Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

NICK123 · **Joined:** Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:31 pm **Posts:** 1276

does any one have any good sand flea spots and does any body ever see them at anglins

snj35 · **Posted:** Wed May 14, 2008 4:01 pm

I went to Oakland Park beach today and slayed the sand fleas I didnt have a sand flea catcher so I used my hands caught about 100 of them I also caught something that looks like a sand flea but its twice the size has two antenna coming out of its head and has two claws kinda looks like a sand flea on steroids.

joey outlaw · **Joined:** Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:51 pm **Posts:** 40

great info. what can I expect to catch with them? Ive tried them before but no luck. Maybe I was a little to impatient tho.

Pier#r · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2008 2:11 pm

Just about anything that walks or swims near the surf zone will eat them.
I've even occasionally seen jacks, seatrout and flounder caught on them.
Most common are the drums (red & black) and kingfishes (any of the 3 species), pompano (a species of jack BTW) sheepshead, small sharks and rays.

Here's a link to some more info:
http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/softshore.html

Mole crab burying itself...

How they group up during the tide cycles...

Closeup crossection of mole crab in 'feeding mode'.
The little 'dimples' you see as a wave receeds are the mole crabs feathery antennae straining food particles...

Mole crab with eggs...

The rarer Spiney Mole Crab Blepharipoda occidentalis next to a common Mole Crab (family Emerita)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippoidea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerita_%28genus%29

Some good YouTube vids of mole crabs in action...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWZ_7xHi10o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa0uzTe0gCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmSY5T-0w0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkWlyJ-cfm0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFn2YCP6F5k&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEie2VDYEmg&NR=1

joey outlaw · **Joined:** Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:51 pm **Posts:** 40

Im taking my daughter to the beach today to catch sandfleas.
Tomorrow night I will go to Naples pier to try them out.

Green Tide · **Posted:** Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:49 am

I have caught them at haulover at night using the light from the pier. Then go over to the bridge and there is some huge sheephead at the fenders. 5-7 lb range
One thing not mentioned that might help a beginner is you should sweep the rake from the water up towards the drybeach for easiest digging and best catching. Sounds like the obvious to those who have done it, but so does directions for throwing a large cast net.

Boca Jetty Rat · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 2:21 am

Funny I read this post years ago and could'nt really see the fleas in the pic. Now I see them plane as day. If you hunt the surf long enuf then you will see the big ones vs. the small ones, and see calico crabs when they are on the beach trying to hide. Beware of cheap flea rakes. They won't last if you are using it a long time or all the time. Try to get a light weight rake but one that is solid. :toast:

mmcauliffe · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:57 am

Boca Jetty Rat wrote:

They won't last if you are using it a long time or all the time. Try to get a light weight rake but one that is solid. :toast:

Or find a buddy that has a TIG welder and knows how to use it. I had my BPS flea rake reinforced :mrgreen:

crashmister · **Joined:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:48 am **Posts:** 4164

If someone has a good design I could be talked into making them for you. I can also reinforce them but if they are cheap Aluminum it won't help much.

SaltyDog · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:14 pm

Best flea rake is=an old pool cleaning pole,some chicken wire and some aluminum for framing. I will post a pic of the one someone donated to me when i get the time. :mrgreen:

sepaik · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:06 pm

Which pier do you guys like to use? Is there a specific size to the sand fleas that make them good? What kind of hooks and rigs do you use with them? :?:

bolo · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2010 12:41 pm

sepaik wrote:

Which pier do you guys like to use? Is there a specific size to the sand fleas that make them good? What kind of hooks and rigs do you use with them? :?:

When the Pompano are running all the piers will produce. You just got to read the fishing reports to see which pier is catching them and which direction they are travelling. Bigger sand fleas catches bigger Pompano, Permit, and Bonefish. All size sand fleas will work. Kahle hooks or circle hooks will do. I personally use a 3/0 - 4/0 circle. Bigger sand fleas might required a larger hook. Most people use a chicken rig with a pyramid sinker, they also called them Pompano rig.

sepaik · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:57 pm

Cool thanks! Now I gotta go try to find them. Is there a time of year that might produce more of those critters than others.

rob762 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:59 pm

sepaik wrote:

Cool thanks! Now I gotta go try to find them. Is there a time of year that might produce more of those critters than others.

In a few weeks the Pompano should start arriving. Right around the first cool front...

