Just returned from another POC trip. Wind has begun to slow down and the fishing is great. Caught good numbers of reds, specks and flounder.
A while back I posted a question about hooking up on all these sheephead we see in skinny water. Someone explained to me what I was really seeing was black drum. Well, we catch black drum, but we're also picking up sheephead on shrimp under a popping cork and seeing a lot more than we're catching. They seem to spook on any kind of artificial, no matter how careful. Anybody have some suggestions to pass along? Not interested in feeding any more shrimp to pinperch.
Thanks

Hard to catch em on arties. Maybe Gulp or Attraxx??

(Maybe Gulp or Attraxx??)

Tried those. It seems like everything you try and send their way only irritates them. As if they have to find it by themselves.????

I have only ever caught them on small pieces of shrimp soaked for a bit. They get spooked easily and really arent agressive fish. They make awesome fillets though!

i would just use fresh dead. it works fine and its cheaper.

Best thing we have used for them are Ghost Shrimp that we dug up off the beach. They really work well during the spawn in January and February but have not really targeted them in the Summer months.But be careful I think you can only possess 10 at a time.

They like crustacians (sp?). Thats why they have the type of teeth they do.

Best bait is shrimp, leave the shell on.

They are also very subtle "chewers" so a sensitive rod works better.

Saw a show years ago about how they catch sheepshead in Florida. They used fiddler crabs. When I saw this, I had a place behind our fishing camp in Grand Isle, La. that I could get all the fiddlers I wanted. When I used them next to some old pilings in the water, caught big sheepshead and also black drum. Shrimp is probably what I've caught em on the most, live or dead. Crustacean diet for sure.

Caught limits in 30 minutes free lining shrimp this weekend

I'm Jealous! that's sure fun fishing.

Ive always tried to avoid sheepshead... they have big bones and are hard to clean and most of the time have those wierd worms in them like the bigger red/black drum. but if thats what your after then catch some of those smallish crabs that swim at the surface under lights at night (some bait shops sell them too) and fresh dead shrimp. ive caught tons of them fishing reefs looking for reds. any kind of structure also seems to produce sheepshead too; pilings, platforms, wrecks etc, pretty much anything with barnicles attached. catch all you want buddy!

^^^
with in state limits ofcourse

I started reading this and got excited, thought I was going to get to tell somebody something new until someone beat me to it. The Fiddler Crabs are the way to go! We used to pick up the fiddler crabs and go out to SLP and cast next to the pilings. We would wear out on Sheephead. When the conditions were right it was not odd to pick up a redfish or two. Matter fact the biggest trout I have ever caught was on a fiddler crab.

Headsor Tails- if you ever eat "Red Snapper" in a restaurant and it doesn't have scales on one side- guess what you're probably eating?!?!?! Yep.

Great bait for snook over in the keys but works over here(SLP)on just about everything. Hermit crabs!! Make sure you take the tools you need to bust open there shells without hurting them. SLP is loaded with em and they are a rarety for fish. It's hard to catch em moving between shells. Try it you'll catch.