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Got my gear recommendations and have already rigged up but how do you fish for sheephead? Beautiful fish and really want to catch a few.Haywires pictures this spring really got me going( fish pics!!!) I'll be there fishing Dec. 27 - Jan 2.Thanks guys!
Spring is when I catch them. If the water is clear you can see them feeding around the pilings. I take both live shrimp and fiddler crabs because often they prefer one over the other and you never know which. So it's straight-down fishing* with enough weight so that the current and wind don't take your bait away from the piling.
Sometimes the sheepshead will swim off with the bait. Other times they'll just quickly inhale/crunch/exhale. If you can see the fish bite it's so much better.
That said, have a backup plan like using your live shrimp for fresh-dead pieces for whiting. You'll need a smaller hook and you don't need a piece any bigger than the last digit of your pinkie finger. I'm just not sure that Sheepshead will be "in" at the time you're fishing for them.
*Do a search for previous discussions on fishing for sheepshead.
i have used 10# fluorocarbons leaders with very small hooks and no more than a splitshot to hold the hook down. The bite is just a gentle tap, and they are very skittish. You just about have to see them, and get the bait right down where they are feeding. Lots of patience. I have only hooked one when they are out roaming, but have done best right against the piers when they are crunching barnacles.
That time of year will be a little slow for sheepies. But give it a shot.
Peak times are mid- to late-February through April when they are gathering to spawn. Catch the right day and it can be a feeding frenzy.