Outdoors

Sheepshead don't have glamor but they are a fine fishing prize

By RICK FRAZIER
Published January 1, 2006

A sheepshead is not as glamorous as a yellowmouth speckled trout or a big redfish. It's sort of funny-looking with a huge head and a small mouth full of teeth. But never judge a fish by its skin.

For anglers in the know, the fish are a prize. They're easy to find, good fighters and excellent table fare. What more could you ask for? How about a fish that is easy to catch?

Sheepshead are bait-stealers. They nibble instead of inhaling like a tarpon or snook and leave you empty-handed. Savvy anglers have refined their skills to overcome that.

On most weekends when sheepshead are plentiful (December-March) you can find Vincent Lester and David Knight filling their 5-gallon buckets.

"David is a much better fisherman than me," Lester said. "He'll usually have his limit before I even catch my first fish."

Sheepshead feed around structure, and Lester and Knight fish from bridges in south St. Petersburg.

"Most people just fish straight down to the pilings," Lester said. "We don't. We cast our bait up-current along the wooden fenders and let it drift down naturally. We know we can catch more fish that way."

In a small metal bucket I spied the team's bait: a nice bunch of small rock crabs. "We go to oyster bars at low tide and find them under rocks and oyster shells," Lester said.

Sheepshead aren't finicky. They'll eat mussels, oysters, worms, barnacles and shrimp, but Lester and Knight prefer crabs. Before they bait the hook, they peel the carapace off the crab.

"Most people don't do this," Lester said. "We think the fish can smell the bait better with the shell off."

Lester doesn't think bigger crabs equal bigger sheepshead. "I caught some of my biggest fish on a small crab or just a crab claw," he said.

Both use 2/0 bronze bait-holder hooks rigged through the middle of the crab's body.

Chumming is a big part of sheepshead fishing. Some chum with barnacles or oyster shells to entice the fish. Lester and Knight use the crab shells they peel, because they have the same scent as the bait.

Short, stout tackle is the key to hauling sheepshead from the pilings. They use 30-pound spinning outfits with drags locked down. Another reason for heavy gear is the rods and reels serve as hoists in getting a fish over the bridge railings. Ten-inch, 30-pound bottom-rig leaders are the norm. They make their leaders with ounce-and-a-half egg sinkers. The sheepshead limit is 15 per person a day. They must be 12 inches minimum to the fork in the tail.

Rick Frazier runs Lucky Dawg Charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at 727 510-4376. If you've had a great day fishing from land and want to share it with readers, contact the lubberline at (727) 893-8775 or e-mail captainrick@luckydawg.com

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]