# Sheepshead In August



## kyudizky (Aug 5, 2009)

Coming to town the first week in August and thinking about getting a guide to go out for Sheepshead with my 2 boys. 

How is the Sheepshead bite this time of year? Any good, would like to take them but not if its would be a waste of time if the timing just isn't right?

Thanks,


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Sheephead don't bite that good in warmer water. Plus they don't taste very good. Feb and March are the best time for sheephead.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

sealark said:


> Sheephead don't bite that good in warmer water. Plus they don't taste very good. Feb and March are the best time for sheephead.


I can't tell if you're trolling or not...


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

kyudizky said:


> Coming to town the first week in August and thinking about getting a guide to go out for Sheepshead with my 2 boys.
> 
> How is the Sheepshead bite this time of year? Any good, would like to take them but not if its would be a waste of time if the timing just isn't right?
> 
> Thanks,


If you can get a hold of some kayaks, the sheepshead fishing is EXCELLENT in August. It's also excellent right now. Here's a couple solid fish from three days ago.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

kyudizky said:


> Coming to town the first week in August and thinking about getting a guide to go out for Sheepshead with my 2 boys.
> 
> How is the Sheepshead bite this time of year? Any good, would like to take them but not if its would be a waste of time if the timing just isn't right?
> 
> Thanks,


Here's a few from the beginning of September last year. The bite is just as good in August though, too. Tons of 6 to 8 pound fish around.


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## Rickpcfl (Nov 12, 2013)

ThaFish - do you catch those around bridge pilings in the summer?


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## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

Sheepshead are everywhere year round. Back before everyone decided they were good to eat we would stick them with a pieces of sharpened re bar around pileing. But not the size in these photos.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Rickpcfl said:


> ThaFish - do you catch those around bridge pilings in the summer?


Yes, they are thick there the entire year, if you know where to target them & what type of bait to use. We found 8 in the 2.5-5 pound range a few days ago when we were out.


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## Ryan PS (May 31, 2016)

Are they at piers right now? Jetties? Joe Patty?


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Nice pictures I didn't know sheephead spawned that early. Those pictured are full of Roe. Plus held out as far as your arms can stretch.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

sealark said:


> Nice pictures I didn't know sheephead spawned that early. Those pictured are full of Roe. Plus held out as far as your arms can stretch.


Those pictured are not full of roe. I would know, I cleaned them & ate them. 

The two fish in the last photo are just under 7 pounds & 7 & a quarter pounds. Looking back, I think I could have held them a couple inches farther out. 

Dammit.


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## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

ThaFish said:


> Those pictured are not full of roe. I would know, I cleaned them & ate them.
> 
> The two fish in the last photo are just under 7 pounds & 7 & a quarter pounds. Looking back, I think I could have held them a couple inches farther out.
> 
> Dammit.


It just baffles me why so many supposed grown men on this forum act like children.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

2RC's II said:


> It just baffles me why so many supposed grown men on this forum act like children.


It's the same four guys. Always has been. Boring lives I guess? Don't get me wrong, I get on here & stir up stuff on purpose sometimes, but the reactions from those few older dudes are just great!


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## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

No one stirs up the old locals more than me hands down but to call out a person who has poster as many fish as you is just nuts.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Dafish, by any chance are you running charters? I was catching sheephead in the 50s.those fish had roe or you caught them in 200 ft. Of water. And I am far from being bored.


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## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

ThaFish -- being a PB " part timer" I really enjoy your posts and reports. It amazes me how some people think there is only way to do something -- their way. Of course there are people who still believe in Unicorns , Bigfoot , the earth is flat and that manatees have been seen in Santa Rosa Sound !


You just please keep posting and I for one hope your arms get even longer !!


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Hey Thafish, you have a PM.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

sealark said:


> Dafish, by any chance are you running charters? I was catching sheephead in the 50s.those fish had roe or you caught them in 200 ft. Of water. And I am far from being bored.


Haha, man I genuinely cannot tell if you're trolling me or not, but I can tell you with 1000% certainty that the two stud sheeps in that last photo were caught on September 17th last year, around 9AM. They were both caught off of the same structure in 8 feet of water, & neither of them had any roe in them.

