Bring sand crabs to SoCal??

I'll be down around Newport Beach in a couple weeks and bringing the surf gear. Sounds like sand crabs are great bait and also really hard to find down there. Would it be a good idea for me to grab some before I head south? I can keep them cool and hopefully alive, or just freeze em.

Last time I stopped in a local tackle shop and they hooked me up with feathers and a bubble float for Bonito and I had a blast. Figure I'll go ask the locals again this time. Always happy to spend a few bucks in a local shop to get their advice.

What are you targeting? If you're just going for surf perch, it's hard to beat a little motor oil colored grub on a Carolina rig.

Bringing sand crabs on a road trip sounds like a smelly mess waiting to happen.

Yeah but sand crabs are easy to keep.  Just get a bucket with some sand and shells they will live for days if they don't get too warm.

That said, artificials work just fine too.

Here's a great article on the topic.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gone-fishin’/2013/08/bait-how-keep-sand-fleas-alive

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