolin, is too cheap not to use.

-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad (1/13/37 - 9/27/16 I love you Pops)
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish

My wife usto raise H when she had to eat shrimp with the red stripe! Said they tasted like they came out of the garden.

quote:
Originally posted by boatpoor

My wife usto raise H when she had to eat shrimp with the red stripe! Said they tasted like they came out of the garden.


The clay and grit don’t bother me, it’s the taste of the fish meal that gets me. Any shrimp I catch over bait usually
gets deveined. Also the sooner you can de-head them the better chance the “mud vein” will pull out with the heads. Let em sit over night in ice and they will be easier to de-head, but you’ll leave all the veins in.

Way back we used to run a three man team, boat driver, net thrower, and de-header lady before they went into the cooler. just remember to limit it to 29 quarts.