Pursuing the lowly sheepshead

Pursuing the lowly sheepshead
By CAPT. MEL BERMAN, 970-WFLA

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While others spend countless angling hours pursuing politically correct species, sheepsheaders go quietly about their business catching those playful, tasty members of the porgy family. The sheepshead is a fish that can be elusive as all get out. It puts up a good fight, is somewhat complicated to fillet, but ultimately a delicious dinner treat.

As with all members of the porgy family, sheepies feed on shelled animals, including many that have some pretty tough armor. To accomplish this feat, nature has provided sheepshead with an incredible set of choppers. Their molars are arranged in several rows to give them a powerful crushing and grinding capability. And, since these flat striped beauties regularly dine on crustaceans, one is most likely to find them crunching and munching on barnacle encrusted structures.

The technique for catching them is not really brain surgery. Just set up at a bridge, dock, marker or piling and start scraping barnacles. By the way, if you moved down to Florida from a northern state, you would have done well to bring along your old ice chopper. It makes an excellent barnacle scraper.

Once you begin dislodging the loose barnacles, it’s like ringing the dinner bell for those striped “convict fish.” To coin a phrase, “if you scrape them, they will come.”

Next step of course is the fun part – catching them. As with most species, you need to place on your hook something the sheepies like to eat. This includes such goodies as fiddler crabs, the innards of oysters, shrimp pieces and yes, even barnacles themselves. In the winter, parchment worms are deposited on Florida beaches. Grab yourself a bunch and head for your favorite sheepie haunt, because parchment worms are to sheepshead like a filet mignon is to us humanoids.

Now, that’s all the good news. The bad new is that these stripped quick-strike artists give you but one chance to hook them. Some say that you almost have to “set the hook before they bite.” But once you get the hang of it (no pun intended) you should be able to snare your dinner’s worth of sheepshead every trip. Somewhat heavier and stiffer tackle should be used so that you can set the hook decisively.

Sheepshead are around Florida all year, but the big breeders show up during spring and early summer. These outsized brood stock can often be found congregating around close-in artificial reefs, jetties and other near shore structures.

Once you procure a couple-three of these chunky fish for the cooler, allow some extra time to clean them. In order to slice off the fillet, you’re going to have to work your knife around a fairly complicated rib/backbone structure. I personally think they taste best when skinned.

As for cooking sheepshead, believe me, you can do no wrong. Most just dip the fish pieces in egg and roll in their favorite coating, frying ‘til golden brown. Sheepshead also broil or bake exceptionally well. One of our favorites is to cut the meat into chunks and cook them quickly in boiling water seasoned with Crab Boil. After cooking dip the pieces in drawn butter and lemon. When prepared this way, these crustacean eating fish taste almost like very tender lobster or crab. Yummy!

So, when you get burnt out on snook, reds and trout, you might want to try your hand at catching those often elusive, frisky and very delicious sheepshead.