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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 20, 2009 15:00:47 GMT -5
Its addicting, and they fight hard but not smart so you dont lose to many of them as long as you have practice with snook and mangos around pilings sheepshead arent a problem.
But probably the part i like the most is you have no idea how big they are until you set the hook. First its just some itty bitty bites softer than trigger fish then give it a quick hook set to see if one has it and blammo!!! You got a four pounder coming up in the middle of people that arent catching anything.
Just that feeling in my arm of setting the hook on those its not like snook where you feel the bump and feel the line start to pull and set the hook for all your worth. Or like mangos where you get some strong taps then blammo. Altho i am anxious for the mangos to move back in, been missing them. Its like your hung up but then it starts to fight...I love it
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Post by popo on Jan 20, 2009 22:02:26 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm with you on the sheepshead fishing. They are all over the bridges now and a blast.
I find hooking them to be challenging. I don't quite have it down yet.
Sometimes they don't really do the tap tap bite. They just grab the bait with their mouth and start moving sideways real slow. Other times they just slowly pull down on the bait. Very rarely do they take it and run. And then they do the baby tap tap bite a lot.
I often mistake the tap tap bites for pinfish, etc and don't set the hook unless I feel pressure or something heavier on the line. Maybe I'm missing some sheepshead by doing this....
Any tips on hooking them would be appreciated.
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Post by SkyJay on Jan 20, 2009 23:25:07 GMT -5
Just Reel.  |
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Post by doubleo on Jan 21, 2009 1:46:22 GMT -5
just use a cicle hook po-po...all you gotta do is reel when you feel the fish
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Post by popo on Jan 21, 2009 5:32:39 GMT -5
I like using those bronze #1 eagle claw baitholder hooks that skyjay suggested.
I will also take his suggestion on reeling instead of trying to jerk up and set the hook. Now that I think about it, most times I go to jerk up, I can feel that I am pulling the hook right out of its mouth. You would think the hook would need to be jabbed pretty hard into those hard mouths....
But it seems when I gently lift up and start reeling is generally when I get a better hookup.
I'm gonna try to fight the jerking instinct and work on "just reeling."
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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 21, 2009 12:03:09 GMT -5
i for one havent had much luck with the circles. Altho they mite not have been around when i put one on the line to try. But the way i do it is to hold the pole still and stare at the tip, i cant feel the taps. If i do feel the taps its generally pinfish. Also keep just enough tension on the line so that the line is straight but the weight still sits on the bottom. And when i jerk its not a large jerk its maybe a quick 1 or 2 foot jerk so i can get it back down to the bottom if there is nothing on. But yeah sometimes it is just a steady pull but you can see that on the rod tip also.
Some times i will just sit back rest the rod on the railing still holding it of course but just watch the tip, The railing stabilizes the pole but its not as easy to set the hook right
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Post by doubleo on Jan 21, 2009 12:22:03 GMT -5
^^ i lightly touch my braid with my left index finger...i can feel the bottom, fish etc
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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 21, 2009 12:56:29 GMT -5
yeah i dont care for braid either, but i have started using flourocarbon leader since they dont break me off much, i think its improved my fishing since what i am told it goes invisible in salt water
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Post by fishindad on Jan 21, 2009 15:20:38 GMT -5
IMHO I think Sheepshead are really an underrated fish. Once you get the hang of it, its ALOT of fun. Plus.. They are TASTY. I gotta get back out to the piers soon. It been too long.
Fishindad
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Post by doubleo on Jan 21, 2009 17:27:04 GMT -5
durden...how can you not like braid???
no stretch, ultra sensitive...rock solid hook sets!!!
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jamesk
Eager Angler
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 91
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Post by jamesk on Jan 21, 2009 17:41:32 GMT -5
I was wondering the same thing!
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Post by rayswin on Jan 21, 2009 18:16:28 GMT -5
I like to use 40 pound monofilament with 50lbs. flourocarbon leader tied to a #4 eagle claw circle hook when sheephead fishing. You just never know when you might get that monster on there and the extra line strength def. comes into play then.
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Post by goindeep on Jan 21, 2009 20:47:31 GMT -5
Hey Tyler what bait do you normally use?
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Post by doubleo on Jan 21, 2009 23:05:42 GMT -5
I like to use 40 pound monofilament with 50lbs. flourocarbon leader tied to a #4 eagle claw circle hook when sheephead fishing. You just never know when you might get that monster on there and the extra line strength def. comes into play then. wow...just wow i use 35 braid and 60 floro for tarpon LOLOL For sheepies, reds, snook, Pomps etc i throw 20lb braid and 25lb floro there is no need to go 40/50 for a 5lb sheepie.... |
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Post by goindeep on Jan 21, 2009 23:54:20 GMT -5
I like to use 40 pound monofilament with 50lbs. flourocarbon leader tied to a #4 eagle claw circle hook when sheephead fishing. You just never know when you might get that monster on there and the extra line strength def. comes into play then. wow...just wow i use 35 braid and 60 floro for tarpon LOLOL For sheepies, reds, snook, Pomps etc i throw 20lb braid and 25lb floro there is no need to go 40/50 for a 5lb sheepie.... 4 real....I use 50 braid w/60 mono for Grouper.... For the smaller fish at the pier (snapper, bass, etc) I go 20lb mono with 30lb floro leader...and I think thats even overkill, but at the pier ya never know what you might hook while snapper or sheep fishing...I figure that setup would give me a fighting chance if I hook something bigger, as long as he doesnt wrap me around a piling. With the new closed season on gags, I think sheepshead might be what I will focus on while the water temps are down. Great thread. Keep the info comin! |
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Post by doubleo on Jan 22, 2009 1:11:30 GMT -5
^^^ that is the down side to pier fishing...stupid pilings!
