Last Updated on May 31, 2019
I have been fishing Florida’s Shores for over 25 years now. I have learned many things, and have many things yet to learn. I have developed techniques and found fish that I love to catch. But there is one fish that I have grown to “Love to Hate”
The Sheepshead!
The Sheepshead is one of my favorite fish to eat, and I have been known to call it “the poor mans lobster”. Its diet consists almost exclusively of shellfish, and just like us, fish are what they eat. They are also quite a good fight for their size. They have a broad flat shape that gives them quite a bit of tugging power. But the Sheepshead can be one of the most frustrating fish to catch.
There is a saying I hear all the time from old timers
“With Sheepshead, you have to set the hook before you feel the bite”
They are master bait thieves, they can clean a hook with out the anger even knowing the fish was ever there. They also have quite strong teeth and a hard mouth that makes for a VERY difficult hook set. There will also be many days where you can see literally hundreds of Sheepsheads around a pier, and not a single one of them will eat any bait you offer them.
On a recent trip I was able to catch the keeper size fish in the above picture. That day I used 3 dozen fiddler crabs and only caught about 6 Sheepsheads, most of the bellow keeper size.
The one keeper I was able to bring home was dinners main course for my wife and me. It was one of the best dinners I have had this year!
So if you are looking for a challenging fish to catch, and have the patients to deal with the difficulties that Sheepshead present, I HIGHLY recommend this fishery!
Blog Post by: Dan Hagan – Chief Editor
Daniel Hagan has been fishing Florida’s shores since 1985 and writing about it for more than 20 years. As Managing Editor of FloridaShoreFishing.com, he shares firsthand experience covering surf and pier fishing, tackle, techniques, and Florida’s coastal species.