Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

jmpurser · Post by **jmpurser** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:58 am

Hello,

I've spent a little time on the coast of Washington fishing for Surfperch but I've never found any mole crabs (I grew up in NC calling them sand fleas) or any sign of them. According to some of the literature they occupy the beaches "from Southern CA to Alaska" but I've never seen any around here and google and I can't find any reports of anyone using them for bait or grand kid entertainment in Washington. Most of my fishing has been from Ocean Shores to Roosevelt beach.

Has anyone run across them anywhere in Washington?

Thanks,

John

PokeyPrasch · Post by **PokeyPrasch** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:05 am

I used to spend summers on Whidbey Island, I remember seeing lots of sandfleas in the washed up kelp. However I'm not sure they are the same as what I've seen on the East coast which are much larger.

BentRod · Post by **BentRod** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:32 am

I used to find them regularly on family trips to the WA and OR coasts back in the '80s and '90s. I always referred to them as sand crabs, but didn't know their proper name. We don't frequent the coast much these days, but think I saw one out at Ocean Shores, WA back in March of 2008 or somewhere around there and then on a family trip to the OR coast last summer we found one during the week we were there, but that was a far cry from the hundreds to thousands I remember seeing as a kid. Imagine their presence varies with season/spawning/molting, but on our trip to the OR coast last summer I wondered if they're numbers might be in the decline for some reason. Don't have enough experience to say for sure, but the thought did cross my mind.

You're talking about these little dudes right? About one to three inches long.

Shad_Eating_Grin · Post by **Shad_Eating_Grin** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:53 am

Don't bother looking for them to use as bait--they are illegal to harvest in WA state.

That being said, I have never had great luck with beach crabs for bait (these are the tiny crabs that scurry around when you lift the rocks at a beach). I always had better luck with pile worms (now illegal to harvest as well), clams, garden worms, and grocery shrimp.

One day however, the pile perch were really gobbling up my beach crabs at Westport. I caught 25+ that day (back then, there was no limit for perch on the WA coast)

MarkFromSea · Post by **MarkFromSea** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 7:52 pm

jmpurser wrote:Hello,

I've spent a little time on the coast of Washington fishing for Surfperch but I've never found any mole crabs (I grew up in NC calling them sand fleas) or any sign of them. According to some of the literature they occupy the beaches "from Southern CA to Alaska" but I've never seen any around here and google and I can't find any reports of anyone using them for bait or grand kid entertainment in Washington. Most of my fishing has been from Ocean Shores to Roosevelt beach.

Has anyone run across them anywhere in Washington?

Thanks,

John

Take the triangle shaped hike up there at Cape Alava. Time it so the beach part of the walk is on an out going tide. It is a wondrous 9 mile hike that you won't regret if you time the weather and tides correctly. Sand Point, at low tide, is tidal pool heaven on the coast. I was out there last July or August, not much has changed in 40 years. (the shelters are all gone)
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/lake-ozette/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

fishinChristian · Post by **fishinChristian** » Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:54 pm

Sand fleas are on most sandy beaches, but tend to be at the edge of the drier sand or beached kelp. Take along haired dog if you want to find them, WA an OR have plenty. Bait? Nah. It's one that no one should care that they made it illegal. They didn't work when they were legal. Love that triangle hike, but now it's too crowded, and permits are needed.

MarkFromSea · Post by **MarkFromSea** » Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:10 pm

fishinChristian wrote:Sand fleas are on most sandy beaches, but tend to be at the edge of the drier sand or beached kelp. Take along haired dog if you want to find them, WA an OR have plenty. Bait? Nah. It's one that no one should care that they made it illegal. They didn't work when they were legal. Love that triangle hike, but now it's too crowded, and permits are needed.

It's part of Olympic National Park, fee required, no dogs allowed, yes, reservation camping I suspect... Call Park for details. We just did a day hike last trip, just a fee required to park. I'd hate to try to get our sand fleas on a hook... LOL pretty small.

fishinChristian · Post by **fishinChristian** » Sat Mar 08, 2014 7:52 am

When I was a kid, back when the earth's crust was delightfully warm, we tried everything as bait, including mice, sand fleas on tiny little hooks, limpets, those larvae that are so big on the backs of cows/horses, various snack foods, centipedes, etc. Anything we could pick up or dig up or somehow get to stay briefly on a hook. I remember at Priest Rapids trying to thread a mayfly on a size 20 hook. Mayfly paste... mmmm...

MarkFromSea · Post by **MarkFromSea** » Sat Mar 08, 2014 10:39 am

I remember using real cheese before this dough stuff came out... LOL helgramites of course... never a mayfly, ya got me beat.

fishinChristian · Post by **fishinChristian** » Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:52 pm

Not quite, I didn't say I succeeded!

jmpurser · Post by **jmpurser** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 3:54 pm

This is one of those naming problems. There is an actual insect called a "sand flea" but I'm talking about the "Mole Crab" or "Sand Crab" that BentRod has pictured.

Well interesting. Thanks for the answers.

fishinChristian · Post by **fishinChristian** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 4:38 pm

The most recent mole crabs I've found were on Whidbey Island, about 4 years ago I saw 2. I did see what looked like some up in the Queen Charlottes, but I didn't closely inspect them to be sure. There used to be a lot more of them. Course, that's true of most things other than people. Hmmm... Could there be a connection?!?!?

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Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

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Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington

Re: Mole crabs, sand crabs, sand fleas in Washington