Sheepies and Snapper (Bait Stealing Thieves) LOL

[SnookMook]

Here's a close up look of everyone's two favorite bait stealing thieves, a sheepshead, left, a mangrove snapper, right, and the calcium ladden apparatus they use to frustrate every angler who targets them on a regular a basis.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/SnookMook/baitstealers.jpg
©Michael Wilson/Forshorefishing.TheLedger.com

It looks like something out of a dental hygienist's nightmare doesn't it? LOL

The fish were caught from the jetty at Redfish Pass on Captiva while I was on vacation. Both fish were keepers and made a very fine and satisfying meal, even though a bit costly considering how much shrimp I went throught catching them and a few of their cousins.

I thought everyone might get a kick out of this photo and come to appreciate why they are both such notorious, bait stealing thieves.

[TreednNC]

Thats shooter on the left aint it?

[DrumintheSuds]

A little trick I learned about catching sheepshead. Use very sharp hooks and drop your line down beside the pylon or structure they are holding to. Gently pull your rig up and back down. If you keep it still you will come up bare hooked everytime. He will grab your bait and gently squeeze it off the hook so when you pull up and feel tension set the hook hard. I like to use sandfleas or fiddler crabs for bait ;-)

[nine ought]

I like to use a stinger,Just a small treble attached with about a 2" leader comin of your main hook!! works 90% of the time:D

By the way that's one heck of a smile on that sheephead!!:D

[SnookMook]

DrumN'Suds-- I'd much rather use fiddlers or mud crabs myself, in my opinion you get the bigger sheepies that way.

Check out this monster I caught last year from the same jetty on a pass crab I found in the bait tank one morning. I was hoping to get a big redfish and got this monster instead. LOL

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/SnookMook/mwsheep2.jpg

What a brute, it went right around 20 inches. It was released to fight another day and also to appease the fish kharma gods. That was my biggest sheepie ever and I have a superstition about letting the biggest fish go, even if it is a good keeper for the table.

[DrumintheSuds]

DrumN'Suds-- I'd much rather use fiddlers or mud crabs myself, in my opinion you get the bigger sheepies that way.

Check out this monster I caught last year from the same jetty on a pass crab I found in the bait tank one morning. I was hoping to get a big redfish and got this monster instead. LOL

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/SnookMook/mwsheep2.jpg

What a brute, it went right around 20 inches. It was released to fight another day and also to appease the fish kharma gods. That was my biggest sheepie ever and I have a superstition about letting the biggest fish go, even if it is a good keeper for the table.

I agree about the fiddlers. Fantastic bait. I fish for black drum with them at times too.