The blunt, strong jaws of sheepshead are perfect for crushing crustaceans, and they aren’t bad at stealing bait either. Photo courtesy of Johnny Spitzmiller.

A successful day of fishing can mean different things, depending on the targeted fish that the angler is after. When an early-April angler comes back to the dock with a mess of crappie, it usually means the fish are biting and are shallow. If another angler comes back to the dock with a limit of flounder, it means he’s figured out a pattern.

However, when an angler comes in with a mess of sheepshead, it means he’s a good fisherman.

The reasoning behind this theory is that in sheepshead fishing, figuring out a pattern and finding fish willing to bite is no guarantee you’ll come home with a crew of “saltwater bandits.” These fish are known among saltwater inshore anglers to be notorious bait stealers.

Sheepshead feed primarily upon shrimp and crabs. Because of their dental structure, sheepshead also have an uncanny ability to eat barnacles, an unusual target for fish. The teeth of the sheepshead allow it to bite barnacles off the structure (pier and bridge pilings, for example) and chew them up. The same rocks and pilings that are home to barnacles are also favorite locales for crabs and shrimp and during this time of year, that’s where the sheepies will be.

Understanding how the fish bite, where they feed during the hot summer months, and how to rig to sway the odds in your favor can help make you the noteworthy angler back at the dock. We decided to seek advice from two veteran guides whose experience might just help your next sheepshead trip close to a sure thing.

Reel Fish Head
“The South Carolina coastal areas, and the Charleston harbor area in particular, are loaded with sheepshead structure,” commented Charleston-area inshore guide Captain Rick Hiott. “Mainly the structure is in the form of piers, bridge pilings and large commercial docks.”

The veteran guide offers that almost any structure that has some kind of vertical drop around it and some decent current will act as a magnet for summer sheepshead.

“The commercial docks are my personal favorite,” Hiott indicated. “The large pilings are spaced far enough apart that you can maneuver a small 12- to 16-foot boat in and around the pilings and target the fish straight down.”

Anglers should take note that some docks and bridges are restricted in compliance to Homeland Security measures, and fishing around certain structures, particularly major thoroughfare bridges is prohibited. Lots and lots of law enforcement personnel crowding around your boat and shouting at you with bullhorns will tend to spook fish anyway, so you’re better off making sure that you’re fishing where it’s legal to do so.

One way of deciding which structures to focus on involves the depth of water on that structure. Hiott said he prefers docks and pilings with depths of at least 10 feet.

In addition to piers and bridge pilings, Hiott also recommends looking for sheepshead at the Charleston Jetties. The jetties are parallel rock walls that line the entrance to Charleston harbor. The jetties are also home to the 15-pound, 12-ounce South Carolina state-record sheepshead, caught in 2001 by Doug Hoover, a close friend of Hiott. Over the years, Captain Hiott has found that he catches plenty of fish from docks and bridges, but the fish are smaller, generally in the 2- to 3-pound range. Fish from the jetties are bigger, with catches in the 5- to 6-pound range being more common.

Capt Hiott’s technique for catching summer sheepshead is to get right in and around the pilings. He rigs a live fiddler crab on a 2/0 Kahle hook just a few inches below an in-line 1/2-ounce sinker. He may use more weight depending on the current but insists on using enough to keep tension on the line at all times. Because he’s fishing around unforgiving structure -- barnacle encrusted pilings and oyster beds -- he spools up with 30-pound dark green Ugly Brain line. The veteran guide positions his boat where he is within a rod’s length of several pilings and will pendulum his bait next to the structure, allowing the bait to sink to the bottom.