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713 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  darmin 
#1 ·
Hi there,
I'm in Victoria and looking at pumping some bugs. Any recommendations on where to go? I'll be trying to find some sandy beaches but don't know the city that well yet.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Hit Islandview beach at low tide. There are a couple of sandy flats in the intertidal zone, out front of the campground ,that usually produce bugs with a pump. Be aware that the low end of the Stamp River is about the only place on the Island that you can legally use bugs. If that is where you want to fish, then you might want to pump bugs off the beach at Parksville.
 
#4 ·
If you try to dig bugs with a shovel, you won't get many as they move through the colimn of water and sand incredibly quick. Those that you do get will usually be chopped up by the shovel.

That said, you need a bait pump to get them. Sometimes called a clam pump or clam gun. You can buy them or make them. If you want to make your own, Get a 3 foot piece of PVC pipe, an end fitting for the pipe and a plastic t handle. Glue the end fitting to the pipe and attach the t handle to the end fitting. Drill a small air hole in the end fitting.

Take this monster out to the tide flats on a low tide and look for small holes in the sand where ghost shrimp have borrowed down. Put the open end of the pump over the hole and use a twisting pushing motion to drive the barrel of the pump into the sand. Then put your finger over the air hole and use a twisting pulling motion to draw the pump and a column of sand and water ( and hopefully a ghost shrimp out of the hole ). Covering the airhole with your finger creates a vacum and facilitates the pump action. It can be back breaking work. Always look back into the hole after pumping as you often don't actually get the ghost shrimp caught in the column of sand, but the pumping action will pull it to the surface of the hole.

You can buy a wonderful bait pump that is made in Australia by Alvey fishing tackle. It is a 3 foot stainless steel tube with a pump system , like a bicycle pump. It is alot easier on the back, but quite pricey these days. Ghost shrimp or bugs don't have a great shelf life . It's best to use them the day you pump them. If you have to store them, line a plastic container with wet seaweed and place the "bugs" on top of the seaweed. Punch a couple of airholes in the lid and put them in the fridge. They usually won't last more than a day or two, and nothing stinks worse than rotting "bugs"
 
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