Sand Eel, Sand Lance, or Lance-fish

Sand Eels are a favorite baitfish of fisherman in the North Atlantic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. Three species of Lance-fish inhabit these waters: the American Sand Lance, Ammodytes americanus; the Northern Sand Lance, Ammodytes dubuis; and the Pacific Sand Lance, Ammodytes hexapterus. All are very similar in appearance having long cylindrical bodies that resemble Eels. Their bellies are always white. Their sides are silver-grey and sometimes pink. Their backs range from the most common color black, to brown, olive, and blue-green. All have a pointed conical head with a protruding lower jaw and they all grow to a length of about six inches.

Sand Lances are schoolers that inhabit the shallow sandy areas of the shoreline and can bury themselves quickly, snout first, to escape being eaten by predators. Sand Eels are often dug up by people searching for clams in the intertidal areas of sandy shorelines. Sand Lances are used to catch a variety of fish; Striper Bass, Fluke, Arctic Char, Coho Salmon, Mackerel, and other game fish. They are hardy baitfishes that are used for bait both alive and dead.

The following patterns were created to imitate the entire color spectrum of Sand Eels. They can be tied larger or smaller by differing the length of material and size of hook and eyes. They can be made heavier or lighter by using different styles of eyes. For heavier patterns, the Spirit River Real-Eyes can be replaced with the Spirit River I-Balz. I-Balz is a round dumbbell instead of the hourglass shape and is about twice the weight for the same size of Real-Eye. For lighter patterns Aluminum Deep See Eyes by Spirit River can be used instead of Real-Eyes. Deep See Eyes are hourglass shaped and about half the weight of Real-Eyes.

On all of Sand Eel patterns below, a gill can be represented by two wraps of red estaz behind the eye and flash can be added to the sides and tails by mixing in a few strands of fine mylar or metallic flash with the Fluoro Fibre.  These patterns can also be tied in the same style as my HPU Brite-Eyed Shiners on an Offset Worm hook and Rhinestone eye inserts.  Tying the Sand Eels in this style would be best suited while fishing over coral and rough craggy bottom where a guaranteed HPU (hook point up) would be required.  The HPU Brite-Eye Shiner style can be tied lighter because it needs less weight (smaller eyes) to obtain a better degree of stability.  A 5/32" hourglass eye is all that is need to stabilize a #1 offset worm hook.

Notes on the Statler's Sand Eel flies (by Chris Windram):
In Massachusetts where I live, commercial fishermen on Cape Cod rake sand eels out of the sand to use or sell as bait - in these areas striped bass will follow the fishermen into shallow water, and pick off the injured or dying sand eels that have escaped the rake!

Fox Statler's style of tie produces a handsome imitation of the adult sand eel, by using soft Fluoro Fibre as the wing material...I have found that the DNA Frosty Fish Fibers will also make an excellent wing for this style of fly.  Some sort of stiffening adhesive (Softex or Soft Body) applied to the forward portion of the wing from the hook eye back to just beyond the dumbbell eyes will go a long way towards preventing fouling of the wing fibers during casting.