Wintertime Sheepshead

One of the greatest things I love about fishing during the colder months is that most people don’t even consider going out. It is almost as if they believe fish hibernate or they all migrate to the Gulf. Granted, some fish do move out to warmer, deeper water but there are plenty that remain in our bays and marshes. It could also be argued that fishing during winter is better than any time of the year. One of the species that falls into this category is the Sheepshead.

Here on the Gulf Coast, the Sheepshead has several nicknames such as the convict fish, toothy bream, and my personal favorite, the Texas Permit. Every one of these names is a perfect description of not only how it looks but how it acts as well. If you have never seen one up close, you will quickly notice that their most predominant feature is their teeth. The front teeth are shaped much like our own and, looking further into the mouth, are a pallet of molars used for crushing. This is because their diet consists mostly of barnacles and other mollusks that grow on oysters, rocks, and pilings. Being a predatory species they are also quick to take an easy meal of shrimp or various species of small crabs.  

The fun thing about these fish is that they can be targeted year-round and just about anywhere in our coastal waters. I find myself paying more attention to them during the winter months because water clarity makes spotting them much easier. When possible, sight casting is always my go-to method, but there are other ways that are productive as well.

When it comes to areas to target, old pilings in ship channels are a great start, and for a few reasons. One of them is because they have been in the water for years and have plenty of barnacles for the sheepshead to munch on. The other is the access to deeper water during the colder months. This provides safety from predators and potential freezes that may occur. As far as catching them, I like to use a Carolina rig with 1/8 oz. bullet weight and size 2 or 4 straight shank hook. As far as bait goes, a piece of dead shrimp is hard to beat. If you would like to take things a step further, you could take a lesson from our Florida brethren and use fiddler crabs. I have never seen anyone in Texas use them but Florida anglers swear by them. I’ve been in bait shops during winter and seen horse troughs with hundreds of fiddlers. The shop owners say they sell out quickly…so they must work.

Another great area to target are piles of rocks and riprap, and also along jetty walls. I prefer jetty rocks because they typically are mostly flat-sided, which makes a perfect surface for landing a lure without getting hung up. The jetties also provide plenty of clean water coming in from the Gulf, which makes sight casting an option. My favorite lure to throw in these conditions is a Buggs jig.

Due to the flat surface of a jetty rock, the diamond shaped head of the jig keeps the lure in place and upright so it won’t get snagged on the rock surface. Another favorite lure is a small black and purple crankbait. As you reel it past a feeding fish, it bounces off the rocks, won’t get hung, and can be slowed to get their attention. I have thrown other color crankbaits at them but they have never shown much interest. I wish I could tell you why but there is something about that black and purple lure that they can’t stand!

While the methods described can all be very effective, my personal favorite for targeting sheepshead is with fly tackle. If you have ever heard them called Texas Permit or Poor Man’s Permit, you will quickly understand the reference. In my own opinion, fly fishing for sheepshead elevates them to perhaps the hardest inshore fish to catch on our part of the Gulf Coast. They have incredible eyesight; they are naturally very spooky, and can be just plain picky when it comes to eating a fly. However, this is what makes them a worthy target.

Figuring out a fly pattern they will react to can be a time consuming task, and little did I know, was half the battle. The other half was figuring out how to present and retrieve the fly to convince one to eat. On the way to figuring it out, I realized how unique and odd it was; completely different from any other fish I have targeted and observed in detail.

The trick is to make a good cast, bring it in front of the fish, and once you have its attention – STOP. Give it a second or two, barely move it an inch or so, stop again and just leave it. The fish will have its nose right on it and hopefully pick it up. This can sometimes happen fairly quickly and other times it might take ten seconds or more. Like I said, it’s odd!

Another thing that often gets overlooked is the table quality of these fish. They are a little more difficult to fillet than other species but are completely worth the effort. I would put them up against any other inshore fish on the dinner plate.

Wintertime is here and the colder days have settled in by now. If you do decide to get out on the water, be sure to pay close attention to the weather and use good judgement in deciding when to go. Even in winter there are plenty of great weather days that provide a great chance to get out and target a challenging species.