hi lenney welcome tto the site mate, peeler crab best bet this time of year .sorry to hear of your dissapointment with the bait from reelsport(its the only one in sheild).whenever iv got it from sheild its always been good stock and compaired to some tackle shop i think is good value i only use the one at shields on a sunday as the other one isnt open.he has another shop in hebburn (oppersit the clock on victoria road)this is the shop i use most often as its just down the road from me .never had any complaints from there either, except when hes run out of fresh bait and this hasnt happened often,i always ring now just to be sure and he always put it asside till i pick it up.
as far as i know lugworm is sparning ATM so you could be hard pressed to get any anywhere,rag would be your next choice.
iv only used the preserved bait once and found it a waste of time ,(big blank)stick to the fresh.