Sheepshead should put a smile on any angler's face.
Sheepshead don’t get nearly enough respect. They fight hard, taste great, and offer anglers action when more glamourous fish may not be around. So the next time you get the chance, take a poke at ’em and see if you don’t agree. And when you do decide to go after the sheep, these five tips will help ensure success.
Sheepshead should put a smile on any angler’s face.
Give those sheepshead something crunchy. One look at their large, flat teeth leaves no doubt as to what these fish like to eat: anything with a shell. Crabs, mussels, clams, shrimp ,and the like are ideal baits for sheepshead. If it has a shell, you can bet it’s on the menu.
Sheepshead are almost always near structure, so we’ll assume that’s where you’re fishing. Good. Now, use that structure to chum. Bring a scraper, a short hoe, or similar object along, and use it to scrape barnacles and growth off the side of whatever you’re fishing around. This is particularly effective when you’re anchored off next to a barnacle-covered bridge piling.
Downsize your hooks. These fish have surprisingly small mouths for their size, and using large hooks will result in lots of bait-stealing nibbles.
Use long-shanked hooks. Sheepshead will often inhale short-shank hooks, and then those rugged teeth start chafing at the leader. You’ll get away with it for a fish or two, but eventually it’ll likely be weakened to the point that you break off. Use a long-shank hook, however, and the only thing those teeth rub against will be metal.
If you’re having issues getting snagged in a hotspot but you don’t want to reposition because you know the fish are there, try using a “knocker” rig. This is basically rigging a free-sliding egg sinker on your line, so it slides right down to the hook. It may look a little funny but the fish will still hit it, and in areas with lots of snags it tends to get hung up less often and be easier to jiggle free when it does get snagged.
Okay: ready to go target sheepshead? We certainly hope so, because this fish deserves a whole lot more respect than it usually gets.