Sand Lance(Ammodytes hexaterus) are a major food source from late April through early Nov. for sea-run cutthroat and salmon in Puget Sound. 35 to 60% of juvenile and adult coho and chinook salmon diet is comprised of Sand Lance. In the Pacific Northwest Sand Lance are often mistakenly referred to as Candlefish(Thaleichths pacificus). Understanding the life cycle of Sand Lance can help you become a more successful fly fisher on the saltwater of Puget Sound.
The information below is from "Sand Lance: A Review of Biology and Predator Relationships and Annotated Bibliography" Sept. 1998, Martin Robards, Mary Willson, Robert Armstrong, and John Pratt plus my observations over many years of fly fishing on Puget Sound.
SAND LANCE LIFE CYCLE
HIBERNATION, SPAWNING, AND EGG HATCHING: From early-Nov. through mid-Feb. Sand Lance burrow into sandy subtrates to hibernate except to spawn during that period. There are few if any bays and inlets in Puget Sound that do not support Sand Lance spawning activity. Most spawning activity occurs on sandy substrates in tidal elevations ranging from +5 ft. to about the mean high tide line. Sand Lance spawning activity takes place annually from Nov. 1st through appoximately mid-Feb. Incubation time is approximately 1 to 2 months.
LARVAE, JUVENILE, AND ADULT STAGES: Upon hatching larval Sand Lance measure about 3/16 in. and are virtually transparent. As larvae they drift at the mercy of tidal currents for 1 1/2 months until they are about 7/8 in.(start of jvenile stage usually in April). They then "school up", adopt their adult coloration, and can be found along the shoreline of bays and inlets throughout Puget Sound. Adult populations(+5 in.) travel to more open water in large schools and are less common in shallow near shore areas.
SIZE, COLOR, AND AGE: Sand Lance grow up to 8 to 9 in. long with a grayish/dark olive back and silvery sides/bottom with a slender body and ill-defined tapered tail. Sand Lance swim by undulatiing their body somewhat like a snake does. Most growth occurs during the first 2 to 3 years while 1/3 to 1/2 of total growth occurs in the first year. During the juvenile and adult stages they can grow as rapidly as 1/3 in. per month until they reach their maximum length at age 3 years. Their scales are extremely small. Sand Lance can live up to 7 years. The age group 0 to 1 year is the numerically dominate age class due to significant predation by other fish, seals/sea lions, and sea birds. Thus older fish, particularly those over age 3, are rarely found in significant numbers.
SCHOOLING AND FEEDING BEHAVIOR: Schooling behavior starts when Sand Lance reach a length of 1 to 1 3/16 in.(mid to late April). They will be found in shallow near shore areas after this size is reached and often number in hundreds or low thousands. Schools of Sand Lance usually swim slowly or stationary when feeding and not threatened. However, schools can have short bursts of speed when threatened and will condense into a ball. Sand Lance are somewhat unique in the their diurnal behavior pattern, feeding in open water during the day and burrowing into a sandy substrate at night to avoid predators.
HABITAT: Sand Lance(juveniles and 1 year adults) are abundent in shallow near shore areas from late April through early Nov. This shallow distrubition probably results from their relatively non-light sensitivity and accessibility of prey(mainly copepods). Sand Lance have small eyes and are not as light sensitive as other baitfish(ex. Herring: large eyes). Thus, they can often be found near the water surface and shallow near shore areas except during moderate to bright light conditions.
IMPLICATIONS OF SAND LANCE LIFE CYCLE IN RELATION TO FLY FISHING ON PUGET SOUND
YEARLY AVAILABILITY: Juvenile(1 1/2 to 3 in.) and adult Sand Lance(3 to 5 in.) are available late April to early Nov. Sand Lance are burrowed into sandy substrated from early Nov. through mid-Feb. during their yearly hibernation and spawning periods.
DAILY AVAILABILITY: During late April through early Nov. Sand Lance emerge daily from their burrows in sand to begin feeding at daybreak. Since they are not very light sensitive, they are available to predators throughout the day before they rebury themselves in a sandy substrate at dusk. If it is bright out, they will not usually be found in shallow near shore areas as they have moved to deeper water. However, Sand Lance are particularly susceptible to being swept by moderate/strong current since they are weak swimmers. Under these conditions, sea-run cutthroat and adult coho can often be seen slashing after Sand Lance as they are carried over shallow shelves, points, and gravel bars even during moderately bright light conditions.
