# Sand Fleas?



## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

Does anyone ever use frozen sand fleas? I have an upcoming trip and have been told that there has been a shortage of sand fleas in the surf this year. But I have found a source out of Florida for frozen fleas. Just wondering if anyone has had any success with frozen fleas.


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

Never liked frozen fleas. Where are you going? Fleas are available in SC


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

abass105 said:


> Does anyone ever use frozen sand fleas? I have an upcoming trip and have been told that there has been a shortage of sand fleas in the surf this year. But I have found a source out of Florida for frozen fleas. Just wondering if anyone has had any success with frozen fleas.


 You should be able to catch fleas here in NC.. Although,frozen will work... Have talked to folks that have also had sucess boiling them till they turn pink,swearing they outfish live ones??


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## @wood (Apr 23, 2012)

I haven't noticed a shortage at all. I can go put my hand in the sand and pull up two or three each time. I always use live ones, but I've heard some use frozen and have caught fish just not as productive as live ones.


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## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

I am going to Hilton Head. They do so much beach renourishment in the area the last couple of years it has been very hard to find any. A friend of mine that was down last week was unable to find any. I have been reading they are very plentiful this year is Florida. But I also know the sand is not as hard packed as it is in some areas of SC.


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

Beach renurishment = no fleas for a couple years. To me the sand flea is the canary in the mine.


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## jasonr (Mar 23, 2009)

Does no one but me call them mole crabs?

It is my understanding that the term sand flea, gets misused quite often. Sand fleas bite, mole crabs dont but make good bait. 

Can someone correct me if I'm wrong here?


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

It's the same thing. Just like a whiting and a Va Mullet


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## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

Drumdum said:


> You should be able to catch fleas here in NC.. Although,frozen will work... Have talked to folks that have also had sucess boiling them till they turn pink,swearing they outfish live ones??


I just read about "blanched fleas" may have to give that a try.


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## yerbyray (May 18, 2010)

I used the following to learn a little about them
http://fishingdestinguide.com/baitSANDFLEAS.html

I researched the so I could keep them alive and that was a fairly good link.


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## dialout (Feb 5, 2011)

never heard much good about them...tried them last year for myself...the not much good was right. 0 results.


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## jasonr (Mar 23, 2009)

rabbitdog2 said:


> It's the same thing. Just like a whiting and a Va Mullet


It's not the same thing. 

These are sand fleas. 
http://sandfleas.org/

Not anything close to a mole crab.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

jasonr said:


> It's not the same thing.
> 
> These are sand fleas.
> http://sandfleas.org/
> ...


Those still make great bait. All you have to do is walk into the muddy flats at flow tide, and you can grab them when they latch onto you. You're gonna have to downsize your tackle, of course. (and expect smaller fish)


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## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

I think I will stick with mole crabs.


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## jasonr (Mar 23, 2009)

Got that right lol.


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## FishyFingers (Oct 30, 2010)

jasonr said:


> It's not the same thing.
> 
> These are sand fleas.
> http://sandfleas.org/
> ...



Go into a tackle shop and ask for a bag of sand fleas and see what you get.


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

Don't know what you will get in Va but here's what you'll get in SC
fishingdestinguide.com/baitSANDFLEAS.html


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

Beach renurishment= no mole crabs for a couple years. Mole Crabs , imho,are the "canary in the mine".


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## FishyFingers (Oct 30, 2010)

That's what you'll get in va too. Im interested in that gulp flea though....


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## jasonr (Mar 23, 2009)

Call it what you will. I'll call it a mole crab haha.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

jasonr said:


> Call it what you will. I'll call it a mole crab haha.


There you go... Changing the world....


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## jasonr (Mar 23, 2009)

One mole crab at a time


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

hmmm... if where you are fishing there are no mole crabs or sand fleas or whatever you want to call them, I wonder if there might not be a scarcity of whatever might be eating the mole crabs or sand fleas if they were there, but since they are not there to eat, then whatever would be eating them might not there as well...
Sounds like a job for fishbites, or whatever the locals are using for bait, instead of the mole crabs or sand fleas that are not there???