Sand fleas are there now if you look.

mmcauliffe · **Posted:** Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:15 am

sepaik wrote:

Cool thanks! Now I gotta go try to find them.

The rig you can tie yourself very easily but if you want to go the even easier route, any decent tackle shop will have them made up with two hooks and with three. I use three hooks. The pre-made rigs run around $2

bolo · **Posted:** Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:17 am

Usually the piers will have the Pompano rigs for sale but at a higher price. Take the time to learn to tie your own rig ahead of time. Learn to tie a dropper knot which you can find how to video on YouTube. Like Mike said I would use three hooks per rig at the most.

sepaik · **Posted:** Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:24 pm

Sounds a lot like a chicken rig. Is it the same thing?

bolo · **Posted:** Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:52 pm

sepaik wrote:

Sounds a lot like a chicken rig. Is it the same thing?

Yes.

PhishingPhanatic · **Posted:** Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:57 pm

I also like a small red or orange bead on each dropper loop, gives it a little flash of color similar to the eggs on a female sand flea.

mmcauliffe · **Posted:** Thu Oct 07, 2010 7:30 am

PhishingPhanatic wrote:

I also like a small red or orange bead on each dropper loop, gives it a little flash of color similar to the eggs on a female sand flea.

+1 If you tie your own, add the bead to each leader.

anas473 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:10 am **Posts:** 4

can they be caught at any time? anddd have there been any reports of pompano in dania beach recently?

BoatlessFisherman · **Posted:** Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:54 pm

You can get them a lot of the time once you get used to understanding there patterns,they are not always up in the wash but that you learn with time.

Yes Pompano are in the BROWARD AREA

anas473 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:10 am **Posts:** 4

I cant get my hands on any sand fleas so I wanted to know are the berkley gulp sand fleas productive at all? if so what color?

TheFinalWord · **Joined:** Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:14 pm **Posts:** 3

This is probably a dumb question, but do they bite or pinch when they're in your hand?

Boca Jetty Rat · **Posted:** Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:03 am

Fleas do not bite. The bigger brother mole crab jobby pictured above has small pinchers. Fleas kinda have a horn on the top that is kinda sharp if held the wrong way.

noah4200 · **Joined:** Fri Dec 25, 2009 12:18 am **Posts:** 134

Fleas look to be getting strong on beaches.....saw many more today than in the past few weeks...for anyone who has had a hard time.

I was literally holding my rod with one hand and scooping with my left and getting some...not easy. :wink:

Forgot my damn sand spike :!:

noah4200 · **Joined:** Fri Dec 25, 2009 12:18 am **Posts:** 134

Went to exact same area's after I finally bought a rake expecting to get tons and they were nowhere to be found. The day they were boiling I believe was the end toward the end of low tide.

Is there a specific tide window that you need to be productive?

Anxious to use this rake..been using my hands for to long

Thanks

feesh sumbeesh · **Posted:** Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:02 pm

Asked a guy at Atlantic bait and tackle if there where sandfleas on the beach, and if they had frozen fleas....dude said things where looking bad this year, and they were not even carrying the frozens... bummed, I fished with shrimp that day, only to get home and check the forum and read these post (although dated)... Any recent word???? I'm looking in the pompano beach area.

bunun · **Joined:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:56 am **Posts:** 99

does walmart still sell this sand flea rake ?

Aidan77 · **Joined:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:09 am **Posts:** 1

BoatlessFisherman wrote:

As requested how to see Sand fleas, this is the best so far I can get them to come out, they do not like to be photographed.
Water is reseeding and you will see a spot that looks like pepples as the water runs over them, sometimes it is shells, but if they are in bunches its a dead a give away that it is fleas.

Fleas do spread out sometimes, but in most cases they move in groups.

The larger the the V the bigger the Flea

The Vee as everyone talks about is the water running around there antenna or feelers.

If there is alot of people walking you will not see them they will hide, you want a beach with very little traffic.

They can feel you coming from the vibration in the water.

So what I do is spot them and then walk on the sand up above them 20 feet away quietly and as the water goes back down I go done with it and scoop where I saw them, this is better than walking up on them sideways, your aim and location is more precise from above and all you have to do is walk down on them.
Center of pic shows start of Flea pod, the v in this pic is not well defined. can you see the pepples?

Flea Pod is center at surf agian the V is not so easy to get in pics. This group looks like pepples in this pic

The best pic of the V below

A little closer

How to catch them:
1.Sand Flea rake

2.By hand

Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

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