Did you know that there are a lot of baits you can use for fishing beyond what you purchase in stores? One of the baits anglers have talked about are sand fleas, which have been known to be quite effective for some fish species. But are sand fleas good bait as they say they are?
Read on as I show you the benefits of using sand fleas as bait!
Are Sand Fleas Good Bait?
Sand fleas aren’t actually fleas, but they are known as mole crabs! It won’t harm you at all, as they have no claws and rarely bite. These sand fleas are a kind of crab living in wet sand by the water’s edges.
They are pretty small and only measure about one to two inches long. Because of their presence in the shallow waters, do they make good bait, or at least good food to attract fish?
Yes, they do! Many fishermen claim sand fleas as one of their prized baits, as it can attract various fish species like the redfish, pompano, sheepshead, among others. They are extremely effective when fishing for pompano, something the fish find delicious and will take a bite for.
The reason why they are so popular with pompano is that the fish species are always swimming off the beach. Sand fleas are always available to them and because they see it as their main diet, they are more likely to take a bite of your sand flea bait.
These sand fleas are not to be mistaken for mole crabs, which are slightly larger but also have no claws. Based on experience, I also believe sand fleas are slightly better bait options compared to mole crabs for their ease of capturing and preserving.
Read More: How to Preserve Sand Fleas: Keep Them Alive For Pompano Fishing!
Where Can You Get Sand Fleas?
Fortunately, sand fleas are highly accessible and available in most stores. You can find them or sale in your local bait shop, investing in frozen ones. There are live ones for sale, though both have the same effect when catching fish.
If you want to catch your sand fleas, you can do so and head on to the beach! You’ll be able to easily find them buried under wet sand. As the waves would wash up and down your beach, there will be a few feeder antennas every few minutes, reaching out from the wet sand.
They are most popular during March to April. To catch them, all you need to do is to stand by the beach water’s edge, looking down to see where water runs off the beach. You can find the V-shaped antennas in the sand.
When you see the antennas, run to the dry sand above them and wait for the next waves. As the waves go out, run the scoop through the sand flea colony, or use a cane when catching them. And you got yourself a few sand fleas to use as bait!
Do you want to learn more about sand fleas and how to catch them as bait? Check out this informative video:
Wrapping It Up
Sand fleas are interesting creatures that are easy to catch to use as fish bait. They offer awesome benefits when used as bait, attracting many fish species! As long as you know how to catch and hook them properly, you can start catching some nibbles and bites on your next fishing trip.
I hope that this article answers your question, “are sand fleas good bait?” Now that you know the answer, start looking for the right ways to catch and hook sand fleas as bait!
