[615834]

I've seen an ad for a sand flea rake, the ad claimed that sand fleas are some sort of striper bait. Has anybody heard about this and if so please post on theory and technique.

thanks
Kelly

 

[seaslug44]

The sand fleas you are talking about are tropical crustaceans that are not found this far North. In Florida, they catch the little shrimp-like critters with a special sand flea rake and live-line them for pompano.

 

[614772]

DoctorFish I was fishing at JonesInlet this summer with my daughter and while digging through the sand there Were an aboundance of the about 5 to 12 inches down. So are they good for bass?

always gottafly

 

[614772]

DoctorFish I was fishing at JonesInlet this summer with my daughter and while digging through the sand there Were an aboundance of the about 5 to 12 inches down. So are they good for bass?

always gottafly

 

[614540]

Sand fleas are found in the sand all over the south shore beaches....they are a main forage for bass, blackfish etc...dig up 20-30 ....put one or two on small hook...maybe 3/0 size and cast out like you would any other bait.....fished on the bottom....be careful when hooking them so you don't crush and kill the little critters....

Don't be fooled by the little size....they catch decent size fish...off the WE2 jetty I have used them for blackfish when I run out of clams....plus they stay on hook better than the clams and the tiny blackfish just peck at it while you wait for the bigger ones...

Also great for bass...have caught a couple on sand fleas...I assume you could catch other fish but I havent yet...

Best bait is the local bait you can dig up for free....sand fleas, little crabs in jetty rocks, mussels on the jetty rocks...or local bait you can snag...

 

[spygull]

Sandfleas or surfcrabs are the number 1 primo bait for blackfish. if you watch carefully in the backwash you will see them digging back in after the surf has exposed them. they run in schools and if you spot them dig fast because they can burrow faster than you can. they are easy to keep alive for a few days if you keep them covered with moist seaweed.

 

[TOMCHUM]

Good bait,I've used them in Florida.Sheephead love them.In New York,
Blackfish go for them with a frenzy.

 

[slaterock]

are sand flees the same as sand crabs ??? caught many blacks in lb with them.

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

What we call "sand flees" up here are actually mole crabs.

Do a search in the "surf forum" for "sand flees" and you'll find a few discussions on catching and using this crabs for bait. I've caught three at once on the hooks of my plug as I drag it up the beach out of the surf line. They are very plentiful little crabs.

 

[644301]

Glowing mole crab?

Ok, I know I'm probably going to get slammed for this question, but....

Has anyone found one that glows in the dark. I swear to god, my friend and I were fishing at the thumb the other night, and saw this glowing thing in the sand...It was a mole crab(whatever you want to call them). I had never seen one glow before(then again, I rarely dig them up at night).

Still yet to find another one that glows...

 

[ihavegills]

Glowing?

There alot of small marble-like jellyfish in the surf right now that can cause the phosflorescence if he got caught up in it. Otherwise if it was within the creature, he could have been eaten something to cause the condition, like squid, jellyfish and other phosflorescence. Odd.

You'll find them in the gut of some big bass! I think many bass take small, bottom-bouncing bucks thinking they are these sand beggers and not a bait fish. I used to tie short hair -1oz banana heads with grey over white to match them. Had fish but was never as productive as other methods and never made a perminant spot in the arsenol.

 

[644301]

It was glowing on the underside. It must have gotten the glowing properties from a jellyfish or something. It was very odd. I believe it was pretty much dead, or dying when we found it.

We put it on the hook

, but no takers.

 

[stpaul7]

Mole Crabs/Sand Flees

Here's the Exact GPS numbers to find them. I'm a Spot Burner

N 40 41.631, W 072 59.377

Mole Crabs/Sand Flee Report

 

[gymrat987654321]

also a good kingfish bait.

 

[LeoDA]

gymrat987654321 wrote:
also a good kingfish bait.

If you're picking up kingfish, bass won't be far.

 

[blitzking]

i dig up sand crabs/mole crabs/sand fleas/ watever all the time and never thought they would be good bait.i guess ill try for some kingfish. i have never actually targeted kingfish, but hopefully will try someday. wat kind of structure, and any specific tide or time of day?? o yeah i will be fishing from robert moses, gilgo, or one of the sandy south shore beaches

 

[reelfisher]

fish near some jetty rocks in August and Septmeber and you shoudl be able to catch some kingfish. WE get a good number of them in the peconincs. One day the kids were chumming spearing to the beach with zebra mussels so they could seine them. They woudn up with lots of kingfish in the seine so then they used the zebras for bait and caught a few dozen kingfish on short order lol.

 

[654315]

any regs/ permits for digging the fleas? tog seasons tomorrow and i know where i'll be standing

 

[Causeway]

Anyone ever try the GULP! Sand Flee???

If so... did they work?

 

[Lobsterhead]

Great bait and if your down south killer on Permit and Pompano