SHEEPSHEAD

How do you catch sheepshead on Hatteras Island?

Sheepshead are the bait thieves of the pilings. Fiddler crabs and a fast hook set are how you beat them.

Start with the rig

A sheepshead beside a barnacled pier piling

Right now

Pulling the buoy call for sheepshead…

The sheepshead calendar

Prime
Good
Off

JANOff
FEBOff
MAROff
APROff
MAYGood
JUNGood
JULPrime
AUGPrime
SEPPrime
OCTGood
NOVOff
DECOff

Sheepshead show in late spring and hold through October, peaking July through September.

Sheepshead: bait, rig and sinker

Bait first: fiddler crab. Then the rig, the sinker and the rod, the way sheepshead actually take them here.

Sheepshead bait, rig, sinker and rod table
Bait	Rig	Sinker weight	Rod and line
Fiddler crab	Carolina rig or float rig, size 1-1/0 hook1/2-2 oz, just enough to hold7 ft medium spinning rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20-30 lb fluorocarbonThe gold standard, fished tight against a piling.	1/2-2 oz, just enough to hold	7 ft medium spinning rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20-30 lb fluorocarbon
Barnacles scraped from a piling	Small hook with a split shotSplit shot, fished straight down7 ft medium spinning rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20 lb leaderMatch what they are already eating off the structure.	Split shot, fished straight down	7 ft medium spinning rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20 lb leader
Fresh shrimp	Bottom or float rig, size 1 hook1/2-2 oz7 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20 lb leaderCatches sheepshead, and everything else in the neighborhood.	1/2-2 oz	7 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20 lb leader
Small piece of clam	Small hook with a split shotSplit shot7 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20 lb leaderHard-shell bait that stays on around the rocks.	Split shot	7 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20 lb leader

Fooling a sheepshead

Sheepshead are the bait-stealers of the jetty, and catching one is a puzzle rather than a cast. They hover tight to pilings, rocks and bridge fenders, nipping at barnacles and oysters, and their human-like teeth crush a hook set as easily as a shell. The angler who succeeds uses a tiny, razor-sharp hook, a scrap of shrimp or fiddler crab, and a nearly weightless presentation so the bait sinks naturally. The strike is a light tap, not a thump, and the hookset must be immediate and firm. A short fluorocarbon leader helps in the clear water these fish prefer. Watch the rod tip rather than waiting for a pull; a sheepshead barely moves a bait, and the hand that reacts to the tap lands the fish. Keep the bait pinned to the structure, because a sheepshead that has to chase will rarely bother. Slack line and a soft touch are the difference between a landing and a stripped hook.

Water: PiersInlets and jettiesBridge pilingsNearshore wrecks and reefs
Methods: Bottom fishing near structure with fiddler crabFloat fishing near pilingsVertical jigging around bridge fenders

What decides a sheepshead bite

Set the hook before you feel the bite. Sheepshead mouth the bait and drop it, and the strike never comes if you wait.
Fish the slack tide. A ripping current drags your bait off the structure and into open water, where they are not.
Use just enough weight to get down. Too much lead and you cannot feel the tap that is the whole bite.