With the plethora of information available to anglers today, it's easy to learn new techniques and target new fish. One of the most challenging fish to target here on the Grand Strand is Sheepshead. Typically found around structures and deep water, although they can also be found cruising the flats or hanging around oyster bars. Their light bite and ability to easily steal your bait, along with their black and white stripes, earn them the nickname “Convicts.” Now that we've got that background out of the way, let's dig into the how-to.

Kayak fishing can be a fun way to explore areas that boats just can't get to. For Sheepshead fishing, this means getting tight to structures or even under the structure. For inshore fishing, kayaks are the preferred way to get to those unpressured fish. In our case, we run a Native Watercraft Max Slayer 10, which is a pedal-drive kayak. I can't make this point clearer, but the Native Kayak makes Sheepshead fishing a breeze with its maneuverability and instant reverse.

When you find a deep hole with structure or a piling where you marked fish, the ability to hold yourself over the fish is extremely important, and that is where the Native Watercraft Max Slayer shines. Our go-to rods are under 6’, have sensitive tips so you can feel the bite but strong enough to bring in 24” fish. The Toadfish Convict Rods paired with their 3000 series reels check all those requirements. Being under 6’ is very important when you're tight to or under structure; having a shorter rod is going to be easier to maneuver around without continually bumping into things.

We run a Garmin Striker 7SV on our kayak, and it is probably the 3rd most important piece of gear when trying to target Sheepshead, behind the kayak and the rod. When exploring new waters, we will start by locating structures that are above the water, such as dock pilings, jetties, seawalls, etc. After locating those structures, we usually pedal close to them, get depth readings, and look on both the traditional and ClearVü to see if we can mark any fish or find any submerged structure below the water.

If the depth is under 5’, we typically will not bother dropping down a bait. In our experience and considering the vertical nature of how we fish, when water is that shallow, we are less likely to find fish. That's not to say you won't but typically deep structure is better. If there is no above-water structure, we will pedal around looking for deep water with below-water structure using both side-vu, traditional, and ClearVü. Sometimes a single rock or abandoned crab pots can hold tons of fish, and without that Garmin, we wouldn't have found them.

Now that we have found our structure and deep water, we're going to drop down a fiddler crab. We're pairing the Toadfish rod and reel with 30lb braid and 20lb fluorocarbon. Good fluorocarbon line is going to make all the difference when your line is rubbing on the structure. The braid comes down to a swivel; above the swivel, we have an egg sinker and then a bead to protect the knot to the swivel. The sinker size is going to depend on the strength of the tide, so it's best to have a variety on hand.

Now onto the hook. With how Sheepshead bite and the structure of their mouth, we have found a sharp small mosquito hook to be the best, allowing for the best hookups. Usually, Owner Hooks in size 1 work best in our experience. When we drop our baits down, we will feel the bottom, then reel up a bit. There is no exact measurement for what a “bit” is. Sometimes the fish are on the bottom, sometimes they are more suspended; play around with the depth of your bait until you find the fish.

Now that your bait is soaking, it's best to keep your line tight and your finger on the line; you can very easily miss a Sheepshead bite, and you will reel in to find your bait gone or crushed. The timing of the hookset is something that takes practice. Sometimes you will set the hook as soon as they bite, only to find out you missed them. Other times, you will wait a bit and have a slower hookset, getting a good “stick” in their mouth. Again, it all takes practice, and it's part of the process of learning to Sheepshead fish.

Now for the "where"? Well, we aren't going to be "spot burners," so this will be for y'all to find out. The best part about learning something new is failing, so get out there and explore some new waters! Please consider releasing those big over 20” fish so we will continue to have a healthy fishery. If you're lucky enough to get a keeper size fish and are looking for some ways to cook them head over to our recipe section or to our youtube channel to find some ways to cook Sheepshead. I hope this helps, and if this gets good feedback, we will continue to drop these blog posts on all things outdoors here in the Carolinas.

Printable Sheepshead Guide