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How To Catch Sand Fea's Video

Discussion in 'Club Learning, Instructional Video's' started by Nautical Gator, Oct 26, 2015.


  1. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Thread Started By

    How to catch Sand Fea's Video

     
  2. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Thread Started By

    SAND FLEAS (Mole Crabs)The small crustacean called the "Sand Flea"
    http://fishingdestinguide.com/baitSANDFLEAS.html


    How to catch Sand Fleas like a pro!

    Sand fleas or mole crabs are usually found buried in water saturated sand particles. Learn the basic tips on how to catch sand fleas, and you can easily collect a handful of these fishing baits.

    What are Sand Fleas?

    As the name goes, these organisms remain most of their time underneath sand in the shoreline. By appearance, they look somewhat similar to insects. But the fact is, sand fleas are not even a distant relative of land insects. These organisms are grouped under crustaceans, which are characterized by presence of tough exoskeleton and segmented body. They share the same taxonomic order with real crabs. The alternative names for sand fleas (scientific name: Emerita sp.) are sand crabs, mole crabs, sea cicadas and beach hoppers.

    Do Sand Fleas Bite?

    The first thing that comes to our mind is their painful bites and accompanied allergy symptoms. Indeed sand fleas are bothersome crustaceans which mostly bite in the ankles and lower legs. But, when we talk about sand fleas for fish bait, they refer to another group of crustaceans that are harmless for humans. Before we actually jump to our discussion on how to catch sand fleas, let's try to understand some basic information about these creatures.

    Tips on Catching Sand Fleas for Bait

    Mole crabs or sand fleas are distributed in beaches all over the world. These crab like creatures are popularly used as baits in catching certain fish types, such as red fish, pompano, etc. You can purchase live or frozen sand fleas from bait stores for your angling project. But, the interesting part is, you can catch sand fleas easily from the beaches. They neither have claws, nor do they bite humans. So, you don't have to worry about the dangers of handling these creatures.

    What do Sand Fleas Eat?

    Sand fleas feed on small planktons and organic matter that are carried to the beaches by wave action. In short, the intertidal zone is an exclusive place where you can look for these baits. But, you need to keep a watchful eye to identify sand fleas that normally inhabit this zone. Yes, these crustaceans resemble the color of rippled sand, which help in disguising themselves to their dwelling environment. Here are some tips to catch sand fleas for fishing bait.

    Where to Find Sand Fleas?

    Sand fleas are very sensitive and they remain buried deep in the sand, if they sense foot pressure. So, early morning time is the best time that you can head for catching sand fleas. Less beach walkers and you can expect more sand fleas in the intertidal zone.
    A popular tool used for catching these small crabs is sand flea rake. It is a simple rake, designed to collect these creatures from sand. If you don't own one, you can scoop sand with your hands at the right time to catch sand fleas.

    Walk in the swash zone and focus on sandy areas that remain saturated with water. Try to identify darker colored sand that forms a boundary between the ocean bottom sand and beach sand. This is the area where sand fleas inhabit frequently.

    Look for sand flea colony in the marked zone. You can identify them from the 'V' shaped antennae that protrudes slightly from the sand surface. Then, be prepared and wait for low tide waves.

    As soon as the wave starts receding, go to the spot, dig sand flea rake in the dark sand and drag it towards your direction. After the first session, check for any caught sand fleas. You can keep them in a bucket with some wet sand on it.

    If you are collecting lots of sand fleas, consider carrying a small cooler along with you. Fill it with some wet sand and put the sand fleas. This simple preparation keeps them alive for longer hours. After separating sand fleas from their natural habitat, they may survive for 3 days or more under controlled conditions. Keeping sand fleas cool, changing sand everyday and avoiding sunlight exposure are some tricks to keep them alive for several days to come
     
    Alps and Shrimp Gritter like this.
  3. Karl B

    Karl B Rigger

    These sand fleas were so thick on the Pacific coast, but I have yet to get into any here in Florida.
     
  4. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Thread Started By

    They are think here to, just need to know where and when.
     
  5. Mark

    Mark Pirate in the making

    Great video,thanks
     
  6. Zimmo1

    Zimmo1 Pirate

    I've caught quite a few recently in the Flagler Beach area.....
     
  7. Michael Walker

    Michael Walker Master Gunner

    that was cool
    now I just need to go watch a video on using them to catch pompanos
     
  8. Alps

    Alps Swashbuckler

    Great video and write-up...interesting. I've seen their effect in the wash zone during my 'beach years', but didn't know what it was exactly.
    Never too old to learn....
     
  9. rabelect

    rabelect Pirate

    Great video thanks for putting it on the site
     
  10. TomD

    TomD Pirate

    Very informative. KUDOs. Now I need to give one more thing a try. haha.
     
  11. mcmike

    mcmike Newbie

    been up north fl where some people actually DIG them. Can't wait to grab my rake and try out my new found knowledge.
    Thanks
     
  12. MellowMelb

    MellowMelb Greenhorn

    Can't wait to grab my rake and go catch some sand fleas.

    Thanks
     
  13. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn Newbie

    I don't know how others might do it, but here are some tips that have served me well in catching pompano with sand fleas. Number 1, pompano in my opinion are hook shy so I use what most call a wire hook in gold or silver sized to closely match the size of the sand fleas. usually a #1 or a #2. I usually bring the hook up through the bottom of the sand flea and just bring the tip and barb through the upper shell. I use a fish finder rig, bottom to top as follows ; hook, 12-18"s of line, swivel, bead, and egg sinker around 1/4 to 3/4 oz depending on how heavy the surf is. Cast as far as you can, reel quickly to take slack out of line, slow your reeling to keep it moving so you can feel the strike, and set the hook fast when they bite. If you let your line go slack for any reason after the cast, chances are your bait will be stolen without you having a clue. That is what works for me. Good luck to you.
     
    Branson and John Johnson like this.
  14. Rich M

    Rich M Sailing Master

    Great stuff - never tried to catch them before. Knew an old guy who preferred to use sand fleas for bait - even large frozen ones.
     
  15. MellowMelb

    MellowMelb Greenhorn

    The hardest part was figuring out where they are on the surf line for me. Thanks
     
  16. Nautical Gator

    Nautical Gator Forum Captain, Moderator, Peacekeeper Staff Member
    Thread Started By

    That's why we have this posted on our clubs forum.
     
  17. Barefootmike

    Barefootmike Newbie

    Great video. Thanks.
     
  18. technowannabe

    technowannabe Greenhorn

    That is way cool. My wife's grandpa showed me some of that many years ago, but I didn't always have much success. The explanation of the "zone" rocks - now I just need one of the huge scoopers.
     
  19. rebelmusic

    rebelmusic Newbie

    Great info. I didn't even know these could be used for bait until recently, when I saw a woman digging up big handfuls of sand, then chucking it back down to the ground over and over again. I thought she was just crazy, but then I saw how many fish she was pulling out of the water...
     
  20. John Johnson

    John Johnson Treasure Hunter

    Thanks for this information. I have always had a hard time keeping them alive, and when they die man talk about a stink
     

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