catching sand eels

Anyone know is there any way to catch sand eels? I know you can buy them but like to show my son and daughter as we are goin fishing next weekend and would love to catch some bass.
Also how far out to see from the beach would u need to cast to be in fish range?
thanks a million.

The trouble with sand eels is that they can be hard to find.
If you are lucky and locate a shoal they can be caught on sabiki rigs with very small hooks, size 14 or less because sand eels have a very small mouth.

The rig should be fished over a sandy bottom or not far from one since the sand eel prefer sand bottom where it hides by digging a shelter. Fishing close to the bottom is often the key to success, but often the sand eel will feed higher in the water during warmer spells.

Professional bait suppliers use a seine net or push nets and special sandeel traps, have a look on eBay or google for an image.

The kids might even enjoy hunting them with one of these kiddies fishing nets, hours of fun - in the right conditions obviously

The closed season for bass ends on June 15th at midnight, which gives you ample time to practice catching sand eels as bait. Hope that helps.

The push nets look like they could be fun for the kids, thanks for the advice....tight lines.