I suppose the 6 & a half pound fish in my right hand in this photo, & the pair of five pound fish in my left hand, caught on November 14th last year near the same area, were also full of roe? :no:


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

lsucole said:


> ThaFish -- being a PB " part timer" I really enjoy your posts and reports. It amazes me how some people think there is only way to do something -- their way. Of course there are people who still believe in Unicorns , Bigfoot , the earth is flat and that manatees have been seen in Santa Rosa Sound !
> 
> 
> You just please keep posting and I for one hope your arms get even longer !!


Haha, always nice to receive comments like that man! I'm really glad you enjoy my posts, I seriously appreciate it. I've been fishing most days still, but I haven't been posting anymore. Maybe I'll have to get back into that.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Yes I said those fish so I will eat crow and say that the one I seen with a bulge had roe. The guy was asking to catch sheephead in summer. They are hard to catch when water is warm. And they don't taste that good untill the water cools off in late fall and winter. I'm done


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

sealark said:


> Yes I said those fish so I will eat crow and say that the one I seen with a bulge had roe. The guy was asking to catch sheephead in summer. They are hard to catch when water is warm. And they don't taste that good untill the water cools off in late fall and winter. I'm done


The fish did not have roe. I'm not sure what you don't understand. I know admitting you're wrong when you get to your age is a tough pill to swallow, but I promise you it's worth taking the time to learn how to do it. 

They're not hard to catch when the water is warm. The resident fish eat 12 months out of the year (duh?). You having a hard time finding them when they aren't schooled up by the thousands in the pass during the spawn isn't really an acceptable reason to mislead people about when you can fish for them. 

Rig up correctly, use the right bait, & fish the right areas & you can catch them during the summer months with no issues at all. I should know, I do it regularly. 

Enjoy your day bud.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)




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## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

Stuck em all year long in Lake Pontchartrain around the piling at the old wooden railroad trestle at North shore in the 70's.. No one ate them back then.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

Stud Sheeps dude, 100% solid fisherman!!!!!!!!


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## bigtee (Jan 1, 2018)

Sheepshead are out year round like everyone else has said. Just be careful because the warmer temperatures have higher chances of them having worms. I haven't had as many issues yet this year but last year we had lots of worm problems.


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## Falcon4078 (Sep 17, 2018)

bait/tackle for sheepshead?


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## lettheairout (Mar 11, 2008)

Pretty much all fish caught during the summer months have worms. They don't hurt anything. Eithier pick them out or fry them up no problem


bigtee said:


> Sheepshead are out year round like everyone else has said. Just be careful because the warmer temperatures have higher chances of them having worms. I haven't had as many issues yet this year but last year we had lots of worm problems.


Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I didn't know that the sheepshead tactics changed whether the water was warm or cold...

I thought it was always a #1 hook on 15lb flouro with a fiddler or sandflea dropped around pilings, docks, etc... Am I missing something? 

I'm not trolling, I'm trying to learn. FIguring out how to catch SH is on my bucket list. So far unsuccessfully. But I also havent really tried very hard. LOL


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

lettheairout said:


> Pretty much all fish caught during the summer months have worms. They don't hurt anything. Eithier pick them out or fry them up no problem
> 
> Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


Absolutely false. Do some reading on spaghetti worms. From what I understand, the water temperature/time of the year has nothing to do with how many worms are in the fish.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

NoMoSurf said:


> I didn't know that the sheepshead tactics changed whether the water was warm or cold...
> 
> I thought it was always a #1 hook on 15lb flouro with a fiddler or sandflea dropped around pilings, docks, etc... Am I missing something?
> 
> I'm not trolling, I'm trying to learn. FIguring out how to catch SH is on my bucket list. So far unsuccessfully. But I also havent really tried very hard. LOL


Summertime tactics are similar. I never go that large on the hook though, I'm not sure why people insist on using #1 hooks for a fish that has a mouth opening the size of a finger tip. #6 j-hooks/octopus hooks are my go-to.


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

I like either #6 or #4 light wire hooks as well. They sometimes get mangled but it's less hardware in front of their noses. :thumbsup:


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## CalvinandHobbes (Jan 25, 2014)

ThaFish said:


> Absolutely false. Do some reading on spaghetti worms. From what I understand, the water temperature/time of the year has nothing to do with how many worms are in the fish.


He is right! I looked it up out of boredom but learned some interesting things about them.


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