CAPTAIN JUDY HELMEY
"Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956"
POB 30771
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 31410
912 897 4921 912 897 3460 FAX
www.missjudycharters.com
Capt Judy's email fishjudy2@aol.com
Capt Judy's Cell 912 429 7671
December 15, 2008
Happy Fishing To All!
Saltwater inshore, offshore, blue water fishing report, Freshies Suggestions, and "Little Miss Judy's story! Thanks for reading! Captain Judy
Inshore Sheepshead AKA Convict Fish
I got a call this past week from Stanley Devegter. He and Dan Rhinehart took a looking for inshore sheepshead kind of fish day. With plenty of purple back fiddlers on board they fished the docks located on the Wilmington River. The bottom line is they found a pretty solid bite. The fact of the matter is some of the sheepshead weighted up to 8 pounds each. Sheepshead especially during this time can be found in the inshore waters feeding around bridges, dock pilings, rocks, and wrecks. The bottom line to this report is if you want to target inshore sheepshead now is the time, because "serious bulking up is on their mind!"
Sheepshead love anything wrapped in a shell such as barnacles, oysters, mussels, fiddlers and stone crabs. They have an amazing ability to get out what's inside the shell so fast that in most cases it stays completely in tact. The best style hooks to use are extra strong and sharp as well as small. The secret to hooking up is to "set the hook before this fish bites!" Although this suggestion sounds crazy, you will understand the more you try to catch the "quick draw" sheepshead!
The inshore sheepshead bite is on the "wide open mode!" The reason being is that they are bulking up for their winter migration to the offshore artificial reefs. In a few weeks they will make the run, which will take them to parts unknown. Basically what they are looking for is any sort of under water structure, which can be found offshore. They love to schooling around anything that provides them with any sort of vertical feeding. Our near shore artificial reefs, which are in 60 feet or less of water, are areas that hold their attentions during this time. On their travels, if they happen to find any thing that provides them with any sort of food they will stop and re fuel before moving on. This is the time of the year where any sort of structure from artificial reefs to those other hidden wrecks get the sheepshead full feeding attention. With all this being said, "Now you know where to go!"
Let's talk a little about specific baits with rigs used for catching the "right now hungry sheepshead!"
I like my stand by bottom type rig better known as a "Carolina rig." This style rig works great, but as with anything it has its "pit falls." This rig is simple. All you have to do is to slide on an egg sinker, tie on a swivel, then the leader, and then the hook. The depth fished and the current speed dictates the weight of the sinker needed to get the job done. I always have ¼. 3/8/, ½, or ¾ better knows as a "good selection of egg sinkers on board. The swivel can be from 30 to 100 pounds. My "go to" swivel for just about everything is around 90 to 100 pounds. For leader, fluorocarbon is great, because of it's fine disappearing act preformed. However, I have used all types and they work too! Please remember I was here long before the invention of "the fluorocarbon line," but please keep that to yourself! When it comes to the right hook it has to be one that you understand. For instance: you need a strong, but small hook. The reason being the first thing that this structure holding fish is going to do is "wrap it up!" To keep your hooked fish from doing this you are going to need a little pulling strength. Thin tinned hooks might work, but why chance it? You want to "pull with" a hook that doesn't bend and the old sheepshead can't bite in half. The hook needs to be small and not too over powering. The reason being is when using fiddlers, as bait the tip of the hook needs to be stuck right in the leg socket. Some fishermen push the hook's point in the socket passed the barb while other just tip it. I would suggest trying both bait "hook up procedures."
Different Ways to Catch a Sheepshead
Drop your bait in
The Carolina rig is prefect for working vertical structure. You can drop to the base of the structure, reel up to your decided depth, and work it slowly from there. Some fishermen reel up to a certain depth and wait for the hit, while others move up and down slowing, but continuously. This approach can cause a "ring side hit" with the old sheepshead.
Float your bait in
Some fishermen prefer the old style floating method, which has also been proven on many times. The floating method is basically just what it sounds like, which is floating your bait in at the desired depth. Small traditional type adjustable floats work great when going the route. It's suggested that this method works best when you don't have much current offering up a much more of a straight up and down bait presentation.