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## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

I always try to have a variety of baits. Shrimp, fishbites, etc. In the past I have had very good luck with the mole crabs. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.:fishing:


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

my favorite bait from the surf for whiting/pomps, anyone who says they don't work well isn't fishing them right or in the right place IMO. the price is always right. i have caught big pomps on them on beaches where there were no fleas to be found and out deep where they wouldn't be anyways in nature...most fish aren't as smart as we give them credit for in my opinion.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

With all due respect, Greg... There are days when a whole school of pompano won't touch a sand flea - dead, alive, frozen, or fresh - but they'll tear up a clam on the same string of hooks. I usually feel out pompano by throwing out 2 or 3 rods with an assortment of baits on multi-drop rigs. (2 or 3 different baits on the same rig, that is) Whatever they bite on consistently is what ends up getting used.

Therefore, to say that someone "isn't fishing right" or "in the right place" is pure BS. That would be to assume that a pompano is going to bite on a sand flea 100% of the time, if you put it near him. Sorry to tell you, but that just isn't the case...


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## jakuka (Oct 12, 2009)

greg12345 said:


> most fish aren't as smart as we give them credit for in my opinion.


I think that fisherman's egos do exaggerate the intelligence of fish now and then. With that said I think there is a reason behind most everything they do and don't do. But I'll never pretend to always know why- I'm not a fish.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

jakuka said:


> I think that fisherman's egos do exaggerate the intelligence of fish now and then. With that said I think there is a reason behind most everything they do and don't do. But I'll never pretend to always know why- I'm not a fish.


I think it's pretty well established that everything that all species do, is directly related to eating and procreating. Whether or not intelligence enters into that picture is irrelevant. When you want to eat or **** badly enough, intelligence is often shown the door...


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## yerbyray (May 18, 2010)

solid7 said:


> When you want to eat or **** badly enough, intelligence is often shown the door...


Amen to that!!!


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

That was a statement, not a suggestion...


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

I have personally never liked them, only thing caught on one was a 4 in black sea bass


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## yerbyray (May 18, 2010)

I can't ever seem to find them but I am going to really try harder this year as I have a 4 year old convinced that they (sandfleas) sit on treasure and it needs to be dug up.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Lol tell him that the scoop made of 1/2in hardware cloth is a special treasure shovel.


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

Fleas are pretty much my #1, #2 and #3 bait choice now that I have aquired the knowledge to fish with them "and" find them when it doesn't appear they are around. I completely changed my approach and equipment to utilize them correctly which makes an enormous difference. I had the luxury of fishing beside a flea legend for a few years before his passing and needlesss to say I took notes and paid attention.


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

Don't use the males. The females with the orange roe is what they like.


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## jakuka (Oct 12, 2009)

solid7 said:


> I think it's pretty well established that everything that all species do, is directly related to eating and procreating. Whether or not intelligence enters into that picture is irrelevant. When you want to eat or **** badly enough, intelligence is often shown the door...


Agreed. But you left one out. Sometimes it about saving your own bacon! I recall one day when the birds were diving and the bite was hot. Several fish and a short while later the bite stopped like a switch. But the birds were still diving. Bait was still around but the bite was dead. I was stumped as to what was going on. A minute or two later dolphins surfaced. Lots and lots of them after the baitfish. So yeah there's always a reason why fish do what they do. But unless you're swimming with them you can't always know exaxctly why.


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

The big pompano like fleas (from surf) and gotcha plugs(from pier). Other baits they seem to like are shrimp,clams,crab knuckles, and small cut bait.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

But dynamite takes all


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

hey solid7 i hear ya on the pomps...have seen my fleas get ignored while the touron 20ft away hauls in a 4lb'er on rotting previously frozen shrimp...but if you're not even catching whiting with the fleas then I still think you're not fishing 'em right. if i could only have 2 baits for the rest of my life they would be live sand fleas and live finger mullet, can catch pretty much everything on permutations of those 2...


