Feeling sheepish

For years, inshore charter captains in both Carolinas have often advertised their operation as targeting “flounder, trout, and redfish.”

This trifecta of species represents the bread-and-butter of the small boat, shallow water charter fishery, and these fish are pursued even more often by recreational anglers on private boats.

All three of these species have historically been available for at least a good part of every year, and all of them can make excellent table fare. Unfortunately, the recent slew of regulatory changes in North Carolina takes away a third of this target species list. I won’t go down that path this month, but this concept made me ask a question. Are we overlooking a species that we shouldn’t be?

Sheepshead are here, folks. They have always been here. If you put on a diving mask and stick your head in the water around just about any bit of hard structure that has barnacles on it, you’re probably going to see a couple of sheepshead. They’re inquisitive fish, and they’ll look right back at you, only taking a quick break from their lunch.

These fish are inshore for 8 to 10 months of the year, and head out to nearshore wrecks and artificial reefs when the water is at its coldest. They can be caught in the backwater and in the ocean. They can get decently large, they pull hard, and they taste great. Why don’t we talk more about sheepshead fishing when we’re discussing the inshore game?

The more I thought about sheepshead, the more I realized how terrible I have been at catching them. Then again, just about every one I have ever caught has been on a bait intended for something else, be it trout in North Carolina or snook in Florida. On those trips, they quickly became considered “bait thieves.” I had no real idea of how to set up a trip with sheepshead as a target species. So, I asked an expert.

Seth Shackelford is the most proficient sheepshead fisherman I have ever met. Every chance he gets, he’s chasing these fish from Horry County to New Hanover County. To hear him talk about it, it’s not really that hard, and having sheepshead trips with double-digit catches isn’t uncommon. Shackleford is not a big secret keeper. He’ll tell you immediately that success with sheepshead is all about the bait.

Mud crabs

He said that mud crabs are his ultimate, “go to” bait for consistent sheepshead fishing. He will also fish with fiddler crabs if he has trouble finding mud crabs, but he much prefers the former to the latter. Live shrimp are a distant third choice in the hierarchy of baits. Before any trip, he turns over rocks near the boat ramp or in canals. When he has a dozen or so mud crabs in the bucket, it’s time to go fishing.

Shackleford sets up with the trolling motor on any structure that has been colonized with barnacles. He favors spinning outfits with 30-pound braid, a Carolina rig or “knocker” rig (with no swivel, so the weight can go all the way to the hook), a short fluorocarbon leader, and a Gamakatsu 2/0 or 4/0 Octopus-style circle hook. It’s about as simple of a rig as you can imagine, and he favors a bigger hook than most sheepshead anglers do.

Sheepshead have big mouths, and will get even more aggressive when they attack a bigger bait, like his favored mud crabs often are. They don’t have a problem eating the whole crab, and this is where the bigger circle hook pays dividends.

Where other anglers might be fishing a smaller bait on a smaller “J” hook or a jighead, Shackleford just keeps his line as tight as is practical and lets the circle hook and the lack of stretch in the braid do the work. He said that he will occasionally miss a fish, especially a smaller one. But most of the time, it’s just a matter of keeping tight and waiting for the rod to double over, then simply reeling at a steady rate.

Tasty fish

Interestingly enough, sheepshead were removed from the species list on the Snapper/Grouper complex several years ago, so the use of circle hooks is not required by law. A jig with a crab or simply a bait on a “J” hook won’t get you a fine, but it just may not be as effective as a circle hook can be when used correctly.

Shackleford also made the point that he would rather eat fresh sheepshead than any of the other inshore species that are usually available in the Carolinas. It makes sense that these fish are great table fare. Just about all their diet is crustaceans. Shrimp, crabs, and oysters all taste good to me, so it stands to reason that taste carries over to their flesh. Wherever you rank them in terms of your own preference, they are definitely a winner in the frying pan.

I think it would be crazy to stop chasing redfish, trout, and flounder when and where they are legal in the Carolinas. After talking with Shackleford, however, and seeing his solid catches of sheepshead documented, I really do think we are overlooking a potentially solid and consistent inshore fishery, and one that could be especially helpful filling the void created by the flounder closure in North Carolina.

With a little practice and targeted effort, I’d be very surprised if I didn’t see some inshore captains start offering sheepshead trips on their websites and social media pages soon. Could we even add a fourth species to the list that makes up the inshore slam? I know at least one angler that would be in favor of doing that right now.

Gearing up:

Pairing up braided line with an Octopus-style circle hook is one trick used by many successful sheepshead anglers. Adding the right amount of weight to the line aids in catching these tricky fish.