![]() Live shrimp also attracts plenty of sheepshead interest, but this one has a couple of drawbacks. A small crab hooked through the corner of its shell is the top sheepshead bait. Still, the meat is absolutely irresistible to sheepshead, while crushing the shells with the top edge of a hammer creates an enticing chum. These and other bivalves such as mussels and clams require a laborious gathering and shucking effort. Most obvious are the oyster colonies growing throughout coastal shallows. The great thing about sheepshead is that they’ll readily gobble a variety of baits you can easily collect in shoreline/nearshore habitats. It’s also more challenging to control your rig and detect bites in swift water, so look for your better opportunities during moderate tidal flow. Like most predators, sheepshead feed best on moving water, but consider that a boiling tide pins them closer to structure, so your presentations have to be more precise. Available year-round, sheepshead gather in huge spawning aggregations from December-March. You’ll also find these fish on oyster bars, rock piles, channel edges, and shallow reefs (natural or manmade) inside bays and along coastal areas. Docks are one of the most consistent inshore habitats for sheepshead. Still, these crumbling relics can be sheepshead gold mines. Older piers with broken beams and random clutter will challenge your casting and complicate fish extraction. Look for docks with multiple structural elements, as this promises lots of feeding opportunities. Residential canals are often target-rich environments but don’t overlook the ones facing open bays. Still, docks present the most abundant and easily accessed habitat features. Barnacle- and oyster-laden bridge and pier pilings, as well as seawalls all, attract loads of sheepshead. BrownĬonsidering the sheepshead’s dental equipment, it doesn't take long to realize this fish is built for cracking crustacean and bivalve meals. Finding the Right NEIGHBORHOOD to Fish for Sheepshead Barnacles and oysters growing on dock piers are a good sign of sheepshead-friendly habitat. And don’t overlook those protruding sheeplike front teeth, along with stout grinding molars - ideal for nibbling crunchy stuff. Other distinctive characteristics include the sheepshead’s stiff, sharp dorsal spines that leave painful reminders when carelessly handled. ![]() To tell the difference, count the stripes: Drum will have four to five, while a sheepshead has six to seven. Black drum is another inshore species with much greater size potential, that can look a lot like a sheepshead. ![]() The species is often confused because the stripes many times resemble those of a juvenile black drum. Sheepshead belong to the porgy family and are sometimes called the “Convict Fish,” as much for their black and white banding as for their thieving ways. Prominent front teeth make the sheepshead particularly effective at nibbling crustaceans and shellfish.
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