Where to get FRESH sand eels??
 

I checked out what they had on the cape this weekend and it looked like a 3 year old bag of freezer burned brown sand eels. They were nasty. Anyone know if they are getting any fresh sand eels anywhere?

Also, has anyone ever dug them? I bought a sand eel rake this year and would like to get some fresh stuff early saturday morning in chatham. If you want to pm me a spot, I'll share some of what I get. I was thinking about the cow yard but I wonder if there are some better spots in plesant bay. Also techniques would be great as well.

buzzards bait near the buttermilk bay bridge have fresh sandeels and other fresh bait all the time.

PM sent

Sand eels are not worth a dang if more then a few hours old.

I have used them 4 days later and had no problem. You do have to keep them dry and cold though. Not marinating in slime.

Definitly caught fish on frozen sand eels that were two weeks old or longer:)

I use frozen all the time. Just rake, get on ice asap, dry off in newspaper, and vacum seal in small batches. They are perfect months latter.

he knows
 

:wave:

Went raking today. Absolute beautiful day. Tide was as low as it gets. Those are 1 gal. bags. After I raked I sat in my anchored boat and ate lunch and watched as 100's of stripers came in with the tide and looked for sand eels. The water was as clear as the carribean. I just stayed anchored and cast sluggo's to the fish I wanted. Non stop action till I ran out of time. Most were small but also plenty of small keepers. They were not shy and keep around the boat for hours. P.

Boy! doesn't that bring back my bye gone days of raking eels on the flats of ccb...getting there just before sun-up,,walking out watching the deer run the flat's as the sky start's to lite up...bass swimming around your feet picking up the eels that didn't get stuck on the tine's....then going home and pick out the 6-7"er's for that nites fishing not far from where you raked that morning..life was good.

The Professor
 

Nice :musc: Sounds like the best of days :kewl:

now you know one of my best secrets of fishing that spot...beach the boat for hours and hours and it's a striper on every cast with a needle or popper. Go further out and you will see them there finning on top trying to get thousands of stripers eating at once. Soon as it floods it's done til you move over to the other side :)