which beach? Castle Beach? I remember catching them at will from Castle Beach to what used to be called "the point" (where the river hits the ocean), but I've been told they're not there anymore. Although certainly the exercise would do me good, it's a bit of a trek (for me) through the sand from the main entrance to Seabright/Castle Beach to the water , so I dont want to go all the way down there just to come back empty-handed. Ideally, I would fish from the same location as I found the fleas, using them for bait.

Yes, I want some for bait, but the beach I always caught them from (Seabright/Castle beach) doesnt seem to have them there anymore. Do you know of any specific location where I could wade out and pick some up?

Anybody know if you can still capture sand fleas at any of the beaches in the Santa Cruz area (Capitola, Aptos, etc.)

I searched "surf fishing in Panama City, Fla" and got a bunch of good info, including:

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=1e9bfa87772da1e5790a48599f493b0943bba716ccaaf562307f7232870f50b2JmltdHM9MTY1NDE5MzU1OSZpZ3VpZD1jMDBlNDU1Ny03YzA4LTQwNmItOGI0Yi03MjI2YzJhYmE3YzgmaW5zaWQ9NTEyMw&ptn=3&fclid=966e2059-e29f-11ec-af2d-c36a66120825&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9zZWFyY2g_cT1zdXJmK2Zpc2hpbmcraW4rUGFuYW1hK0NpdHklMmMrRmxhJnFwdnQ9c3VyZitmaXNoaW5nK2luK1BhbmFtYStDaXR5JTJjK0ZsYSZGT1JNPVZEUkU&ntb=1

what's the report?

"Shooga", my amazing Australian Cattle Dog, in heaven now.

Yes. Sand spike is mandatory. Ones that screw into the sand are best IMHO.

wherever you go to buy it, I recommend a longer stiffer pole. 15ft. is good. you might need it to get bait/lure far enough into the water to where the fish patrol, and then keep line taught while pole is anchored. dont think open face vs. bait caster reel makes that much difference, but open face less likely to birds nest on casting.

OK-first off, you need to specify lake or stream.

no guarantee either way because you have to be where the fish are to begin with, no matter what you use.

That said, I think you will find that the most consistent bait for close-to-bottom fishing is floating power bait of usually the lighter colors-10-12 inches off bottom with lightest tackle you have.

For lake (trolling), I've always had the best luck with Z-rays or similar shiny stuff. be sure to zig zag as you troll. this allows the bait to rise and fall as you go along.

For lake at a dam or bank, bobber with live worm, corn, salmon eggs, small stuff, is most consistent.
You can try throwing shiny stuff and spinners from the bank, but I've never had much success with that format.

For stream-flyfishing is most likely to work, using whatever the local folks recommend.
power baits and other small shiny stuff will work as well, but stream trout eat bugs so best to fly fish.

Saguaro is a tough lake due to all the boats and jet ski's, but if you cruise along the banks toward the dam from the marina, into the deeper water, there are more fish. ditto if you go far enough up the lake to get away from all the activity. after the sun goes down most people are off the lake and the fishing off the docks gets better. worms, power bait, minnows, all do better in the moonlight. Also the points off of Butcher Jones beach can be fairly productive.

caught on? what part of lake?

They have boats to rent at the lake. there are also several good spots close to the parking areas from which to shore fish. the old school bobber with a worm or live minnow should get you something, if there's anything there. if you go to the Arizona Fish and Game website web site there should be tips on what's biting down there.

I would also ask the people that do the boat rentals, or a local bait and tackle store, since their livelihood depends on people coming back to catch more fish.

Where is Baum Lake?

When my son was playing football at Cal, they did their summer camp at Stanislaus State, in Turlock. One morning another player's dad and I decided to go fishing. we took Turlock Road east until it met Hwy 59 into Snelling where it turns into Merced Falls Rd. That stretch parallels the Merced River and at some places comes with 50-100 feet of pretty good fishing spots. we parked in a dirt clearing that had a pretty well worn path to the white water so we decided to give it a shot. the guy with me hooked up a small silver Kastmaster and hit a medium-sized trout on his first cast. I tied on a silver Z-ray and it worked as well. we caught several more before it was time to head back. there are numerous other spots along the road with similar access.. good luck.

Some waves crash straight down and some roll. from what I can tell, the angle of the beach has alot to do with that. for waves that crash straight down, you need to be about 10 feet "behind" the wave.
for waves that curl and roll, you can cast right into the "top" of the wave before it breaks, and let the bait drop in right behind the wave.