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Tiny nibbles could lead to toothy
monsters lurking under old docks
monsters lurking under old docks
Jen Carroll, a professional bass angler from Texas, and her husband,
Jason, show off a sheepshead they caught in Lake Pontchartrain
near where the Rigolets enters the lake by Slidell, La.
Jason, show off a sheepshead they caught in Lake Pontchartrain
near where the Rigolets enters the lake by Slidell, La.
Rapidly falling tides pulled baitfish, shrimp and other creatures from
their protective cover into open water. Unable to fight against the current,
small crabs drifted with the tides toward the Gulf of Mexico. We scooped
several crabs about as big as a nickel to a silver dollar.
“That’s what I wanted,” I said. “I like the ones about as big as a
quarter. Now, I’m going to show you what’s been breaking your lines under
this dock.”
We broke the claws off the diminutive crabs to make them more
appealing to predators. Through the back shell near the flattened
“swimmer” leg, I hooked a lively crab to a 1/8-ounce long-shanked jighead
and handed the rod to Fred Snider.
“Don’t cast it; flip it a few feet upstream and let it drop next to the dock,”
I instructed. “The tide will push it back under the dock. When you feel the
bottom, pull it up about a foot. Keep the crab slightly off the bottom and as
close to the pilings as possible. When a fish hits, you won’t feel much of a
bite, only a subtle nibble. Let the fish take it a moment and then set the
hook.”
“I’ve got a nibble, but it feels like a small one,” Snider said after doing
as instructed. “He’s not really biting. I just feel weight on my line.”
“Set the hook -- hard,” I ordered. “He might be bigger than you think.”
Immediately, the rod doubled over, nearly pulling Snider off the dock. The
fish headed straight for the barnacle-encrusted pilings like a submarine, no
finesse, just raw power.
“This isn’t some little fish,” he yelled. “It feels more like I’m hung on
bottom, but the line is moving. It’s like I’m hooked into a motorized anvil.”
Snider eventually pulled in what looked like a 5-pound bream on
steroids. Alternating black and white vertical bars led some to dub it a
“convict fish.” Some anglers sarcastically call it a “bay snapper.” Others
derisively call it “bait stealer” or several other names unfit to print. Most
people just call it a sheepshead.
In places where anglers catch abundant speckled trout, redfish and
flounders, sheepshead rank pretty low. Thinking they hooked into large
redfish, many anglers curse when they see the flattened black and white
bodies with the tiny buck-toothed mouths set in powerful jaws surrounded
by human-like lips. However, these abundant fish offer excellent sport.
Although difficult to clean, they taste delicious.
Sheepshead normally fall in the 2- to 8-pound range, but they can grow
to more than 20 pounds. In April 1982, Wayne J. Desselle landed the world
record near the mouth Bayou St. John where it enters Lake Pontchartrain
inside the city limits of New Orleans, La. It weighed 21.25 pounds.
The alternating vertical bars offer camouflage around dock pilings or
seawalls where they prefer to feed. They often lurk around bridges, jetties,
riprap, wrecks, oilfield structures or other solid structures where they munch
on barnacles, sample shrimp or crush crabs with their teeth. People often
see them hovering near bridge pilings or railroad trestles.
Since they frequently feed near structure, sheepshead offer
outstanding opportunities for boatless anglers to land huge fish. Off camp
docks, many anglers simply drop baits vertically to the bottom and bounce
them up and down. If nothing hits at the bottom, slowly bring baits toward
the surface in stages. Sheepshead might prowl near the bottom or
suspend in the water column.
Sheepshead seldom hit lures, although anglers occasionally catch them
on plastic grubs, spoons, spinnerbaits or flies that resemble shrimp or
crabs. However, sheepshead devour most natural baits. Although they
relish crunching the shells of live crustaceans or slurping mollusks more
than gobbling fish, sheepshead readily nibble live or dead shrimp, minnows,
cracked clams, squid and sometimes even fish chunks. When fishing off
docks or seawalls, many anglers crack clams and toss them into the water
or use shovels and rakes to smash barnacles. Sheepshead come to feed
in the debris clouds.
More than anything, they relish small live crabs. Many camps or docks
provide a place where people can clean their catch. Often, successful
anglers toss the fish heads and other refuse into the water. Crabs arrive to
feast upon the carcasses. Sheepshead and many other fish often hang
around cleaning stations to eat the crabs.
Catching sheepshead requires equipment with backbone. To
overpower sheepshead, use medium-heavy to heavy rods and at least 20-
pound test line to horse stubborn fish out from under entangling structure.
Attach baits to stout, long-shanked hooks. Many people use wire leaders.
Use as little weight as possible, only enough to keep the bait in place.
Despite their size, powerful jaws and impressive dental equipment,
sheepshead don’t often hit like lunkers. Fastidious, they gingerly nibble
baits and don’t rush out to attack food. They don’t chase down prey.
Almost timidly, they examine morsels before deciding to taste them. A
sheepshead can quickly strip bait from a hook almost undetected, but may
remain in the same place as long as food keeps coming to it.
Once hooked, though, few fish fight like sheepshead. Built for power,
not speed, they don’t run like rampaging redfish. They don’t slash and
flash like specks. Instead, they rely upon brute strength, hunkering down
and refusing to budge. They mangle tackle, frequently biting hooks in half
and popping lines.
