Sheepshead

EDITOR'S NOTE: Gary Davis, a charter-boat captain from Foley, Alabama, has fished the back bays of the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area along Alabama's Gulf Coast all his life. He's guided for 30 years and consistently catches more inshore species than most other anglers do because he knows the secrets of successful back-bay fishing. Each day this week we'll look at the tactics Davis uses to catch different species of fish throughout the year in back-bay areas.

Question: Many coastal anglers used to consider a sheepshead a trash fish, but I know that you fish for them throughout the year. Why?
Answer: I've been eating sheepshead all my life. Sheepshead is one of the tastiest fish that swims in the Gulf of Mexico. When you fillet a sheepshead, you get a really pretty piece of white meat that runs from the base of the fish's head, down its back and toward the fish's tail. Because a sheepshead has a large stomach area, you won't get as much meat from a sheepshead as you will from a redfish or a speckled trout, but the meat you do get will be delicious. Some anglers in our area who commercial fish for speckled trout also take sheepshead all year long. Too, the sheepshead is a great fighting fish, and you generally can locate sheepshead around any type of area with barnacles. Since sheepshead tend to feed on barnacles, rocks, reefs and rigs will all hold sheepshead.

Question: What technique do you use to catch the sheepshead?
Answer: I usually use a piece of dead shrimp and a small hook. If the current's not running hard, I won't use any shot lead. However, if the current is running hard, I may have to use a piece of shot lead up the line. I'll cast upcurrent and let the current wash the bait down to the fish. I'll also use Berkley XT line, usually in 8- to 10-pound test, in the summertime when I fish in clear water. In the spring, when the water is often muddy or in the fall, I may move up to 15- to 17-pound test line. The line you use is a critical factor in whether or not you land sheepshead. Fishing around rocks, rigs, piers and docks, that line will come in contact with barnacles. If it doesn't have a high-abrasion-resistance factor, you'll lose more sheepshead than you catch.

Question: Have you learned anything new about sheepshead fishing lately?
Answer: Yes, and I can't believe it. I was fishing with Berkley's Inshore Power Tubes for speckled trout in an area that had some wood cover and rock structure along the bottom when my client caught a sheepshead. Because sheepshead won't generally feed on bait that looks like a squid or a live minnow, I have to believe that the only reason the sheepshead hit that Power Tube was because of the scent in the plastic. I know that this spring or summer Berkley plans to release a new sheet bait supercharged with scent. Anglers will be able to cut this bait into whatever shape they want and put it on a hook. I believe that this sheet bait will be perfect for sheepshead because it will have a lot of scent in it. I can cut it to any size I want and put it on a hook. The bait is tough enough that I should be able to catch four or five sheepshead off a single bait before I have to put on another. This winter I plan to test the sheet bait side by side with dead shrimp to see which one produces best. Even if the sheet bait doesn't catch any more sheepshead than dead shrimp does, I'll probably still use it because it's easy to store. Too, I can use as little or as much of it as I want and catch more sheepshead per bait. Winter months are the best time for us to catch sheepshead. They migrate into the back-bay areas, and we can often catch 30 to 50 a day. Call or write Gary Davis at 218 West Marigold Avenue, Foley, AL 36535, (334) 943-6298.

TOMORROW: Redfish