# sheep head rig??????



## ymmij (Jun 21, 2008)

hey guy, can anybody tell me a good sheep head rig to use? will be fishing this weekend. thanks :fishing::beer::beer::beer:


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## gus (Jan 24, 2002)

std dropper rig


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## DavB (Apr 15, 2000)

I am into a peroid of fustration with the Sheepies... At one time, I thought I had a clue...

Try a Carolian rig with a 3 OZ sinker at the Catwalk. There is usually a place next to the pilons where you can drop this rig and not have the current sweep it away.

I'm all messed up where it comes to hooks and rods.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Most people use a Carolina rig (main line to egg sinker to swivel to 18" of 30 lb flourocarbon leader to your desired hook). Use the lightest egg sinker possible so you can see the strike. All the sinker is there to do is to keep it straight down. For sheepshead most folks use a heavy J hook.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

*jmo*

I used to bring a 14ft jonboat to OI and motor under the bridge after picking a good piling with deep water around it.. Usually around dead high tide,less current the better imo.. We fished with strong bassrods and I had 50lb mono on the reel.. had small but strong livebait hooks on a dropper rig.. As small a sinker as possible with dropper tied fairly short. This would put the sandflea out in the middle away from the sinker and you could feel the bite fairly quick. The bassrods were fairly sensitive,so you were on it right when they hit,which was a neccesity... We caught as many as 50 a day,biggest to 10lbs..

Were I doing this again,I'd be using 30lb braid,and the same rig again,with a little stouter rod,good conventional reel (you can get on the fish quicker with a conventional than a spinner when yanking them out).. I think you could mohawk the rasacals on the right piling with a setup like that... jmo


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

Not an expert by any means but this is how I do it....6-7' MH or H power and fast or extrafast good quality graphite casting rod (I use IM7 or better for the sensitivity)...mainline is at least 30lb braid (for abrasion resistance and lack of stretch)...then I albright, reverse albright, or uni-uni it to about 4' of 30-40lb fluorocarbon, then egg sinker (2oz usually) then bead (to protect my knot) then black swivel then SHORT fluorocarbon leader (30-40lb 8") to #2-2/0 hook depending on the size crab or fleas I am using. I like owner's SSW series or Mustad's sheepshead hooks (sizing on the mustad's is all weird though). I always keep my bait on the bottom to get the occasional black drum as well...I used to suspend it in the water column next to the pilings at all different depths but I got lazy and just like to keep it on the bottom now with a taut line and wait for the tap. 

I have also caught them with multiple hook dropper rigs like drumdum said, again the key is short dropper loops. If you are in a boat go at low tide and take a garden hoe and scrape the barnacles off the pilings to chum up the area then bait up w/a barnacle.

I think the key is a short leader...the shorter the leader the less chance the sheepshead can get your bait without you feeling it, this is especially true if you are suspending bait around pier pilings...if you have a suspended carolina rig w/a long leader your bait will be drifting around a lot and it will be easy for a sheepshead to come up, stay in place, crunch your flea and spit the hook without you feeling it. A short leader minimizes the chances of this IMHO. Some might argue that the sinker/swivel being close to the bait might make you lose some bites...but I use fluoro leader, black swivel, clear bead, and the smallest swivel/sinker I can get away with...they still seem to bite w/an 6-8" leader.


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## ymmij (Jun 21, 2008)

*well fead sheep head*

hey guys thanks for all the info. me and my wife got back from salvo today. did a little surf fishing and my wife caught a nice sea mullet. sat. we went out to the cat walk to fish for some sheep head and fead those sheep head pretty good. those fish had to be loving me. i could not get one to save my life. i could feel a slight hit if any at all, and it was to late free dinner for the fish:redface:this was the first time i tried to fish for sheep head, and will try again hopfuly with better luck next time. still had a great time beside the mexicans that tried to steal my bag of sand fleas that was siting next to my bucket, then tried to play stupid, but that is a hole differnt story. intill next time i go feed the fish. :fishing:


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## POMPINOLOVER (Jun 29, 2006)

Good report ...Those sheepies are Notorious Bait Stealers


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## DavB (Apr 15, 2000)

Hahahahahaha... They'll drive ya mad!!! 
*MAD* I say, Ma-a-a-a-a-a-adddddd!!! Bwhahahahaha....


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

Just fattening them up for when you come back. If you are suspending your bait you can slowly lift your bait 6"-12" up in the water column every 30 seconds or so to see if a fish is in the process of stealing your bait...if it feels like it's snagged on something set the hook and hold on (usually don't need to set the hook though cuz the sheepshead will take off and hook itself once it feels the pressure of you lifting the hook).


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## chilehead2 (Jun 20, 2006)

*sheepshead*

I find, like suggested, that a short leader or drops and the smllest terminal tackle to fit conditions will increase your chances. I also like to match up the hook to the bait which I also keep to a minimum.

But the best advise came from a black guy fishing a calcutta cane pole on the old wooden causway bridge that spanned the indian river going over to cocoa beach. He told me after showing us his croaker sack full of the fat sheepies we had been feeding the night before, "You have to fish out of the wind, an pull before you feel the basstads bite"


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## ymmij (Jun 21, 2008)

thanks guys for all the input, i will be up down there next weekend. i have some more good info from all of yall. so back with a new game plan and hopfully and a fish or two to show for it.


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