I was drawn down to the ocean before I left for the Catskills. I am still looking for those bass, bait, and birds to show up....hey even the bluefish would be nice. Not much for small bait outfront. Bunker is what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A quick walk on the beach and it's mussels and grass and an occasional crab carapace. Today I found a few things that are a staple for striped bass in tight to the beach when there's not much else around. Talk with anyone who keeps bass and they'll tell you it was full of sand fleas, or beach bugs, or just bugs, or it's proper name, the mole crab.
These crustaceans bury themselves completely in the sand tail first in about 1.5 seconds. They are filter feeders and eat plankton and detritus in the swash zone. I have seen several fly patterns that mimic a sand flea and although I have used them I haven't caught much on them. Bait fisherman soak them in the sloughs and do well with them if they can stand the boredom of waiting and watching.
