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I might be down here in March and I have a few questions.
1.What could I expect to catch?
2.How could I catch sheepshead?
3.Could I expect to catch a pompano or flounder from the pier by throwing lures and if not how? Also, where would I fish for each on the pier.
4. Also, could I use a medium light rod and 8 pound test for these species?
Thank you for any input!
F102
Go back through the reports section and read them for the time period you will be there. Everyone has their own opinion about what line-rig-hook to use but the sheepshead will dictate what bait to use. I fished this March 21-28 and there were a few days where fiddler crabs were effective and a couple of days they wouldn't look at anything but ghost shrimp. You will need a slurp gun to gather them, J&M sells them or build your own-youtube is your friend. The last three days I was there they wanted live shrimp which were difficult to find in the bait shops due to supplier issues. Generally speaking you need to use the lightest clear mono possible. I was using 8lb clear Ande and catchin a few early in the week but was getting outfished by a smiling LY using 6lb. Later in the week a chewdown occured and people on the end were catching them using everything imaginable including yellow and green mono, braid and black nylon coated steel leaders. I even saw a kid land one using a small chrome spoon. I like a VMC 4x #8 bronze treble hook and as little weight as possible a couple of feet above the hook. Be polite and net a fish for a stranger and he or she might do the same for you. Good luck!
Thanks chillinfish that was very helpful! Thank You.
Sheepshead will probably the main attraction, but also whiting. And I've seen years when the Spanish macs showed up that early. One year in March we tore up the ground mullet too, two kings were hooked that day too. So you just never know, especially with this screwy el nino weather.
Here's how I fish for sheepshead. Keep in mind that everyone has his own technique, tackle and bait. I like late March for sheepshead. When they're he'n and she'n, in between grabbing bites amongst the barnacles, MY theory is that they're less line-shy. Still, I use fluorocarbon leader, about 18" I use the smallest egg sinker that I can get away with, taking into consideration the current and the wind. It's usually between 1/2 oz and 1 oz. I use a small circle hook with either live shrimp, ghost shrimp, or fiddler crabs. The trick is to hide the hook because sheepshead will take a real close look at your bait before they inhale it.
The best set of circumstances is clear water, where you can SEE the sheepshead flare his gills when he sucks it in. When you see that, start reeling (with a circle hook) or set the hook with a j-hook. You don't let him "run" with it; you have a small window of opportunity to get a hook-set.
I try to wait until the sheepshead is on another side of the piling I'm fishing on, so that quietly dropping my bait doesn't spook him or make him wary. When possible, I kind of slide the bait down the piling and let it nest among the barnacles on the front of the piling. Again, if the sheepshead are visible, it's a plus, since you're able to better set your bait at the level where the fish are. If they are not clearly visible, you have to go by feel. Sometimes it's barely a peck. Other times a quick jerk. You just have to be ready and focused.
I mentioned that I use a small circle hook. I try to completely cover the hook by using TWO fiddler crabs at a time. I get many times more bites using two than one. I'll usually have BOTH live shrimp and fiddler crabs with me on the pier (but to be clear, I fish with one or the other, never both on the same hook) . Sometimes, sheepshead are picky and they'll only hit one or the other. And often, pompano and other species are biting in late March, so I have something (live shrimp) for them, too!
Sheepshead pull hard! I keep my own pier net handy and usually I can get someone else to net my fish for me. In return, I always offer to let the other person use my net or I'll net their fish for them. It's extremely "iffy" to hand line a big sheepshead and it's really difficult on your reel to tighten up and try to winch him up! You'll have a lot more sheepshead in your cooler at the end of the day if you have your own net.
I read another post where someone else used 2 fiddlers on the same hook and had good luck. I will have to try it next time.