I have been fishing Florida’s Shores for over 25 years now. I have learned many things, and have many things yet to learn. I have developed techniques and found fish that I love to catch. But there is one fish that I have grown to “Love to Hate”
The Sheepshead!
The Sheepshead is one of my favorite fish to eat, and I have been known to call it “the poor mans lobster”. Its diet consists almost exclusively of shellfish, and just like us, fish are what they eat. They are also quite a good fight for their size. They have a broad flat shape that gives them quite a bit of tugging power. But the Sheepshead can be one of the most frustrating fish to catch.
There is a saying I hear all the time from old timers
“With Sheepshead, you have to set the hook before you feel the bite”
They are master bait thieves, they can clean a hook with out the anger even knowing the fish was ever there. They also have quite strong teeth and a hard mouth that makes for a VERY difficult hook set. There will also be many days where you can see literally hundreds of Sheepsheads around a pier, and not a single one of them will eat any bait you offer them.
On a recent trip I was able to catch the keeper size fish in the above picture. That day I used 3 dozen fiddler crabs and only caught about 6 Sheepsheads, most of the bellow keeper size.
The one keeper I was able to bring home was dinners main course for my wife and me. It was one of the best dinners I have had this year!
So if you are looking for a challenging fish to catch, and have the patients to deal with the difficulties that Sheepshead present, I HIGHLY recommend this fishery!
Blog Post by: Dan Hagan – Chief Editor