What is mangling my hooks???

Had it happen once yesterday and multiple times today.

I've been fishing the surf for pompano... standard surf stuff, double hook rigs, 2 to 3oz storm sinkers, float hooks, corkies, bead, all combinations... and sometimes just naked hooks no bling...
Baited with live sandfleas.
Here's what I've been seeing, crushed, and or flattened float hooks. (311Pope YouTube him) and not by sharp cutting teeth but raspy small teeth
Mangled up or completely gone corkies...
And bent up hooks... something that a grown man couldn't do without a pair of pliers.
But whatever is chewing up my gear somehow manages to not get itself hooked in the process...

Any ideas...? turtle, sheepshead, some kind of crab...?

My best guess is sheepshead, but they are notorious for not biting this time of year. They can do a number on a hook.

A number of fish can mangle hooks.

Black drum, redfish, cobia, sheepshead, puffer fish, stingrays, and sharks to name a few.

Most of these species can crush hooks with either their teeth or gill plates.

What size, type & brand of hooks are you using?
I want to avoid them.

Any of the these have the hardware to easily do that...

Redfish
http://i46.tinypic.com/qozk0l.jpg

Black Drum
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps2af54b6d.jpg

Sheepshead
http://fishidentification.files.word...pg?w=720&h=717

Stuck my toe in a walleye's mouth once, Sounds stupid but if memory serves me a boat, warm weather, fast bite and a beer or 12 was involved.

Thanks for all the input!
The crazy thing is they manage to do it without getting hooked and with no indication on the rod... (multiple rods in holders)
The two most interesting were a Mustad 2/0 kahle small but really wide gap hook... hooks everything.
The other a Mustad demon circle 1X strong.

Always wanted to catch a sheepshead, any advice on how to specifically target them?

1) did you catch any pomps?
2) if you want to catch sheepies March, April on the pier w/shrimp on pilings
3) I think PETA is scuba diving of your beach with pliers!:pirate

So for we've caught 1 pomp, 1 whiting, 1 red, 1 jack, hardheads, sails, rays, skates, blacktips etc...
I have heard pomps will chew on corkies, bling etc...
We usually come down in Sep and do really well on pomps, I've had great success in the past with my pomp rigs but there is something going on down there I haven't encountered before and there is a severe lack of pomps as well.
I'll post pics if I saved any of the pieces.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazynewts

Stuck my toe in a walleye's mouth once, Sounds stupid but if memory serves me a boat, warm weather, fast bite and a beer or 12 was involved.

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Funny and really dumb! ;-)
I grew up in northern Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior, walleyes, northerns, musky, salmon etc... are what I cut my teeth on.

Pier#r---It was really cool of you to go out and catch those fish to show us their hook crushers. On such short notice, too.

I have never used "toes" as walleye bait, where do you buy those? What time of the year are they hot?

[QUOTE=Shaken71;84170

Always wanted to catch a sheepshead, any advice on how to specifically target them?[/QUOTE]


If you want to target sheepshead, the best time is March to early April, imo. I usually use live shrimp, since so many other near-shore species (pompano, redfish, black drum, whiting, spanish mackerel) are hot for shrimp at that time. I use as small of an egg sinker as I can get away with, considering the current and the wind. Below that I use a small black swivel, onto which I tie about 18" of 15 lb fluorocarbon leader, then a relatively small circle hook.

I've had a lot of success in recent years with fiddler crabs, using TWO crabs on a hook at a time. The sheepshead seems to hold onto it longer, take it down deeper and then can't spit the circle hook. You'll need a pier net, because a big sheepshead is a load to haul up -- too big to winch up by tightening your drag.
Fish it straight down and if possible, rest your bait on the side of the pilings where you see the sheepshead feeding. Lower it so that it doesn't spook them and keep a relatively tight line.