# Keeping sand fleas alive overnight...



## CodyV7Mc (Jul 12, 2015)

I know this is probably asked a lot and everyone probably has their own way but I've never used fleas. What's the best way to keep them alive overnight? Going to Huntington Beach Saturday earlyyyyyy and bait shops won't be open. Just gonna pick some up tomorrow evening. Thanks!


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## viper2788 (May 1, 2012)

ive kept mine in a cup with sand and water... they were good for about 7-8 hours. prob helps to change the sand and water every now and then lol


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## GC Since73 (Jun 3, 2012)

I have made a carrier out of two potato salad canisters. I have holes in the top and bottom of one. I then put a shell in the one without holes and put the one with holes inside of it. The shell keeps a gap between the two and keeps the fleas out of their pee. I think that is the key. If you keep them for very long in just damp sand the pee will kill them. You also need to keep them cool. I put them in my cooler. In the morning I take the carrier apart and dump out the pee. You can then scoop salt water in the one without holes and pour it over the fleas, letting the water drain out of the holes. They will perk right up. I can keep them alive for a couple of days that way. Just rinse them every so often. Good luck on Saturday.


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## AtTheBar (Jan 17, 2013)

A covered bucket with sand that's barely damp kept in a cool place will keep them for a couple of days. Wet sand or bone dry will kill them. A shovel full from around the high tide line and your good to go.


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## CodyV7Mc (Jul 12, 2015)

Awesome. Thanks guys!


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

Clean, empty 2 1/2 white plastic cake deco icing bucket from pastry sec. of grocer or 5 gal drywall compound bucket. 1) put fleas in bucket (50 small bucket, 100 large bkt), very important...cover about 4-5 inches with clean DRY sand ( from up near dunes is what they like). store in cool place. Most important... every day or 2 depending use and smell...empty bugs into flea rake and rinse in the surf , say 5 or 6 dips to clean them.Empty out old sand rinse bucket, add fleas etc. The fleas will live a long, long, long time if you follow these directions carefully. Hopefully the fishing will be good and you will need to replenish frequentally.


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

gc since73 said:


> i have made a carrier out of two potato salad canisters. I have holes in the top and bottom of one. I then put a shell in the one without holes and put the one with holes inside of it. The shell keeps a gap between the two and keeps the fleas out of their pee. I think that is the key. If you keep them for very long in just damp sand the pee will kill them. You also need to keep them cool. I put them in my cooler. In the morning i take the carrier apart and dump out the pee. You can then scoop salt water in the one without holes and pour it over the fleas, letting the water drain out of the holes. They will perk right up. I can keep them alive for a couple of days that way. Just rinse them every so often. Good luck on saturday.


x 2


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## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

get a small bucket and drill a bunch of small holes in it. keep fleas in it with sand and shellbed matter. dump seawater over them routinely to wash away their waste. (this is what smells bad)

add fresh sand as it washes away, and you can keep them for several days.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

cold, moist (not wet), at a stable temp. top shape for 48h. after 72h will die quickly on hook, 96h alive but poor condition. just my experience, maybe others are sand flea master keepers and i have a lot to learn...

best thing to do, keep them in a floating minnow bucket/flow troll attached to a dock, last for 2 weeks this way in tip top shape obviously. last trip to sebastian inlet fleas were so hard to find i spent 4-6h first day down gathering some, then kept them in flow troll off back dock of the house for the rest of the trip, tip top shape every AM when i grab a handful and feed the pomps which then fed me...


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## Stan Lockhart (Dec 28, 2007)

Drill a few holes in bucket add ice to bucket put door screen 4-5" above the ice in bucket add fleas, This has kept them alive for a long time.


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## Digger54 (Sep 11, 2012)

Stan Lockhart said:


> Drill a few holes in bucket add ice to bucket put door screen 4-5" above the ice in bucket add fleas, This has kept them alive for a long time.


How do you anchor screen 4-5" above the ice?


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

I've seen lots of fisherman do like Stan Lockhart says .... Some of them use strainer bowls that fit the top of the bucket, that way you can take it out and rinse fleas easily ....


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## barrettb (Nov 28, 2006)

I've heard using a sponge at the bottom of bucket will work to keep them from drowning in their pea and help keep them alive.


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## "ReelDeal" (Dec 27, 2014)

I have used a small butter container to store fleas in and it worked well. Cut holes in the top and slits in the bottom for draining purposes. I submerged it in the surf a couple of times daily to wash the sand out and changed the sand daily. Kept it in a small bait cooler with a frozen water bottle to keep them cool at night. Had a couple die but most of them stayed lively all week. The bucket idea Stan and River mentiond interests me, I would like to see a pic if possible.

R/D


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## John Smith_inFL (Nov 22, 2009)

hey Cody, did you get to go fishing ? 
what did you do to keep your fleas fresh ?
did you catch any FISH ??

Photos would be great !!


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

I like the crushed up shells better than sand but rinsing them off regularly is a must and keeping them cool not Froze or hot so setting up on something in a cooler so they are not in ice or ice water in the bottom of the cooler


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## BPReeds (Jan 11, 2013)

A bait shop down here kept them in water!....so I guess you have options


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## gshivar (Aug 29, 2006)

Concerning live sand fleas. I do not recall winding in to check bait and noticing a live flea. I have hooked them in both ends , top, bottom. Either I am doing something wrong or the fleas do not live long after being hooked. What are your thoughts?? best - glenn


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

a fresh flea just dug and hooked from bottom to top through digger can live 15'-20' or so in my experience, "old" fleas that are alive but have been stored die in a minute or so...just what i have observed


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## John Smith_inFL (Nov 22, 2009)

JetSkiBrian has some awesome photos of hooking fleas and fiddlers.
for the fleas, he has photos of hooking it through the side skirt. Just an option.
For me, I just "Hookem Danno" and toss it. I figure the fish are after the fresh smell,
not by how it crawls or swims. Just like fresh cut bait, clam strips, yada yada yada
Plus, I often use salted or vac-packed frozen fleas . . . so does it _really_ matter if it lives for 2 minutes on the hook ?

jus my Dos Centavos


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

I've got a small plastic flower pot that has holes smaller than the fleas in the bottom of it.. I put "a little damp sand" in with them.. Then I put it in the top of a cooler.. Putting a pan or something under the pot is a good idea and keeps their waste from getting in your ice.. I have kept them for up to a week this way..


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

Keeping them out of their urine is a must


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