These old black and white striped sheepshead fish are one of the Gulf Coast’s favorite inshore fish for catching and also for great eating after the fishing is done. And there’s no doubt that there are plenty of sheepies to be found around nearly all inshore structures- bridges, old pilings, oyster beds, and fishing piers- but just finding the sheepshead doesn’t mean they are easy to catch. Sheepshead are world-class bait stealers, and they can be very picky about what they want to eat. But having the right sheepshead rigs and having the right bait can make the sheepshead catching much more manageable for inshore anglers.
Best Bait For Sheepshead
I’m certain that someone, somewhere catches sheepshead on artificial lures, but I certainly have not. When it comes to catching sheepshead, most anglers have found live bait to be the name of the game.
Live shrimp are always good, and a sheepshead will rarely turn down a fresh lively shrimp, but every bait stealer in the water will also take shrimp. After the water cools, the pinfish and other bait stealers get to be much less of a problem, so if live shrimp can be found at tackle stores in winter, there’s a good chance that sheepshead will be caught.
Fiddler crabs are great bait for sheepshead. These little brown and white pinchers will nip an angler’s fingers, but the sheepshead will gobble them up. Fiddler crabs can be found in local bait tackle shops, but a short stroll by the angler along the shoreline where grass and rocks are thick will provide plenty of fiddlers for a sheepshead trip.
Fresh shelled oysters are great bait for sheepshead, but a raw oyster is almost impossible to keep on a hook. However, if the fresh oyster is wrapped up in a little bag of soft cloth- small circles cut from pantyhose work great- the oyster will stay on the hook, and the juices flowing from the raw oyster will tempt any sheepshead in the area.
And if all else fails, sheepshead will eat that old freshwater catfish bait, red worms. A large lively worm threaded on the hook and lowered near structure will often be taken by a sheepshead.
Best Hook For Sheepshead
Sheepshead have rather small mouths but they also have some extremely powerful teeth, so hooks need to be on the small side but also very stout.
Some anglers like circle hooks for sheepshead, but I have had best results with kahle hooks. These “semi-circle” hooks have a strange bend in the hook shank, but this unusual shape seems to allow better hooksets when sheepshead fishing.
Size 4 kahle hooks are a good size for sheepshead fishing, but the angler who goes after sheepshead will need a few packs of hooks. The structure that sheepshead call home almost guarantees some hangups and lost tackle will occur. Take plenty of hooks and plenty of other terminal gear- you’ll need it all.
Best Rod And Reel for Sheepshead Rigs
Fishing for sheepshead doesn’t require any sort of specialized choice of rod and reel combinations. Either spinning or level wind rigs will work, as long as the gear is not too heavy. Any rig which will work with twenty pound line and fairly light sinker weight- say, an ounce or less- will work fine. The same setup that works for specks and redfish will work for sheepshead. The rod does need to have a sensitive tip so that the often very light bites of sheepshead can be felt.
Choice of line, however, is very important. Braided line gives superior sensitivity to the very light bites which sheepshead often provide. Although mono can work, braid just works better.
Carolina Rig For Sheepshead
The old tried and true Carolina rig is a standard rig for sheepshead fishing. This rig works well in almost all conditions but strong current days can be difficult for a Carolina rig. Basically, a Carolina rig is a leader attached to the main line with a swivel and a sliding weight rides on the main line. The swivel keeps the sinker up the line away from the hook.
The Carolina rig works well for straight-down dropping near pilings, but it also works well if casts to structure are needed. Weight used on the Carolina rig depends on conditions, but in general the smaller the weight that can be used, the better.
Knocker Rig For Sheepshead
A knocker rig is a good choice for heavy current days when fishing for sheepshead. The sliding sinker is threaded on the leader so that it can run all the way down to the hook.
These sheepshead rigs keep the bait and leader from twisting in the strong current and allows good contact with the bait for those subtle sheepshead bites.
Like the Carolina rig, knocker rig weight needs to match current conditions. Less weight is best, but sometimes, fairly heavy sinkers- one ounce or more- must be used to keep the live bait in the sheepshead strike zone.
Jig Heads For Sheepshead
A very effective way to catch sheepshead, especially when current is strong or the water is especially deep is to use a jig head tipped with a live fiddler crab. But not every jig head will work well in this way.
Bird of Prey Tackle in Pensacola offers a wide line of jig heads in various weights to match conditions and these jig heads are made especially for sheepshead fishing. These “pivot hook” jig heads come in a wide variety of colors to match the color of the bait- usually fiddler crabs- being used, or in bright colors for stained water conditions.
Brian Arnold of Bird of Prey Tackle says, “These jigs are not effective with dead bait. If the bait isn’t alive, the sheepshead won’t bite.” He adds, “These jigs work best in near vertical presentation. Casting the bait works better with a Carolina rig”
These sheepshead designed jig heads work very well for kayak anglers who can get right against the structure or on jetties and bridges where they can be dropped directly alongside the pilings.
Final Thoughts Of Sheepshead Rigs
Although finding live bait can be a bit of a struggle at certain times of the year, anglers can find or catch fiddler crabs for most sheepshead trips, and local bait shops carry live shrimp as much as possible. Having live bait is crucial for successful sheepshead rigs.
And the good thing about catching a mess of hard-fighting sheepshead is that the pleasure doesn’t end with the catch. Sheepshead are one of the best eating fish inshore anglers can bring home.
At one time, sheepshead were thought of as a “winter only” catch. However, these black and white fish can be caught at all seasons of the year if the angler goes about things the right way.
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