Hey guys wondering if you could help me out with some local knowledge....

We have a place and 22 ft bay boat in Port A and spend most of our time catching piggies off the dock and rigging our rods with a split shot weight a foot or two off our live piggies and casting into the shores around our channels.....

We do pretty well and have a great time, typically being able to catch a Red Fish limit and a nice trout here and there, along with a random Black Drum over a decent time sitting.

Many times I want to take a group out just for some action and some catch and release unless we plan to cook them that night. I am always hearing of guides and other acquaintances doing some "easy" (no fishing is easy in my opinion) Black Drum and Sheepshead fishing. If I could get any kind of instructions on the Port A area on how to rig and where to catch these fish I'd greatly appreciate.

I have heard very vague stories of catching Black Drum along side the inner bay rigs (what bait? what depth? ) and also catching Sheepshead just off the jetty in the surf, any further details there would also be greatly appreciated.

Happy fishing

Thanks for the help

Try to find some deeper channels (3-8 ft) that drain from flats and into the main channels. Fish 'em on a falling tide. Any cut that feeds from the flats and into the Lydia Ann should hold black drum. Carolina-Rigged live shrimp on bottom is what I've always caught them on.

Shrimp on bottom or suspended or free lined around rocks and structure will usually catch Sheepshead. Try the old shipwreck in the Lydia Ann Channel, toward the lighthouse. I hear tale that sheepshead congregate there frequently.

Lets see u got the cut by the light house or keep going down past the lighthouse going back towards rockport there`s another cut where u can drive a boat up into[LP] probably remembers what its called [I don`t] just know where it is or keep going next channel to the left leads back in to California hole.........Bill

thanks for the help, I am over by Piper Channel so I will look for those characteristics and try Carolina w shrimp...

Is fishing for black drum with same rig same idea? Popper or no popper?

Yep either way bottom or popper/.............Bill

I believe it's called Big Slough or Slew or some such.

The mouth is silted in...only about 18" deep so run straight up the center on plane. Watch your graph and it'll drop to about 6-8' just inside. Shut 'er down and idle in. Anchor up on either side. Don't try to run onto the flat that slough is surrounded by oyster reefs.

by far fiddler crabs will catch sheepshead anytime you stick it in the water..go find some, keep in bucket with lid..next to barnacles, its there top food.

I caught a 40 pound black drum over spring break in the Intracoastal near Rollover at night.I caught him on a live shrimp in about 6-10 feet of water with on of my homemade "Tightline" rigs as i call them.Didn't catch much of anything else that night,i have no info on sheepshead. Hope this helps.

When I have people in the boat that are not very good with the waves, my go to spot to keep them in action is right accross the channel from the PA marina. You can drive your boat inside the old boat docks that are on the point of the two channels. I tie up to the structure and fish the whole column. I catch reds, mangrove, sheep head and black drum there. It is an easy place to catch fish when the tides are strong. I generally use live piggies or shrimp.

I have some other locations that I go to, but I really don't know the name, just how to get there. One thing that I have found that is quite useful when looking for new locations is Google Maps. It has helped me find some of the cuts that you have a hard time finding when on the water.