Sheepshead

Capt. James Vadas

The Sheepshead fishing on Anna Maria Island has been phenomenal this year! I would say not only because of the numbers of fish caught, but the size of these tasty critters. It’s just my opinion but the overall size of these fish have been bigger because the FWC changed minimum size from 10” to 12” a few years ago. I also want to encourage other anglers to release the larger female sheepshead that are visibly full of eggs. As we approach the end of the season I have noticed more females full of eggs, literally falling out of them, than in years past. So, if they haven’t spawned yet I say “you should let those girls swim away.” It’s good conservation practice to let them go.

Now we are heading into Spring and the water is starting to warm up. Snook, which are very temperature sensitive, will become more active; that means the greenbacks or pilchards, my favorite live bait fish used to catch snook will show up soon. A livewell full of shrimp and live baitfish is a best-case scenario when the water temperature fluctuates. I want to be prepared to fish with shrimp and shiners. So here is my spring break setup tip: if the snook are biting you are going to want to use a live a shiner on a #2 circle hook. Push that hook right through the side of his nose so he can swim freely with about 2 feet of 20lb fluorocarbon leader tied to your 15 lb. braided main line. Or that same rod/reel setup can be switched to target sheepshead by cutting the #2 circle hook off, then re-tying a jig head onto the fluorocarbon leader with a half of a live shrimp pushed over the hook.

How the fish bite can change by the day, and actually the bite will change in the same day, from drastic temperature changes. Rather than target a specific fish that just isn’t biting that day, be prepared for both options. If you are going to target snook, I would check out the canals or anywhere the dark bottom absorbs more heat from the sun and the water will be a little warmer. Snook definitely favor that. If you want to catch sheepshead, focus your efforts around structures where barnacles grow, mostly around the bridges and artificial reefs. I have been catching them from Egmont Key all the way into Tampa Bay especially around the shipping channels and the Skyway Bridge. I get my live shrimp from BAM Bait and Tackle located at Blenkers Marina in the mouth of the Manatee River. Tell them Captain James sent you. God Bless and Tight Lines.

 

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