Sheepshead

i would say its a little early might be wrong. think water temp needs to warm up a bit...

Yes they are around, especially where there are bridges

yeah they're are starting to show up pretty good at least in wilmington waters that i know of for sure

What are you guys using to catch them? Catching your own fiddlers?

Nickp said:

What are you guys using to catch them? Catching your own fiddlers?

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Yep. Second choice sand fleas

I saw a man catching them on muscles....he would crush them and put a small amount on the hook...that's a notch above a Sand flee or fiddler crab as far as I'm concerned.

catmaster said:

I saw a man catching them on muscles....he would crush them and put a small amount on the hook...that's a notch above a Sand flee or fiddler crab as far as I'm concerned.

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Mussels are killer sheep bait, just a bit more work involved.

How far "inland" do the Sheepshead travel. Is it better to fish closer to the inlets or do they travel pretty far "upstream" in the sounds?

All the reports I see come from hard structure such as bridges, docks or jettys in tidal areas.

roostertail24 said:

All the reports I see come from hard structure such as bridges, docks or jettys in tidal areas.

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I've seen them in the grass mixed in with reds and black drum.

Probably messin around in the oyster rocks. It would be hard to consistently catch them out their tho.

May is the hot month for big sheepies. should be gettin better by the day.

roostertail24 said:

Probably messin around in the oyster rocks. It would be hard to consistently catch them out their tho.

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Maybe, I think they're eating periwinkles and fiddlers though, like I said, they're mixed in with red and black drum tailing on grass flats. I've gotten several of them to eat a fly in that situation, but it's hard to get a clean hookset. Mean fighters when they've got space to play with and I'm not using medium heavy spinning gear with a locked down drag.

Wharfrat said:

How far "inland" do the Sheepshead travel. Is it better to fish closer to the inlets or do they travel pretty far "upstream" in the sounds?

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They will travel upstream to some degree in the hotter months, but they will still occupy structure in relatively open water. You can find a few in brackish areas, but you generally won't find too many of them in skinny creek water like you will a trout or redfish. I have cast netted a few juveniles in creeks and marinas, but that is because they are fresh spawn. Mature sheeps (meat fish) will tend to crowd up more in tidal areas with higher salinity. Usually look for them on structure near deeper water: a bridge over the ICW, an ocean pier, a port wall, or a jetty on the backside of a barrier island.

Are fiddlers running around MHC yet?

Lots of them in the sand at EI today

SweetNola said:

Are fiddlers running around MHC yet?

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