http://4alloutdoors.org/how-to-articles/how-to-catch-sheephead
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx
How To Catch Sheepshead
By: Chris Rapchick
One of my personal favorite species of fish to pursue is the Sheepshead, or the Archosargus probatocephalus as it is known to the more scientifically inclined folk. I highly enjoy fishing for, not always catching, these fish as they are very elusive and have very rightly earned the nickname of Convicts for their very sneaky and deceptive reputation. The Sheepshead is a saltwater fish whose territory ranges from the coastal waters of Nova Scotia all the way down to the South American coast of Brazil, though absent in the Bahamas and the surrounding region and most prevalent from the Gulf of Mexico up to the Mid Atlantic Coast of the United States, and can grow up to 30 inches in length. Sheepshead have a very distinct profile with a beautiful black and white vertically striped pattern along with dark, spiny dorsal fins and a strong, mouth full of large, blunt teeth used for devouring the hardshelled animals they eat. These conniving creatures feed on small crustaceans and bivalves such as clams, oysters, shrimp, sand fleas and various crabs including the blue, stone and fiddler varieties, so these are generally good choices to use as bait. My personal favorite has always been fiddler crabs topped with a garnish of oyster for added enticement, but we’ll get into that shortly.
These fish are generally found on structure, more often than not, covered in the oysters and barnacles on which they feed. These are known to be the best places to find them if you wish to target the species. I usually like to focus on old docks, piers and rock jetties as they tend to be covered in the oysters and barnacles making them prime habitat for the fish. Once I find the structure I’m looking for, I use an old shovel, garden hoe, or any random paddle laying around my boat to crush and knock the food off of the structure to chum up the water and bring in the fish. These fish can also be found in nearshore waters as well during the colder months when they head out to deeper water to
Good stuff…have a look-see at my proof…
quote:
One of my personal favorite species of fish to pursue is the Sheepshead, or the Archosargus probatocephalus as it is known to the more scientifically inclined folk. I highly enjoy fishing for, not always catching, these fish as they are very elusive and have very rightly earned the nickname of Convicts for their very sneaky and deceptive reputation.The Sheepshead is a saltwater fish which can grow up to 30 “ and lives in the coastal waters of Nova Scotia all the way down to the South American coast of Brazil, though absent in the Bahamas and the surrounding region, they are most prevalent from the Gulf of Mexico up to the Mid Atlantic Coast of the United States.
Sheepshead have a very distinct profile with a beautiful black and white vertically striped pattern along with dark, spiny dorsal fins and a strong, mouth full of large, blunt teeth used for devouring the hardshelled animals they eat. These conniving creatures feed on small crustaceans and bivalves such as clams, oysters, shrimp, sand fleas and various crabs including the blue, stone and fiddler varieties, so these are generally good choices to use as bait. My personal favorite has always been fiddler crabs topped with a garnish of oyster for added enticement, but we’ll get into that shortly.
These fish are generally found around structure, more often than not, covered in the oysters and barnacles on which they feed. I usually like to focus on old docks, piers and rock jetties as they tend to be covered in the oysters and barnacles. Once I find the structure I’m looking for, I use an old shovel, garden hoe, or any random scraping object laying around my boat to crush and knock the oysters or barnacles off of the structure to “chum” up the water and bring in the fish.
Sheepshead can also be found in near-shore waters as well during the colder
looks good 2 me
Claim- Thank you for the suggestions, I took some of your ideas and reworded what I had written.
quote:
Originally posted by stalkingtheflatslooks good 2 me
thanx bro
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx
quote:
Originally posted by RapchizzleClaim- Thank you for the suggestions, I took some of your ideas and reworded what I had written.
quote:
Originally posted by stalkingtheflatslooks good 2 me
thanx bro
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx
Just keep the word agreements running consistent throughout the article and especially within paragraphs. Keep paragraphs limited to individual points of thought. Long huge paragraphs will cause your reader to loose his place and interest. That’s why novels are easy to read…small paragraphs, texts and research documents can have a single paragraph last for a whole chapter.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
190cc Sea Pro w/130 Johnson
1- 15 year old
1 - 11 year old
1 - wife (The Warden)
ECFC
Try paring down the use of commas and use shorter, simpler sentences.
Iain Pelto
Edgewater 185CC “Jumpin’ Bean II”
Native Manta Ray 14
I think you mean “heard” in the sentence below…
As for bait, the Sheepshead feed on bivalves and crustaceans so these are excellent choices. I have hear</font id=“red”> of anglers…
Thanks, as I’ve been rereading, I’ve been doing just that. and yeah, I caught the hear/heard mistake right after I posted the thread!
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx
Not till Sept 4th. I’ve got the itch for saltwater.
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx
“I prefer the braided line as it stretches less and is much more abrasion resistant than monofilament and fluorocarbon while being a much thinner line, giving the ability to have a much higher tensile strength than a monofilament of fluorocarbon line of a similar diameter.”
I think you meant to say monofiliment OR</font id=“red”> flourocarbon
“Sometimes I think it’s a shame, when I start feelin better when I’m feelin no pain…”.
GW 205
F200 Yam
These conniving creatures feed on
I think this word conniving implies a moral thing … don’t think fish have morals ???
Ah, if you had but worked this hard in your finance class . . .come see me when you get back - - got some catalogs and magazines for you.
Nice article! I, and my “proof-reader from hell” will proof for you anytime, good luck,
NaClH20 
And, BTW, calling a sheepshead a “conniver” is definitely OK; it’s a simple anthropomorhism, done all the time…“that dog is a schemer”, for example.
AND: write like YOU talk, not like a all the other fishing writers. They all write by formula; don’t try to sound like them. They put exclamation marks everywhere. You can be a refreshing new voice in the field.
Well I’m not one to proof read the article but I learned a little something from reading it. I’ve often thought of using braided line for strength but someone told me not to use it. I can’t remember why but it’s someone who had more experience than me in fishing for sheepshead. The way I was taught was simply use between 12-14 lb line and a 1/8 ounce jig-head. Just hook the fiddler to the jig-head and drop it near the structure. I’ve caught a few this way but I’m always looking for new techniques to do things. So I’m going to fish the Mt. Pleasant pier this weekend so I may put braided line on one of my rods. If nothing else it will help me hoise the fish up the side of the pier. Does anyone know where I can find a diagram of how to the leader he is talking about or can I just buy them?
Nevermind about the comment for diagrams. I found a pretty good article on the SCDNR web-site. Here it is if you are interested.
http://saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/pdf/sheepshead.pdf
anyone know how many pounds a 22" convict would weigh? i have a ruler but no scale
The article’s been posted!
http://4alloutdoors.org/how-to-articles/how-to-catch-sheephead
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx
Nice job Rap
You back home yet?
Who’s ready for a sleigh ride?
www.kayakfishsc.com
Wilderness Systems Kayak Fishing Pro Staff
I come back Saturday. Ready to fish! got a kayak open for me?
Somebody told us Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn’t tell. Cotton was short and the weeds were tall but Mr. Obama gonna save us all
xHCFKx