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

greg12345 said:


> hey solid7 i hear ya on the pomps...have seen my fleas get ignored while the touron 20ft away hauls in a 4lb'er on rotting previously frozen shrimp...but if you're not even catching whiting with the fleas then I still think you're not fishing 'em right. if i could only have 2 baits for the rest of my life they would be live sand fleas and live finger mullet, can catch pretty much everything on permutations of those 2...


Beginner's need to have their luck... It's being consistent that's difficult. I rarely get skunked, but I can't say that I always win the prize.

That being said, thank God we don't have to limit ourselves to just 2 baits!


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

...save your money.....frozen suck...tons of em here at Wrightsville bch....and Kure...and Topsail.....


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

I have tried frozen and tried blanched "just to see" and nothing beats the real thing. Where I do most of my fishing I have rarely had any problems finding fleas even in early april or early november. I have seen the day when pomps turned down fleas (rare) but like Greg mentioned if you fish them right you WILL catch fish and that is the trick. I have seen times when I cussed the puppy drum for going through my fleas when I was targeting sea mullet and black drum. Even had to move a time or two to get away from them.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

I've caught tons of pomps... Just wondering what is the "right" way to fish them? What do you suggest will turn the tide when they won't bite them for other people? Is it some sort of Jedi mind trick?


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

I have seen the day when pomps turned down fleas (rare) but like Greg mentioned if you fish them right you WILL catch fish and that is the trick. I have seen times when I cussed the puppy drum for going through my fleas when I was targeting sea mullet and black drum. Even had to move a time or two to get away from them.[/QUOTE]

Use the female fleas (The ones with the orange roe) break back a little of the shell to expose the roe. I have caught pomps on a number of baits. Shrimp. clams and fleas. I have caught them a 100yrds out while fishing for whiting, but I have caught most casting just beyond the last breaker. When pomps are crusing the suds they are looking for fleas. But they will eat shrimp or clams. I have heard of them being caught on blood worms. If you are using shrimp sometimes tipping with a small piece of FishBites will help.


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

solid7 said:


> I've caught tons of pomps... Just wondering what is the "right" way to fish them? What do you suggest will turn the tide when they won't bite them for other people? Is it some sort of Jedi mind trick?


Has anybody ever told you that you come off as a bit of a smart A$$?.......


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

rabbitdog2 said:


> I have seen the day when pomps turned down fleas (rare) but like Greg mentioned if you fish them right you WILL catch fish and that is the trick. I have seen times when I cussed the puppy drum for going through my fleas when I was targeting sea mullet and black drum. Even had to move a time or two to get away from them.


Use the female fleas (The ones with the orange roe) break back a little of the shell to expose the roe. I have caught pomps on a number of baits. Shrimp. clams and fleas. I have caught them a 100yrds out while fishing for whiting, but I have caught most casting just beyond the last breaker. When pomps are crusing the suds they are looking for fleas. But they will eat shrimp or clams. I have heard of them being caught on blood worms. If you are using shrimp sometimes tipping with a small piece of FishBites will help.[/QUOTE]

I catch most of my fish just a short toss into the suds. I have found the fish prefer the females unless it is early spring or fall when they will take down pretty much any flea. I have had good success "peeling" the backs off of the really big fleas and when smaller fleas are more abundant I put 2 on the hook......


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

DrumintheSuds said:


> Has anybody ever told you that you come off as a bit of a smart A$$?.......


Yep.

You're just one more feather in my cap, junior.


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## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

I think I will wait and decide what to do once I get to the water. I will see if I can find any in the surf. If not, I may order some who knows, fresh shrimp may be the ticket. I will be there for two weeks so I will post to let everyone know how it goes.


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

abass105 said:


> I think I will wait and decide what to do once I get to the water. I will see if I can find any in the surf. If not, I may order some who knows, fresh shrimp may be the ticket. I will be there for two weeks so I will post to let everyone know how it goes.


Can't go wrong with fresh shrimp. When I do fish with shrimp I make sure it the freshest possible and I cut it up into thumbnail sized pieces about the size of a sandflea ;-)


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