FLY PATTERN SIZE: From early-Spring through early-Summer a Sand Lance pattern length of approximately 2 1/2 in. will in generally match the size of juvenile Sand Lance. From early-Summer through early-Fall a fly pattern length of approximately 4 in. will generally match the size of juvenile and 1 year adult Sand Lance. Fly pattern lengths longer than 5 in. are probably not necessary since adult Sand Lance longer than 5 in. are not very common particularly in near shore areas which sea-run cutthroat and adult coho prefer. There is heavy predation of 1 1/2 to 5 in. Sand Lance plus Sand Lance larger than 5 in. tend to move into deeper water.
COLOR AND TYING MATERIAL: The best colors are dark olive for the back and white for the bottom. A few strands of peacock herl can be a nice "touch" to finish off the back. Using pearl Firefly(more subdued than pearl Krystal Flash) as a over dressing for the white bottom will give the look of small Sand Lance scales. Artic fox is a good material to use for the body and tail since it gives the tapered look of the slender tail of a Sand Lance plus it will give the pattern a lot of movement. It is probably better than marabou because of the tapered look and more movement. For 3 1/2 to +5 in. long patterns other natural or synthetic materials would be necessary.
SURFACE SAND LANCE PATTERNS: Surface Sand Lance patterns(2 1/2 to 4 in.) are extremely effective for sea-run cutthroat from mid-May through early-Fall and adult coho from June through Aug. These patterns can be effective in the Winter for resident coho if a school of aggressive fish(jumpers) are found. However, it is normally "hit and miss" during the Winter for resident coho. Last Summer sea-run cutthroat fishing was spectacular with a floating tube Sand Lance pattern with quite a few adult also landed. Approximately 150 sea-run cutthroat were landed with a 30 to 75% hookup ratio as the fish were aggressively clobbering the pattern. Early-Nov. through March sea-run cutthroat do not readily strike the pattern since they are not keyed into Sand Lance due to non-availability of them during that period.
LOCATING SAND LANCE: When sea gulls particularly Bonaparte gulls are seen in the Summer hovering/circling and hitting the water surface to grab baitfish, they are probably getting Sand Lance. Juvenile(1 1/2 to 3 in.) Sand Lance are frequently seen in shallow water(2 to 3 ft.) in mid-Spring through early-Summer. Early-Summer through early-Fall they appear to move to a little deeper water but are still associated with near shore areas. During this period sea-run cutthroat and adult coho can often be seen chasing Sand Lance on the water surface 50 to 200 ft. from shore as the Sand Lance are being swept by tidal current.
Roger
The information below is from "Sand Lance: A Review of Biology and Predator Relationships and Annotated Bibliography" Sept. 1998, Martin Robards, Mary Willson, Robert Armstrong, and John Pratt plus my observations over many years of fly fishing on Puget Sound.
SAND LANCE LIFE CYCLE
HIBERNATION, SPAWNING, AND EGG HATCHING: From early-Nov. through mid-Feb. Sand Lance burrow into sandy subtrates to hibernate except to spawn during that period. There are few if any bays and inlets in Puget Sound that do not support Sand Lance spawning activity. Most spawning activity occurs on sandy substrates in tidal elevations ranging from +5 ft. to about the mean high tide line. Sand Lance spawning activity takes place annually from Nov. 1st through appoximately mid-Feb. Incubation time is approximately 1 to 2 months.
LARVAE, JUVENILE, AND ADULT STAGES: Upon hatching larval Sand Lance measure about 3/16 in. and are virtually transparent. As larvae they drift at the mercy of tidal currents for 1 1/2 months until they are about 7/8 in.(start of jvenile stage usually in April). They then "school up", adopt their adult coloration, and can be found along the shoreline of bays and inlets throughout Puget Sound. Adult populations(+5 in.) travel to more open water in large schools and are less common in shallow near shore areas.
SIZE, COLOR, AND AGE: Sand Lance grow up to 8 to 9 in. long with a grayish/dark olive back and silvery sides/bottom with a slender body and ill-defined tapered tail. Sand Lance swim by undulatiing their body somewhat like a snake does. Most growth occurs during the first 2 to 3 years while 1/3 to 1/2 of total growth occurs in the first year. During the juvenile and adult stages they can grow as rapidly as 1/3 in. per month until they reach their maximum length at age 3 years. Their scales are extremely small. Sand Lance can live up to 7 years. The age group 0 to 1 year is the numerically dominate age class due to significant predation by other fish, seals/sea lions, and sea birds. Thus older fish, particularly those over age 3, are rarely found in significant numbers.
