Fleas for Bait – Sand Fleas, That Is

Sand fleas, or mole crabs as some folks call ’em,  can be found wiggling in the sand at the edge of the surf and easily dug up by hand or scooped from the loose sand with a strainer. Why should you care? Because these little critters are excellent bait. In fact, just about all fish that swim in the surf like to eat these funny little crabs (they are in fact crabs, according to the scientifical types), and as an added bonus, they even stay on the hook fairly well in the surf.

https://fishgame.com/2022/04/fleas-for-bait-sand-fleas-that-is/

As a general rule, the best way to bait up with fleas is by skewering the critter in its underside, then popping the hook out through its back-shell. In the picture above you can see the sand flea still on the hook, although when the cast was made there were two of them threaded on. Unless you’re targeting panfish or the fleas are exceptionally big, it’s usually best to line fleas up on the hook to provide a tempting offering.

Wait a sec – what’s the orange thing also on the hook in that picture? That’s a chunk of FishBites Flea Flavor. It adds a bit of color to your offering, and since it’s quite rugged, if the fleas get chewed off the chunk of Fishbites (hopefully) stays behind and you still have a shot at the catching fish.

Added bonus: When you catch large fleas but don’t get any fish, you can still go home with dinner. Although few people ever try them, mole crabs are actually quite tasty. The flavor is half crab, half shrimp, and they can be fried up in a matter of minutes. Just pop the (too crunchy) back-shell off with your thumb, and pop the rest of the flea down the hatch. Yeah, that sounds a little odd, but trust us – they’re actually quite good and if you try ’em once, you’ll be back for more. Hopefully, the fish will too.