It’s time to herd spring sheepshead

sheepshead

Sheepshead offer anglers a tasty challenge

Sheepshead are special to Michael Waller, who runs SaltFisher Charters out of Kiawah Island, S.C. So special that he acknowledges that they’re his favorite target species. He fishes for them year-round.

Waller acknowledges a sheepshead’s reputation as a bait stealer. But he said that doesn’t make them hard to catch if you keep things simple. By the first of May, he said, sheepshead abound throughout inshore areas after moving back from the ocean, where they spawned through the late winter and early spring. He looks for them around any type of structure he can find with sufficient water depth.

“A lot of people overlook laydown trees. But those are some great places to catch sheepshead,” he said. “Others are docks, rocks, and bridge pilings. Anywhere that oysters can grow, you’re likely to find sheepshead.”

Waller gives each likely fishing spot 15 minutes to produce, then it’s on to the next one. (Photo by Michael Waller)

Waller (843-343-7538) said sheepshead are definitely schooling fish. So where you find one, you’re likely to find more. Unlike most schooling fish, however, he finds all sizes mixed together. He might catch a small one on one drop and a large one on the next. Although, like most fish, true trophy fish do tend to be more isolated.

One of the things Waller likes about inshore sheepshead fishing is that they are not boat shy.

Fish tight to structure

“When boats are in the area, the disturbance simply moves them tighter to the structure, which is what you want,” he said. “If you’re fishing around bigger ships — cargo ships and all — they’ll actually start feeding when the ships bang up against the docks or rocky areas, often knocking barnacles in the water. That’s just chumming for them.”

Waller prefers to fish the two hours on either side of low tide. But he admits that sheepshead will bite at any stage of the tide — as long as the water is moving. He positions his boat so that his clients can fish straight down from the middle of the boat, whether they are fishing a dock, a rock pile or next to a laydown tree.

“I can position the boat with my i-Pilot trolling motor,” he said. “There’s no need to tie up to anything or drop anchor. Just face the boat into the current, hit the spot-lock button and drop lines straight down.

Waller’s tackle for sheepshead consists of a 7-foot Shimano Teramar spinning rod paired with a Shimano reel and 20-pound braid. He rigs an egg sinker at the end of the braid and puts a 3- to 6-inch leader of 30-pound mono. He uses No. 1 Owner mosquito hooks.

“The short leader pays off because the fish don’t have much room to move with the bait before you feel resistance on the line,” he said. “This is also the reason I prefer braid over mono — there is no stretch, and you instantly feel anything on the line.”

A good hookset is essential

Sheepshead are notorious bait stealers but can be foiled by suspending your bait just off the bottom and using a short leader and sharp hooks. (Photo by Phillip Gentry)

Waller instructs his clients to hook a single fiddler crab, inserting the point of the hook through the crab’s abdomen until it barely pierces the top of the shell. The rig is then lowered to the bottom and reeled up slightly so that the weight is suspended about 6 inches off the bottom.

Too often, he said, anglers lose fish because they lower the rod tip before setting the hook. He tells his clients to keep the rod tip pointed at the water while fishing and lift it quickly, straight up, on the hookset.

“Probably the biggest mistake I see when people are fishing for sheepshead is when they feel the fish bite, they drop the rod tip before setting the hook,” he said. “That takes the pressure off the line, and the fish will have sucked the good out of the bite and get off. Simply snap your wrist upward when you feel anything on the line.”

Waller admits fishermen are still going to miss a lot of bites and use a lot of bait. He said a pint of fiddler crabs per person is usually ample for a 4- to 6-hour trip, unless they get into pinfish territory.

Move away from pinfish holes

“A sheepshead will crush the body of the crab,” Waller said. “You look at the bait, and it’s got a smashed head. Pinfish will bite off the legs first. When you’re getting a lot of bites and they’re missing legs, it’s time to pull up and go somewhere else.”

Waller has learned which places hold sheepshead and which don’t. For fishermen who are new to an area or new to sheepshead, he said to give each likely location about 15 minutes to produce before leaving.

“Find an area with between 5 and 15 feet of water (and) make sure there’s some kind of structure that will draw the fish to that location,” he said. “The more oyster- and barnacle-encrusted, the better. Then put your baits down and see what happens,” he said. “If you don’t get a bite or catch a sheepshead within 15 minutes, go on to the next spot. Keep it simple.”


Tagging sheep

Michael Waller mandates catch-and-release for his guide-service clients. But that doesn’t mean they don’t go home with anything. In fact, a day’s fishing with Waller frequently results in clients earning a t-shirt, cap, visor, or other reward from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ fish-tagging program.

Tagging of gamefish species by anglers has helped biologists and anglers better understand the movements and growth rates of fish like this sheepshead. (Courtesy Michael Waller)

The goal of the tagging program is to improve recreational anglers’ recognition and understanding of how their actions impact marine resource conservation and management. Since its inception in 1974, nearly 9,000 participants have tagged and released more than 134,000 marine finfish. Marine finfish species are identified for tag-and-release based on their importance both recreationally and commercially to South Carolina and the South Atlantic region.

“Capt. John Ward, who also runs charters for Kiawah Island, and myself are usually atop of the list each year for the number of fish tagged in the program,” said Waller. “Last year alone, we each tagged somewhere in the number of 1,500 fish.”

Size limits are different for each state

Sheepshead regulations have settled at their current levels after several years of adjusting control from federal to state authority. Returned tags assist biologists with understanding the growth rates and migrational patterns of numerous offshore and inshore species, including sheepshead.

“I’ve been involved with the state tagging program for several years. And those studies have shown that sheepshead don’t stay on the reefs all winter,” he said. “In fact, they move in and out over the course of the winter. And some even stay out there through the summer. These fish seem to move in and out a lot more than people realize.”

South Carolina manages sheepshead with a 10-fish daily creel limit and 30-fish aggregate boat limit, plus a 14-inch, total length minimum.

In North Carolina waters, the daily creel limit is 10 per day, with a 10-inch size minimum.

About Phillip Gentry 815 Articles
Phillip Gentry of Waterloo, S.C., is an avid outdoorsman and said if it swims, flies, hops or crawls, he's usually not too far behind.

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