Targeting Sheepshead from a Kayak

Sheepshead – AKA convict fish, thanks to their black bars – are a great fighting fish that goes well on the dinnerplate, but they can also be a frustrating target. Recently, my son David schooled me on the sheeps and inadvertently taught me an important lesson about fishing for sheepshead: get on a kayak and you’ll catch more fish.

Here’s the scoop: if you target these fish, you probably already know that they stick close to hard structure like rocks and bridge pilings. Very close. In fact, sometimes if your cast lands five feet away from the structure you won’t have a prayer, while casts landing inside that range get snapped right up. On my skiff with two other anglers, the best way to get close to these spots is to anchor up-current  or upwind of the structure, then slack back anchor line until we’re close. David, on his fishing kayak, pedals right up to the pilings, grabs an old rope or rail hanging from it, swings his rod tip right up to the concrete, then lowers his rig. His bait is literally banging against the piling and if there are any sheepshead hanging around it – wham!

For him, it gets even better. If he can tie off to the piling (which isn’t always legal, so before doing so you need to make sure you’re in an area where it’s permitted) if the bite slacks off he takes his paddle and scrapes the end of the blade down the barnacles and growth. As the barnacles get chewed up and bits drift back from the piling, they create a chum stream of sorts. And, since sheepshead like crunching on crustaceans, this chum stream draws them in.

As parents, we all want our kids to excel beyond our own abilities. But trust me, as an angling dad it’s quite frustrated to get seriously out-fished by your own boy. The next time I go fishing for sheepshead with David, my boat will be in the driveway – and I’ll be on a kayak.