Outdoors

Captain's Corner

What's hot: March is when many sheepshead leave the upper bay and backwaters and stage at the marinas, bridges and jetties of the passes leading to the gulf.

By JAY MASTRY
Published March 6, 2007

What's hot: March is when many sheepshead leave the upper bay and backwaters and stage at the marinas, bridges and jetties of the passes leading to the gulf. They also like to gang up along the edges of the shipping channel just inside the Sunshine Skyway bridge as they work their way to the gulf. They tend to run larger now as many are full of roe while preparing to spawn.

Tactics: In the 30- to 40-foot depths of the shipping channel, 20-pound tackle may be preferred. If the water is clear and the fish are finicky, fluorocarbon leader can make a difference. In shallow water with little tidal flow, a split shot of weight may be all you need. In the deeper depths along the channel, I like a 2-ounce egg sinker to keep bait on the bottom. I prefer a No. 1 J hook, which is easier to remove from hooked fish.

Bait selection: Sheepshead can be particular about what they eat and where. In the somewhat shallower depths of the docks at marinas, bridges or jetties, green mussels, they are eating oysters or barnacles. For migratory sheepshead roaming the edges of the channel, pieces of shrimp are hard to beat. They are also effective on the mangrove snapper and grouper that tend to share the rocky domain.

[Last modified March 5, 2007, 22:50:54]