Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

This area is for those questions about bait how to catch it, keep it alive and so on.
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sepaik
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by sepaik »

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? :?:
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bolo
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by bolo »

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.
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sepaik
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by sepaik »

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.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

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mmcauliffe
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by mmcauliffe »

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
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bolo
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by bolo »

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.
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sepaik
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by sepaik »

Sounds a lot like a chicken rig. Is it the same thing?
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~Henry David Thoreau

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bolo
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by bolo »

sepaik wrote:Sounds a lot like a chicken rig. Is it the same thing?
Yes.
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The prostitute replied (wiping away tears), "When the check bounced."

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PhishingPhanatic
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by PhishingPhanatic »

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.
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mmcauliffe
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by mmcauliffe »

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.
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by BoatlessFisherman »

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
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TheFinalWord
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by TheFinalWord »

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

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Boca Jetty Rat
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by Boca Jetty Rat »

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.
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noah4200
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by noah4200 »

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 :!:

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noah4200
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by noah4200 »

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 :D

Thanks

feesh sumbeesh
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by feesh sumbeesh »

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
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by bunun »

does walmart still sell this sand flea rake ?

Aidan77
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by Aidan77 »

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?
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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
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The best pic of the V below
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A little closer
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How to catch them:
1.Sand Flea rake

2.By hand

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crashmister
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by crashmister »

Welcome :toast: Great first post! :thumright:
Nice Boat! Now get it outa my driveway!

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dmoore65
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by dmoore65 »

do frozen just as well as live?
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Jas5889
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by Jas5889 »

Bought a rake, read this, caught fleas first try. Thanks.

edddieo
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by edddieo »

Hi is there a better month to get them ? I went last march could not find a flee June all over the place

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PhishingPhanatic
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by PhishingPhanatic »

When it is super cold they go down deeper. I raked about 200 in no time last weekend up around Stuart.
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teamfoxy
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by teamfoxy »

I want to thank everyone who contributed information.

I went surf fishing yesterday for the first time in a long time. At first it was hard to spot the sand fleas because the signs were a bit more subtile than the pictures shown. But I spotted some shore birds running into the surf and coming up with them. After that, they were pretty easy to spot, but deeper that I had expected. Perhaps because the beach erosion has made the beach steeper?

mangrover
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by mangrover »

Can I catch sand fleas at night or should I try for them during the day?

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fishnfool73
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Re: Sand Fleas How to see them and catch them

Post by fishnfool73 »

You can catch them at night with a light. Sometimes it is easier as there are no people walking around to spook them.
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