In 2012 sheepshead were removed from the Federal Snapper-Grouper complex, leaving management of the species to the discretion of the State. The coastal waters of South Carolina support a healthy sheepshead population and thanks to proactive management the productive fishery should continue, and even improve. You are going to get fewer bites as compared to fishing with fiddler crabs, but the bites are usually from quality fish. Fiddler crabs are the most widely used bait for catching sheepshead, but ask any angler who consistently catches big sheepshead and they will tell you the most effective baits are clams, mussels and oysters.
Because the teeth of juvenile fish are not as well developed, their diet tends to consist more of small crabs and fish. These incisor-like teeth, located on both sides of the front of the jaw, are designed for crushing the shells of clams, oysters, and mussels. Consider first, their teeth, which at first glance, closely resemble those of humans. Understanding the diet of sheepshead is the key to catching the larger fish. Fooling these larger fish requires more thought and patience. Big sheepshead, like any other large, mature, fish adapt differently to their environment and take fewer chances than smaller fish. Consistently catching six to eight pound fish can be more challenging, and herein lays the true appeal. These fish are typically small, in the one to two pound range. Fish around pilings or rocks that are encrusted with barnacles, using fiddler crabs, and with a little practice you are likely to be successful. Just about anybody can learn to catch sheepshead. However, the vertical presentation and subtlety required in detecting bites seems more akin to drop shotting, a finesse technique employed by freshwater bass fishermen. Nevertheless, for the diehard sheepshead angler the pursuit can border on obsession.įishing for sheepshead, as often described by freshwater enthusiasts, is “a lot like fishing for brim”.
They lack the popularity of red drum, or the glamour of billfish and tarpon. They are abundant, can be caught in lots of places without the need of a boat, offer a real angling challenge, put up an excellent fight, and make fine table fare, yet don’t get the credit they deserve. There is something appealing about sheepshead.
0 kommentar(er)