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Post by havetofish on Jan 22, 2009 10:47:49 GMT -5
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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 22, 2009 12:02:48 GMT -5
^^^^ill have to give that a try, put the weight below the hook.
As for me i just like mono better, i seem to lose alot of fish especially when i am snook fishing when i use braid, its snaps almost immediatly, so i stick with what has worked for me all these years. I generally go about 10 15 lbs mono on my poles with 30-40 lbs leader altho i have 25lb flouro now, that ish is expensive. All i use tho are the little $25 dollar special poles i get from walmart, they dont last more than a year if you hook up with alot of strong fish but hey i dont have to worry bout washing them down everytime and i can use them without worry, but pulling up 6 pound sheeps, 14in snapper, and of course snook are a hoot on them
This weekend i am gonna wrangle up a bunch of fiddlers for bait but i have been just using oysters, just open up the oysters take the meat out and keep hooking it as many times as you can however if the bait stealers are around u might as well forget it
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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 22, 2009 15:31:12 GMT -5
ok, maybe ill try some braid this weekend also, its just such a pain to learn new knots and how to work your figures right to tie them, I mean mono i can tie in the dark and very very quickly
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Post by rayswin on Jan 22, 2009 16:13:04 GMT -5
doubleo you will want that 40/50 combo of line when the 20lbs. sheephead hits ur line. Always best to be ready for the monsters, ok I may lose a few of the smaller ones but I will be bringing in that trophy.
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Post by inshorebasher on Jan 22, 2009 21:14:06 GMT -5
i love and hate braided line. i have it on all my reels as of now spinning/conventional inshore/offshore u name it. i always use mono leader even on mono spooled reels. the mono leader allows the strech when fighting a fish. when i'm offshore i spool an extra 10-20 feet of topshot mono equvalent to whats spooled on the reel to allow strech and less "dark" braid visibility near the shorter mono incase fish get spooky.
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Post by SkyJay on Jan 22, 2009 21:26:03 GMT -5
I know what you're thinking. (At least I was) A 20 lb. Sheepshead? No way!  So I looked It up... And guess what? Way! Seems there are some Real Monsters in La.  Fla. record is only 12lbs. 2 oz. however.  www.indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/porgshee.htmllandbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=26World Record (La.)21lbs. 4 ozs.  www.scfishingreport.com/Pages/species/saltwater/sheepshead/records.htmlI've seen, and caught some BIIIG OLE Sheepshead in my time mostly in the 8 to 10 lb. range. (Back in The Day) But I never realized they grew quite that big until now... Just goes to show ya, if'n ya pay attention you can learn something every day! As to terminal tackle, I say whatever works for you.  Having said that though, It's always been my experience that the big girls ain't stupid, and (especially in areas, where there is a lot of fishing pressure like at the SkyWay) will, and do become leader shy at a certain point. Sometimes in order to really get on em in fact you have to actually do the opposite, remember the drag is your friend,and Scale your tackle down, instead of beefing up, much as in Offshore Snapper fishing. But hey... That's just my 2 cents, and everybody knows, ya can't buy squat with 2 cents. Right? Anyways, fish on folks, and good luck. Yer gonna need it in order to learn how to ketch them sneaky Convicts Consistently, and with any kind of success... LOL I Love It! |
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Post by doubleo on Jan 23, 2009 1:13:25 GMT -5
doubleo you will want that 40/50 combo of line when the 20lbs. sheephead hits ur line. Always best to be ready for the monsters, ok I may lose a few of the smaller ones but I will be bringing in that trophy. you shoulda seen me screwing around with 5-6lb sheepies the other day a 7ft Med/light rod with 10/20 i do 15/20 for gags wuite often...that IS A HANDFULL! |
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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 23, 2009 12:24:41 GMT -5
saw one caught last week looked to be about 8 lbs
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Tommy
Rod Polisher
Hooked[Mo0:0]
Posts: 142
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Post by Tommy on Jan 23, 2009 13:11:02 GMT -5
skyjay, that FL record woulda fell several years back if this duid in Yankee town had known what the record was. He returned after an all day trip and on of the people on the dock noticed this monster sheepie he was cleaning. They weighed filets and the rest of the fish and it was just shy of 18lbs. So there out there  |
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Post by inshorebasher on Jan 23, 2009 13:28:16 GMT -5
well u know that the world record was caught in the gulf so anybody out there has a better chance than the ones on the east. biggest i caught was probably around 8-10 off skyway tail sticking out the bucket and all......threw out a small shrimp on a long shank j hook and wham bait runners screaming and up comes this convict! wow never thought a sheep head would hit and run.
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Post by tylerdurden on Jan 23, 2009 14:05:53 GMT -5
you just wait im gonna have a fence or something more decorated than skyjays this weekend
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Post by popo on Jan 23, 2009 19:36:26 GMT -5
Learned something new about the sheeps today...
Check out the boat marker pilings that are in deep holes on the negative low tides.
Seems to me, they are less spooky and hungry when caught up in the holes.
Found a big school of them today and ran out of shrimp..... Every cast was either a missed bite or fish on. It was a blast.
Skyjay, "just reel" works much better than yanking the hook out of their mouth.
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Post by goindeep on Jan 23, 2009 21:26:01 GMT -5
Tyler you fishin for those at the pier?
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Post by SkyJay on Jan 24, 2009 1:40:35 GMT -5
Hey Rookie... The Fence is ready when you are darlin!  Fish On Tyler.... Don't b Strain Yer Gizzard. ;D |
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