Most fishermen when using a float style basically stays with the same hook, which most of the time is going to be a "Kale Hook." Although this hook seems a bit fragile especially when holding it up against a sheepshead strong set of teeth, but it's not! The fact of the matter is when using this style hook in conjunction with the float all works well together. I have a reason and I call it the "cushion affect."
With the float there is a certain amount of cushioning especially when setting the hook. This helps not only from bending the hook on the first set, but also in controlling the fish. It's not a total "line to in-line" hook up. It's basically confusing for the fish because when you set especially while using a float there is sort of a "bungee cord effect." This means it's not a direct set! This give the fisherman a little longer to get control and doesn't alarm the fish so quickly. Far as we know the fish is already got his next meal in it sights! Sheepsheads are considered "hit and run fish" for sure!
Direct Line In
I saved the oldest for last, because it's a good one and not too often used this day and time! Back in the old days sheepshead were mostly caught with Calcutta poles, wire, few added split shot, and whatever hook you had at the time. Lets talk about the pole and I mean "pole," because that is what it was a "cane pole.
I have to share this true story, which I still remember as if it just happened yesterday! Don't worry this one is a short one. About forty-five years ago my father suggested that I write this particular rod company and tell them about my big fish catching story. I was about 12 years old at the time and had caught an 80-pound cobia. It was a big fish for sure!
I had caught this fish while buoy fishing with my father in the Old Tybee Roads, better known now as the Savannah Shipping Channel. I had hooked this monster fish up and fought it for over 40 minutes. My father wouldn't help me with the fight. He said, "I will put the fish in the boat, but you got to get it here!" I will never forget what happened next, when I got real tried I just sat on the deck floor. Believe me this was a big mistake, because daddy boat has a wooden deck. And I must say, "It was in bad need of sanding, it had splinters and rough edges everywhere!" After about ten minutes of sitting on the floor and holding the rod my pant took the blunt of the deal. My seat was getting ripped out, but I need stopped reeling. My father wouldn't physically help, but mentally he was there 100% talking me through what would be one of my biggest fish catches of my life! The cobia weighted in at little over 80 pounds.
After it was landed I was exhausted and so was the seat of my pants. The fish was as big as me! My father remarked, "You need to write a story about this big fish." He suggested that I write the rod manufacture and tell the tale! So therefore when all was said and done we compiled this letter to the rod company. I am sorry so I can't remember, which brand rod I was using. I have wondered on and off about the brand I used for years just wishing it would come to me. The reason this is so important is when we wrote letter to manufacture about this big fish I had caught the only response we got was this:
Since you referred to our rods as "poles," you couldn't possibly be a fisherman! If only I could remember that brand name and if only they could see me now!
Just so I can set the record straight, if you want to call "a rod a pole," it's just fine with me, because where I started they were the same darn things!
Back Too… Direct Line In
Lets break down the pole used and it terminal gear. It was simple and it definitely caught lots of fish. It's kind of like "perch jerking!" At any rate, we took a cane pole and attached a piece of flexible single strand wire. As well as I can remember 30 to 40 pound test comes to mind. The distance "end to end" your fishing pole determined the length of the wire used. About two to three feet up from the end of the wire you need to mash on a few "BB" size split shots. On the end, of course you attached the hook with what now is known as a haywire twist. Back in the old days, I didn't under about the breaking off of the haywire twist tail. So therefore I used wire cutters, which resulted in many nicks and cuts to my hands. All I would have had to do was reversed the tail and it would have just broken off!
The hook used could be anything that you had on hand. Believe me, preferences of hooks used went like this: there were small and big hooks! Pick out the one that you thought would work the best and it normally did!
The best way to work this set up is it's best to be situated the length of the pole from where you were going to fish. The best bait presentation was straight up and down. Once baited up with a fiddler, oyster, mussel, or small piece of shrimp all you had to do was lower your pole right down over the spot where you were going to fish. It could be a rock, dock, or a wreck. It just needed to be some sort of structure that offered up some sort of vertical feeding! This was one set up when used that you had better had not forgotten your net!
Baits Used
As far as bait when going this route any of the following with work just fine: fiddler crab, mussels, oyster, clams, small rock crabs, or crickets…. It helped to soak the mussel, oysters, and calms meats in seawater a bit to toughen them up a bit…. this day and time you can use your microwave! It might smell up the house a bit, but it won't last long!