Sand fleas

[uncleray]

I just spent five days surf fishing at Topsail and didn't catch anything on fresh shrimp or blood worms. Surf was very rough but there were plenty of sand fleas in the wash and even those didn't produce. Is there a technique to fishing with sand fleas that I need to know?

[f1b32oPTic]

sometimes when the surf is slap full of sand fleas it is easy for the fish to be ignoring your offerings.

[uncleray]

sometimes when the surf is slap full of sand fleas it is easy for the fish to be ignoring your offerings.

I wondered about that also. I was definitely being ignored......all week. Other than the last day when it was cloudy, 60 degrees with a 20mph wind it was fun just to be there trying. Another fisherman suggested that I needed to remove the outer shell but all I managed to do was make a gooey mess. Has anyone else heard of doing this? Also is there a proper way to put fleas on the hook?

[Wilber]

I have never peeled them, but you can find soft shell Sandfleas and they are wonderful bait. Anything that travels the drop off loves Softies. If you are having trouble with fish nibbling the good stuff out of the flea and leaving you with just the shell, hookk them so the hook ends up sticking out their belly, this method is also helpful when they have roe, 'cause that's what the fish like best.

PS remember, fish come to the dropoff to eat Sandfleas, sooo don't fish too far out.

[uncleray]

Thanks Wilber. I did find a couple of softies but few and far between. They were gone from the hook when I reeled in but never felt a bite. Also several times the guts were gone but never noticed any movement in the rod tip. I was just hooking them through the shell at the tail so maybe your hooking method might have produced at least one hook up. Any idea on the best hook size to use. I tried #4 and #6. Good point about not casting too far out.

[Wilber]

I'd say your hook size is right on. Don't go too big.

[Capt. Kim CG Ret]

I would say that was problem numero uno. Try hooking one by the tail and then let him/her set in the wet sand in front of you. In five seconds I'll bet you have a buried sand flea. They have to be hooked so they can't dig. There is a post on Cape Hatteras Surf Fishing that shows the best way to hook them but I don't know how to find things on that site. A local on the Nags Head beach showed me how to hook them with the hook starting just behind the diggers and coming out the top of the shell. (This exactly how the post on CHSF shows it being done.) It doesn't kill them, yet keeps them from digging.

Hook size is right on, but if your bait is buried in the sand, not too much will bite on it. My guess is that when you retrieved, the guts and everything pulled out as he/she tried to stay in the sand.

Next time you see a lot of these things in the wash, try casting and dragging a light (1/4-3/8 ounce) jig head with a green/chartreuse Sea Assassin paddle tail slowly through the wash. Bet you wind up with a flounder, striper, or puppy. If you can find these fleas located around a jetty or other beach obstruction, flounder are almost a certainty and puppys and pompano are pretty certain. Lots of fleas on the beach is almost a sure indication there will be fish in the wash. More than 20 yards out, and you are about ten yards too far.

[CrawFish]

got this pic from tradewind's
http://fishtradewinds.com/cgi-bin/twreport.cgi?read=6534

http://saltwatersurffisherman.com/upload/SAND%20FLEA.jpg

[uncleray]

Thanks for the info. That's what I wanted to know. Good tip on hooking one and putting it in the sand and see what happens. If he digs in must be hooked wrong. Now I've got to get back on the beach and put all this to work. Maybe in a month. :mad: