Sheepshead Fishing

[RustyHook]

Anyone ever target these fish? I read an article in last months On The Water magazine about the rise in Sheepshead numbers...sounds like an awesome fish to fight and tangle with, but seems that you need to be lucky or very persistent.  Anyone have such luck??

[IrishAyes]

I've had my present boat for 19 years and fish several days a week. In that time we have only put one sheepshead on the boat and that was a by-catch while fluke fishing. Great fighting fish it was.  

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.


Andy's fish:

[Bucktail]

I've seen guys catch them down in Florida by the inlet.  They sight fish for them.  The sheepshead tend to hang out by the pilings.  Once they spotted one they would drop a live shrimp very close to the structure.

I haven't caught one, but they say the bite is similar to a blackfish.  Good bait stealers.

[FishOn]

I wouldn't specifically target them, but would be pleasantly surprised to catch one while trigger/tog fishing on the rock piles and inlets during late summer. They eat the same thing as tog and triggers do and I would assume the techniques would be very similar. I'm still waiting for the tarpon to show up during the mullet run !

[Hunter 2]

Most of the sheapshead caught in our area are by Jetties from surf fishermen.  Occasionally you will see a catch mentioned in the Fisherman magazine or in a report on NJSWF.COM

[Still Running]

I have cauget one while fishing for Red's in Florida. I was using a fake shrimp rigged like a Fluke setup. Thats all I can offer you.

[bayonne]

when i was a kid we caught them from shore in bayonne but that was over forty years ago just as we caught tons of turtles in box nets but land fill developing killed all that money talks cause they destroyed  nesting areas for the teripans which are now endagered

[Noworries2009]

Fairly common at the Chesapeak Bay Bridge tunnel in VA. along with Spadefish. Check out www.kayakkevin.com Some great pics/videos