Little Flea like Crustaceans in Weed?

[industrial]

Hey guys

Finally, after a couple of days searching, found a little patch of weed on the rocks that looked perfect for blackfish, but when I got home, as I layered the weed out ready for storage, I saw some tiny prawn (?) like creatures in it. Then, some started jumping quite high and far for their size, the baby prawns flick but they never jump. I was quite nervous about it at first (thought I brought home a bag of fleas), but then realised that they had not bitten me while I was collecting the bait or layering it out when I got home...

My question to all those that are wise out there is what are they? Are they safe, or do I need to throw the weed out ASAP...

btw I have the weed wrapped in 3 layers of sorta well sealed plastic, so they don't get all over the place if they turn out to be dangerous.

Cheers

[luderick59]

you often find small shrimp and small worms in your weed the blackies love it

try to keep your weed in layers of newspaper in a cool place

peter

[Yowie]

Sometimes called 'sand hoppers' or 'sand fleas', quite often found in damp sandy areas.

Nothing to worry about, blackfish do eat prawns, shrimps, nippers, squirt worms, blood worms at times. Have caught some of the bigger ones on bread, and a couple at night on salted bonito pieces when fishing for bream.

[industrial]

Thanks guys for the info

Yes, I have heard of the sand hopper but never seen one. I now know that they are harmless, and they really do add to the "tastiness" of the weed.