Sailor50

This is an update to my previous post with the pictures added back in plus a little more information.
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What we call sand fleas here are small crustaceans that live at the water’s edge on the beach. They are also call mole crabs and are found all over the world. They are not actually fleas and will not bite you or harm you in any way. They are used around here mainly for catching pompano on pompano rigs, but redfish and other fish will eat them.

Here is a picture of one from above. Its front is on the left - you can see its two eye stalks and two “filter antennas” on it.

This is the bottom of the sand flea. Again, its front is on the left side of this picture. It always moves backwards and uses its legs/flippers to propel itself through the water and to dig into the sand. The arrow shaped flap in the back is its “carapace”. It is used to protect its underbelly and eggs in a female. It is also used to anchor the flea in the sand. Locally it is called the “digger” . This is a female as you can just see the orange eggs under the flap on the back.



A picture of a female with its eggs with the carapace lifted up. These with the orange eggs are said to be primo pompano bait.



When its eggs are this color (more brown), it means the eggs are about to hatch.


This is the front of the flea. You can see its two black eyes on the end of the eye stalks. Above the eyes is its mouth and above its mouth is its’ “filter antennas”. It uses these filter antennas to capture plankton and other organic material from the water and in turn down to its mouth.

Sand fleas feed in what is called the swash zone of the beach. This is the area of the beach where the wet sand is (from the waves washing up the beach).

This is the sand fleas habitat. The area of the beach where the receding waves meet the oncoming waves is what is called locally the “LIP”. In the above picture, it is where the white water is. The action of the receding and oncoming waves meeting forms an area of soft, water saturated sand and there is usually a 2-6” drop from the shore to the sea. The fleas may be on either side of the lip, depending on the time of year and tides.
TIDES: Sand fleas move up and down the beach with the tides. They do not want to be left stranded on the beach when the tide goes out as they become easy prey as they cannot dig in hard, dry sand.

So, as the tide comes in, you will find them farther up the beach.
As the tide goes out and at low tide, they will be off the beach and more seaward, up to shin deep water.
TIME OF YEAR:
From about April through September, the sand fleas reproduce and form the colonies you see so often in the summer. These will normally be on the shore side of the lip. They are identified by the “V” in the receding waves.


Sand fleas area here all year, but are hard to find in the colder months for several reasons.
- There just aren’t as many around as a lot have died off due to cold, etc.
- They stay more to the seaward side of the lip and don’t come up the beach to form colonies as they do in the summer.
Thus, in the winter, if you want to find them, you are going to have to wade and there aren’t the big groups of them.

Sand fleas only feed when the waves are receding back down the beach. This is normally the only time you will see them as they stay buried just below the sand to keep from becoming food for shore birds and fish like the pompano. Here are some pictures of a sand flea burying itself .

Just starting to dig in, front on the left.

As they dig, sometimes they leave bubbles, on way that helps you to find them.

Almost buried with its filter antennas out.

A little hard to see but this is a picture of the sand fleas underwater in the feeding mode. You can see their antennas stretched out.

Here is a picture of a group of them feeding in a receding wave on the beach here in Destin.

To catch them, most people use a sand flea rake. In the summer, you can probably catch them with your hands. They are around $30-$50.00 and can be found at Half Hitch or Bass Pro in season.

To use one, you stand on the beach and look parallel with the beach for the distinctive Vs, bubbles or bumps in the sand AS THE WAVES RECEDE down the beach. They will rebury themselves quickly once the wave has passed. Run over to where you saw them, and make a sweep shoreward with your rake.


Pull it up and let it sit on top of the sand and let the waves wash the sand out of the rake. You will hopefully have some sandfleas left in it.



HOOKING THE SAND FLEA

To hook them, I just put the hook in from the bottom and run it out through the top of the shell.






And, some people prefer to just have the hook showing.
Whichever way you do it, you will probably kill the flea. Here is a site in California that shows some other ways to hook them.
http://www.scsurffishing.com/articles/hookingsandcrabs.htm

geklingel

Boy, the pictures really help explain this!
here is an article I found on the "bucket" method (with Pics).
it explains why under some conditions the rake might not be the best choice.

http://amelia-island-fishing.com/fis...nd%20fleas.cfm

Stressless

I've put up some how-to's but that one is brilliant. Thanks -

Stressless

BananaTom

Bump

manasota

Awesome pompano and whiting bait. Most anything will eat 'em if you put them in front of their face. I've caught snook and tarpon by accident while fishing for pompano.

DmAcK

Heads up if anyone is looking for sand fleas there a bunch right around the pier at ft pickens. Me and my buddys were fishing there the other day and saw them every where. There were colonies of them like explained earlier. I really appreciate the information about how to keep them a live. I have an older sand flea rake that I plan on taking out there this week. The last time I left it at home and we just used our hands. But I did see an older couple using used fry baskets out of like home deep fryers, and they were killing it. So good luck to all have fun catching bait and fish and see ya on the beaches.

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johnf

Great info and thanks for reposting the pics. That helped a bunch. Can you catch bayside fish with them. I'll be in a house that's close to both sides and has a nice pier on it.

stuckinthetrees

Thanks for the helpful update

FUPAGUNT

Awesome!

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Capt.Kyle

how long did it take you catch that many