Sheepshead fish are popular targets for anglers because they are widely available, fun to catch, and delicious to eat. If you want to successfully fish for your target, you need to know how to catch sheepshead before starting your expedition. Although these unique fish with dorsal spines and human-like teeth thrive both inshore and offshore, they can be difficult to catch.
How To Catch Sheepshead
Many anglers love to fish for sheepshead because they are one of the most delicious fish species to eat. They’re also difficult to catch, so targeting them often creates a great story. Knowing specifics about this fish species is the best way to learn how to catch them.
Sheepsheads have the nickname “convict fish” because they have a distinctive yellow body with black stripes. They have dorsal spikes along their spine, but teeth are the most distinctive feature of these fish.
They average about four pounds as adults, but they sometimes weigh 10 to 15 pounds. The biggest fish are usually the oldest, and they can live for up to 20 years.
Learning how to catch sheepshead involves much more than just knowing how to identify them. You must know where to find them, how to set the hook properly, which bait to use, and which rig to choose if you want to catch a sheepshead fish successfully.
Why Are Sheepshead Hard To Catch?
Many fishermen have a hard time catching sheepshead because these fish have an incredibly light bite. If you don’t recognize the slight tug on the line and react immediately, the fish will likely steal the bait without getting hooked.
If you typically target fish that have a stronger bite, you may not recognize the moment when a sheepshead hits the line. It typically feels like a light thump. Sheepshead are notorious for sucking the bait into their mouths and spitting the hook out after stealing the food, so you must set the hook immediately if you want to catch the fish.
The most distinctive feature of sheepshead is their human-like teeth. This is what makes it hard to hook this type of fish. You must pull on the rod sharply to set the hook properly and keep the sheepshead from escaping. Some tips for catching sheepshead include:
- Use a hard-tipped fishing rod
- Keep the line tight
- Use small bait
- Keep the tip of your line pointed up to avoid drag
- Check the line often in case you missed a bite
- Position bait near an underwater structure such as a reef or some debris
Can You Catch Sheepshead From a Pier?
You can easily find sheepshead inshore around piers during the cooler months of the year. They move offshore as the weather warms up so they can dive deep to avoid the heat.
Although you can find sheepshead in freshwater during the winter months, they prefer saltwater or brackish water. They thrive around underwater structures, so look for them around reefs when they are offshore or near piers and jetties when they are inshore. Learning how to catch sheepshead from a pier is a great to hone your fishing skills.
The easiest way to catch sheepshead is from a pier. It’s hard to feel a bite from this fish species, but they tend to swim for cover immediately after hitting a hook, so watching the line helps. You can look down at your line when you fish from a pier and see if it starts moving to the left or the right. If the line starts moving, you likely have a sheepshead on the hook even if you didn’t feel the bite.
What Is the Best Bait To Catch Sheepshead?
You have the best luck with sheepshead when you use natural bait. This fish species has a small mouth and is attracted to small pieces of food.
Juvenile sheepshead naturally feed on soft-bodied animals. They start to eat crustaceans with a hard shell once they reach maturity at around two years old. The best bait for sheepshead is the food they would naturally prey on, such as:
- Sand fleas
- Small crabs
- Shrimp
- Pieces of oysters and clams
- Barnacles
One of the factors that make sheepshead a desirable target is the year-round availability. In the summer months, they move offshore and gather around reefs. During the winter, you can find them inshore.
The time of year impacts the type of bait that is most effective for catching sheepshead. When they are offshore, they tend to eat crabs and barnacles. Shrimp is often more effective when the fish move inshore, but most anglers report the most success when they use the bottom half of the shrimp.
What Is the Best Rig for Catching Sheepshead?
You can use various rigs to catch sheepshead, but anglers often have the most success with a slideable sinker and minimal weight. The Carolina rig is one of the most popular options.
The Carolina rig consists of a swivel attached to an egg slider and a fluorocarbon leader line with a hook. The egg slider is important because it allows to fish to see and grab the bait without feeling the resistance of the hook.
Most people use a 15-pound leader, although you may need to use a weight of up to 30 pounds to get the hook to sink to the proper level. The perfect weight varies depending on the depth you are fishing in. However, because sheepshead have such a light bite and it’s hard to tell if you have a fish on the line, it’s best to use the smallest weight possible that will get the hook to where you need it to go.
Learn How To Catch Sheepshead in Texas
Sheepshead are a worthy target because they are elusive, making them fun to catch, and they make a tasty dinner. You need to know how to catch sheepshead if you want to successfully target this fish species. If you want to take your fishing expedition offshore, Boat Stop Marina is ready to provide you with the right launch location. Contact us today to prepare for your sheepshead fishing trip in Texas.