SCHOOLING AND FEEDING BEHAVIOR: Schooling behavior starts when Sand Lance reach a length of 1 to 1 3/16 in.(mid to late April). They will be found in shallow near shore areas after this size is reached and often number in hundreds or low thousands. Schools of Sand Lance usually swim slowly or stationary when feeding and not threatened. However, schools can have short bursts of speed when threatened and will condense into a ball. Sand Lance are somewhat unique in the their diurnal behavior pattern, feeding in open water during the day and burrowing into a sandy substrate at night to avoid predators.
HABITAT: Sand Lance(juveniles and 1 year adults) are abundent in shallow near shore areas from late April through early Nov. This shallow distrubition probably results from their relatively non-light sensitivity and accessibility of prey(mainly copepods). Sand Lance have small eyes and are not as light sensitive as other baitfish(ex. Herring: large eyes). Thus, they can often be found near the water surface and shallow near shore areas except during moderate to bright light conditions.
IMPLICATIONS OF SAND LANCE LIFE CYCLE IN RELATION TO FLY FISHING ON PUGET SOUND
YEARLY AVAILABILITY: Juvenile(1 1/2 to 3 in.) and adult Sand Lance(3 to 5 in.) are available late April to early Nov. Sand Lance are burrowed into sandy substrated from early Nov. through mid-Feb. during their yearly hibernation and spawning periods.
DAILY AVAILABILITY: During late April through early Nov. Sand Lance emerge daily from their burrows in sand to begin feeding at daybreak. Since they are not very light sensitive, they are available to predators throughout the day before they rebury themselves in a sandy substrate at dusk. If it is bright out, they will not usually be found in shallow near shore areas as they have moved to deeper water. However, Sand Lance are particularly susceptible to being swept by moderate/strong current since they are weak swimmers. Under these conditions, sea-run cutthroat and adult coho can often be seen slashing after Sand Lance as they are carried over shallow shelves, points, and gravel bars even during moderately bright light conditions.
FLY PATTERN SIZE: From early-Spring through early-Summer a Sand Lance pattern length of approximately 2 1/2 in. will in generally match the size of juvenile Sand Lance. From early-Summer through early-Fall a fly pattern length of approximately 4 in. will generally match the size of juvenile and 1 year adult Sand Lance. Fly pattern lengths longer than 5 in. are probably not necessary since adult Sand Lance longer than 5 in. are not very common particularly in near shore areas which sea-run cutthroat and adult coho prefer. There is heavy predation of 1 1/2 to 5 in. Sand Lance plus Sand Lance larger than 5 in. tend to move into deeper water.
COLOR AND TYING MATERIAL: The best colors are dark olive for the back and white for the bottom. A few strands of peacock herl can be a nice "touch" to finish off the back. Using pearl Firefly(more subdued than pearl Krystal Flash) as a over dressing for the white bottom will give the look of small Sand Lance scales. Artic fox is a good material to use for the body and tail since it gives the tapered look of the slender tail of a Sand Lance plus it will give the pattern a lot of movement. It is probably better than marabou because of the tapered look and more movement. For 3 1/2 to +5 in. long patterns other natural or synthetic materials would be necessary.
SURFACE SAND LANCE PATTERNS: Surface Sand Lance patterns(2 1/2 to 4 in.) are extremely effective for sea-run cutthroat from mid-May through early-Fall and adult coho from June through Aug. These patterns can be effective in the Winter for resident coho if a school of aggressive fish(jumpers) are found. However, it is normally "hit and miss" during the Winter for resident coho. Last Summer sea-run cutthroat fishing was spectacular with a floating tube Sand Lance pattern with quite a few adult also landed. Approximately 150 sea-run cutthroat were landed with a 30 to 75% hookup ratio as the fish were aggressively clobbering the pattern. Early-Nov. through March sea-run cutthroat do not readily strike the pattern since they are not keyed into Sand Lance due to non-availability of them during that period.
LOCATING SAND LANCE: When sea gulls particularly Bonaparte gulls are seen in the Summer hovering/circling and hitting the water surface to grab baitfish, they are probably getting Sand Lance. Juvenile(1 1/2 to 3 in.) Sand Lance are frequently seen in shallow water(2 to 3 ft.) in mid-Spring through early-Summer. Early-Summer through early-Fall they appear to move to a little deeper water but are still associated with near shore areas. During this period sea-run cutthroat and adult coho can often be seen chasing Sand Lance on the water surface 50 to 200 ft. from shore as the Sand Lance are being swept by tidal current.
Roger