In many areas, people can catch sheepshead without limit. When other
“more desirable" fish refuse to bite, abundant sheepshead can often
provide endless tackle-busting action.
their protective cover into open water. Unable to fight against the current,
small crabs drifted with the tides toward the Gulf of Mexico. We scooped
several crabs about as big as a nickel to a silver dollar.
“That’s what I wanted,” I said. “I like the ones about as big as a
quarter. Now, I’m going to show you what’s been breaking your lines under
this dock.”
We broke the claws off the diminutive crabs to make them more
appealing to predators. Through the back shell near the flattened
“swimmer” leg, I hooked a lively crab to a 1/8-ounce long-shanked jighead
and handed the rod to Fred Snider.
“Don’t cast it; flip it a few feet upstream and let it drop next to the dock,”
I instructed. “The tide will push it back under the dock. When you feel the
bottom, pull it up about a foot. Keep the crab slightly off the bottom and as
close to the pilings as possible. When a fish hits, you won’t feel much of a
bite, only a subtle nibble. Let the fish take it a moment and then set the
hook.”
“I’ve got a nibble, but it feels like a small one,” Snider said after doing
as instructed. “He’s not really biting. I just feel weight on my line.”
“Set the hook -- hard,” I ordered. “He might be bigger than you think.”
Immediately, the rod doubled over, nearly pulling Snider off the dock. The
fish headed straight for the barnacle-encrusted pilings like a submarine, no
finesse, just raw power.
“This isn’t some little fish,” he yelled. “It feels more like I’m hung on
bottom, but the line is moving. It’s like I’m hooked into a motorized anvil.”
Snider eventually pulled in what looked like a 5-pound bream on
steroids. Alternating black and white vertical bars led some to dub it a
“convict fish.” Some anglers sarcastically call it a “bay snapper.” Others
derisively call it “bait stealer” or several other names unfit to print. Most
people just call it a sheepshead.
In places where anglers catch abundant speckled trout, redfish and
flounders, sheepshead rank pretty low. Thinking they hooked into large
redfish, many anglers curse when they see the flattened black and white
bodies with the tiny buck-toothed mouths set in powerful jaws surrounded
by human-like lips. However, these abundant fish offer excellent sport.
Although difficult to clean, they taste delicious.
Sheepshead normally fall in the 2- to 8-pound range, but they can grow
to more than 20 pounds. In April 1982, Wayne J. Desselle landed the world
record near the mouth Bayou St. John where it enters Lake Pontchartrain
inside the city limits of New Orleans, La. It weighed 21.25 pounds.
The alternating vertical bars offer camouflage around dock pilings or
seawalls where they prefer to feed. They often lurk around bridges, jetties,
riprap, wrecks, oilfield structures or other solid structures where they munch
on barnacles, sample shrimp or crush crabs with their teeth. People often
see them hovering near bridge pilings or railroad trestles.
Since they frequently feed near structure, sheepshead offer
outstanding opportunities for boatless anglers to land huge fish. Off camp
docks, many anglers simply drop baits vertically to the bottom and bounce
them up and down. If nothing hits at the bottom, slowly bring baits toward
the surface in stages. Sheepshead might prowl near the bottom or
suspend in the water column.
Sheepshead seldom hit lures, although anglers occasionally catch them
on plastic grubs, spoons, spinnerbaits or flies that resemble shrimp or
crabs. However, sheepshead devour most natural baits. Although they
relish crunching the shells of live crustaceans or slurping mollusks more
than gobbling fish, sheepshead readily nibble live or dead shrimp, minnows,
cracked clams, squid and sometimes even fish chunks. When fishing off
docks or seawalls, many anglers crack clams and toss them into the water
or use shovels and rakes to smash barnacles. Sheepshead come to feed
in the debris clouds.
More than anything, they relish small live crabs. Many camps or docks
provide a place where people can clean their catch. Often, successful
anglers toss the fish heads and other refuse into the water. Crabs arrive to
feast upon the carcasses. Sheepshead and many other fish often hang
around cleaning stations to eat the crabs.
Catching sheepshead requires equipment with backbone. To
overpower sheepshead, use medium-heavy to heavy rods and at least 20-
pound test line to horse stubborn fish out from under entangling structure.
Attach baits to stout, long-shanked hooks. Many people use wire leaders.
Use as little weight as possible, only enough to keep the bait in place.
Despite their size, powerful jaws and impressive dental equipment,
sheepshead don’t often hit like lunkers. Fastidious, they gingerly nibble
baits and don’t rush out to attack food. They don’t chase down prey.
Almost timidly, they examine morsels before deciding to taste them. A
sheepshead can quickly strip bait from a hook almost undetected, but may
remain in the same place as long as food keeps coming to it.
Once hooked, though, few fish fight like sheepshead. Built for power,
not speed, they don’t run like rampaging redfish. They don’t slash and
flash like specks. Instead, they rely upon brute strength, hunkering down
and refusing to budge. They mangle tackle, frequently biting hooks in half
and popping lines.
In many areas, people can catch sheepshead without limit. When other
“more desirable" fish refuse to bite, abundant sheepshead can often
provide endless tackle-busting action.
