Page 103 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2020

SHEEPSHEAD are a fun ghting sh that can be found all along the Coast.
ABOVE: SAY CHEESE! Sheepshead teeth are specially made for eating shelled creatures.
The toothy munchers occasionally bite spoons, spinners, soft-plastic baits or even ies, especially ones that resemble small crabs, but they prefer natural baits. Above all, they relish crustaceans, but might also grab live minnows and other baits. Besides barnacles, sheepshead devour shrimp, crabs or crab pieces. Many people sh with ddler crabs.
“Crabs make outstanding sheepshead baits,” explained Robert Brodie with Team Brodie Charters in Biloxi. “We pull the top shell o and break a blue crab in half or quarter it. For a big crab, we cut each half into three or four pieces. Fiddler crabs are another treat. That’s like candy for a sheepshead.”
Sheepshead might suspend anywhere in the water column around a structure. Anglers frequently see them crunching barnacles around bridge or dock pilings. Vertically drop
a stout, long-shanked hook or jighead tipped with a succulent morsel as close to the pilings as possible. After the bait hits bottom, slowly bring it toward the surface in stages to determine the right depth. Free-line live shrimp, ddler crabs or other temptations next to pilings to tempt the biggest sheepshead.
For the best action, nd sh-cleaning stations. While cleaning their sh, anglers usually toss heads, entrails,
backbones and other scraps into the water. Crabs and shrimp gather to feast upon the scraps. That attracts giant sheepshead.
Despite their strength, powerful jaws and impressive teeth, most sheepshead gingerly nibble baits. Almost timidly, they may examine a morsel before tasting it. Anglers might not even detect subtle strikes. Perhaps they just feel a slight tug or the line feels heavy, like it snagged something.
“Sheepshead can be tricky to catch,” Brodie advised. “They are sneaky. They can bite a live shrimp in half right behind the hook. I like to use a smaller shrimp with a smaller hook to fool them. They engulf those smaller shrimp more quickly. Sometimes, people almost need to anticipate the bite to catch them. When we feel a little subtle downward pull, we set the hook and hang on!”
Abundant and powerful ghters that don’t require much nesse, sheepshead make excellent opportunities for older anglers to teach youngsters how to sh, especially ones who sh from shore, docks or public piers. Nothing beats the smile of a young sportsman who nally lands a big sh after a tough tackle-testing battle who looks up and says, “Look what I caught, Grandpa!”
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