Hey guys…so I’m a rookie sheepshead addict, just started this year. I’ve caught several nice ones, several legal size, and a few big ones. My fav spot is the coal tipple. A week before Thanksgiving, using fiddlers, I caught one legal, then a 5 pounder, then five mins later an 8.67 pounder, all while chumming. The first wknd in Dec I caught 8 sheeps really fast, using fiddlers, all 3lbs or over while chumming, lost 5 strong rod benders due to poor hook set…during both trips, water temp was probably no lower than 61. Fast fwd to 12-17…arrived at tipple at 7am with fiddlers, fished near top of high and till 2pm as tide dropped, left 2hrs before full low; water temp was 55. ALL DAY, my partner and I MAYBE, got 4 bites between us…we changed positions probably 7 times…nothing…chummed a ton…nothing…zero…I’m a rookie, I’m sure this has something to do with water temp…we tried the deeper end of the tipple twice, to spots, at 27ft cuz I know sheeps like deeper water when temps drop…nothing…zero bites…my fidderls look up at me tapping their fingers and looking bored…so, I’m happy to have any sheeps veteran on this board set me straight re: my rookie confusion. Very odd to fish a dependable structure, 7 spots, and not put one sheep in the boat.
Can’t help you, never caught one myself. There are several experts her that I’m sure will help though.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Thanks D, actually they aren’t as hard to catch as I thought they would be…they def aren’t easy, but with a little time put in the bite can be learned. I’ve also noticed that chumming creates a feeding frenzy apparently, which means, I think, that the bite gets more aggressive as the sheeps down there are competing for all the barnacles and oysters and shaving off the post…most of my heavy rod benders a few wks ago, and the 8 and 5 pounder I caught, just simply and slowly bend the tip of my rod toward the water…no light munching at all, which totally took the guess work out of when to set the hook.
So here are my scores this past Nov 11th and Dec 3rd. The one in the pic with my blue shirt was 8.67lbs, my biggest so far…caught a 5 pounder just before him in the same spot. The other pic are the 8 I caught…lost 5 heavy rod benders that day as well.
WOW!
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
This one took my drag for a ride…the drag and a long wide dip net saved the day.
my guess would be the water clarity. This past weekend the Folly river was extremely muddy and the bite wasn’t great for any species besides a few sheepshead I caught in clear patches of water. You catch your own fiddlers? I can’t find any at tackle shops recently
They head offshore this time of year I believe. Still a few bruisers around but it gets harder for sure
“mr keys”
Vanderps…got my fiddlers at South Side Bait …the shop that moved over closer to West Ashley…out on Hwy 17…not far from the 17 / Bees Ferry intersection… northchucky…yeah, that’s the conclusion I came to as well…they hit the road when the water temp dropped…wow, when they’re all in though, those suckers put tackle and drag to the test.