How to Tie a Sand Flea Fly

Tie a sand flea fly pattern to catch game fish like pompano, whiting and spot fish. Sand fleas are crustaceans and are also called "mole crab," "sand fly" and "beach flea." This fly pattern has a football-shaped body and colors that imitate the sand flea's eggs to entice fish. Alter the colors to match the hatch in your local areas or experiment with different hues to see which one gets the most strikes.

Things You'll Need

  • Hook, 6/0 or 4/0
  • Bright orange poly yarn tag
  • Pearl ice chenille, medium
  • Chromed lead dumbbell eye, 5/32-inch
  • Off-white polar fiber
  • Gray polar fiber
  • White thread, 3/0
  • Gray thread, 8/0
  • Waxed white thread
  • Pliers
  • Vise
  • Head cement
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use pliers to de-barb the hook and put the hook in a vise. Make close wraps of white thread from the hook eye to the rear, stopping just below the bend of the hook. Wrap the thread back towards the eye, stopping once it's at a point about one-third of the hook length from the eye. Tie the dumbbell eye to the top of the shank at this point.

    • 2

      Tie on the orange poly yarn for the tag --- place it just before the hook's bend and let the yarn extend about ¼ inch past the bend. On top of the orange yarn, tie on the pearl chenille and wrap it tightly around the shank, from the bend up to the dumbbell eye. Tie off the pearl chenille with half hitches and pull the thread forward, in front of the dumbbell eye.

    • 3

      Cut out a piece of off-white polar fiber that's 2 inches long and 3/16 inches thick. Secure the fiber to the top of the hook, tying it both in front of and behind the dumbbell eye. Be sure to taper the front so that the fiber stays clear of the eye.

    • 4

      Tie a 2-inch-long bundle of gray polar fiber in front of the dumbbell eye on the underside of the hook and taper the material to keep the eye clear of fibers.

    • 5

      Gather the two bundles of fiber together about a 1/2 inch past the hook's bend, arranging them so that they form a football shape around the shank. The fibers should surround and partially cover the orange poly yarn. At this point your fly should start to resemble a sand flea with orange eggs.

    • 6

      Make a large overhand knot in waxed white thread and thread the fiber bundles through it. Position the knot behind the orange tag and cinch it tightly. Make any necessary adjustments to the fly's body to accentuate that football shape. When you're happy with the fly's shape, make two or three additional knots around the tail. Snip off the excess thread and fiber, leaving a 3/16-inch tail behind the knots. Apply head cement to the thread ties.