By: Capt. Dave Stephens
Well fellow anglers, we have been pretty fortunate the past few years. We have managed to dodge our way through the winter months, however, it looks like Mother Nature has finally caught up with Southwest Florida. This January I believe we have had more morning lows in the 40’s, than we have seen in a few years. This can make the fishing complicated, or it can make for some of the better fishing that we have had in a few years. It’s been a couple years since we’ve had a good sheepshead bite. Is it due to warm water? Perhaps just off years, off the spawning cycle? I can tell you from experience, cooler winters seems to help these fish bunch up to spawn. In my opinion, sheepshead are one of the most overlooked game fish that we have here in the area, probably due to the difficulty to catch them. There are a few tips I can share that will help you get more sheepshead on your hooks.
The number one rule is structure. Sheepshead feed solely on crustaceans. So, the bait you choose is the most important things such as shrimp, sand fleas, and fiddler crabs are on the top of the list.
Second, is fishing around structure. Due to the diet of these guys, structure is very important. The reason being it is a great place for what they love to eat to hide out.
Third, downsize your hooks and make contact with the bottom. Most of the food that sheepshead feed on live close to or on the bottom and the reason for the small hook is these fish do not attack their bait like most predators, and it usually has a hard shell. Sheepshead suck in their food, crunch it up, and spit out the hard shells.
The most important is tip number four. Be prepared to get frustrated as they are bait thieves. I sincerely believe these fish have black and white stripes for a reason!
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