Herding Sheepshead

By Nick Honachefsky

TACTICS FOR MONSTER SHEEPSHEAD

As a New Jersey based angler, any time I would travel south to Florida or North Carolina, I would always be intrigued by the allure of sheepshead. After all, they certainly weren’t a species caught in New Jersey. Maybe it was the convict-like stripes that attracted me, or the bucktoothed smile that won me over, but whatever it was, sheepshead entered my bloodstream and once they got in, they forever held a spot. Traditional thought is that sheepshead are generally considered a “southern” species, mainly ranging from Virginia to Florida. But in a strange turn of events, sometime around 15 years ago, something unusual started happening in New Jersey’s backwaters. Sheepshead began to get caught among anglers targeting tautog. It wasn’t hot and heavy action, but word would get out that the “exotic” sheepshead were being hooked, and they were not small - averaging 8 to 12 pounds. Fast forward to present day, and Jersey is putting up some of the most notable IGFA line class records when it comes to sheepshead.

Huge Convict sheepshead frequently push past the 10-pound mark in Jersey

A QUICK HISTORY

Sheepshead Bay in Long Island Sound, NY isn’t named as such because it sounds cool. Historically at the turn of the 20^th century, sheepshead used to be common and prevalent in the NY/NJ area, much like red drum were at one time. Whether due to warming water trends or a migratory shift, sheepshead are now considered common enough to set out on a day and target them specifically in NJ – with grand results. The NJ state record world record sheepshead of 19 pounds 3 ounces was recently caught by William Catino of Ventnor, New Jersey, on October 14, 2014, beating the previous state record by 2 pounds. And on any day out, they don’t come small in Jersey.

CAPTAINS ORDERS

Captain Dan Schafer of the Insomniac, is known as the captain that “re-pioneered” sheepshead fishing in the Garden State. Schafer currently has guided angler Maureen Klause to four IGFA sheepshead line class records. “I originally found sheepshead when targeting tautog on the south Jersey bridges in 2005, where I put an aqua VU camera down and saw a school of sheepshead,” says Schafer. “After that, I dedicated to fishing for them where I landed my first, an 8 pounder, on a regular one hook dropper rig.”

Many facets go into targeting line class record convicts, but the mantra “first come first served” applies big time. “Number one, bigger fish of 11 to 14 pounds are found in massive amounts of current. When current is running heavy, large sheeps feed near the surface. Adult fish tend to hang on the front windward side of bridge pilings, 1 to 6 feet down as their massive flanked bodies can hold in the stiff current where smaller fish cannot, so accordingly, they get first dibs on all the barnacles, crabs, etc as small fish can’t stem the current like they can while smaller 2 to 6 pound class fish hang on the leeward side of the structure to get the rest of the crabs. As the current slacks up fish will move deeper into the water column.” 

Sheepshead guru Khoa Duy Nguyen, of the Tide Chasers podcast and who has studied under Schafer, adds to the swift current hypothesis.  “Ideal conditions for targeting big fish are 3 to 4 days after a full or new moon from the slack to the outgoing. I hunt the larger sheepsheads on the frontside of a current, which goes completely against what I preach in seminars to fish the backsides of pilings. But the bigger fish can easily stem the tide to feed.”

Regarding trophy sheepshead social habits Schafer states, “Big fish are mature enough to be nomadic so they will stray away from smaller fish. If you aren’t finding your target trophies in 15 to 20 minutes, then move. Generally, you have a 25 minute window of opportunity to target the large fish at one spot, then move to follow the tide at various spots as big fish will move around to capitalize on the first shot at feeding.”

Nguyen adds, “All my bigger fish from 12 to 14 pounds are solitary creatures by nature. I notice that they hang with the blackfish schools by bridge pilings and the rocky inlets. Once you get that one hit and hookup with a large sheepshead, then you have to move to find another, because he was the big boy there and chances are there are no others around.”

WHY JERSEY?

Schafer has some deductive reasoning why larger sheeps are moving northward. “Larger fish can handle the cooler temperatures where smaller fish cannot. Genetically superior fish can stand the cooler temps, and correspondingly, it takes more effort to move north and feed.  As well, down south there is a lot of competition with burrfish, grunts eating the same forage, so sheepshead don’t get a chance to grow as big, plus the predation from sharks down there, whereas in NJ there is no real competition, except maybe from tautog but tog feed more directly on the bottom as sheeps will feed in the upper water column.” The season for Jersey sheeps in the backwaters is late May to October as sheepshead show up when waters hit 57 degrees and stick around up to 75 degrees, staying throughout the summer and into the fall.

TACKLE UP

Schafer employs his own-designed and built Bottom Sweeper lead jigs. “We go as light as we can go. Usually it’s a ¼ ounce Bottom Sweeper Jig, tipped with an Asian shore crab or fiddler crab. Mostly we are using 2 to 4-pound test monofilament that tests for IGFA tensile compliance as the thin line cuts through the water.”

Schafer has guided angler Maureen Klause to 4 IGFA line class records. Klause prefers baitcasting reels set with super light drags matched with a 6-1/2 to 7 foot Medium action G Loomis with running line tied via uni-to-uni knot to 20 pound fluorocarbon compliant to IGFA standards. “When we start out targeting line class records, it’s a bit of a gamble what to start with - 2, 4, 6 or 8 pound line, etc. We need to know the size class fish we are targeting  i.e. 4 or 10-pound class fish, etc. We don’t just go out looking for a 15-pounder, though that is always welcomed. I find we never see the same class fish twice in one spot, they seem to move each day.”

Regarding hooksets with such light mono, Schafer offers some tips. “Don’t wail back on the rod, let fish lay on it, have him hook himself with the run resistance. They may rob a lot of your baits 6 or 7 times before you dial in the bite and how they are feeding. I had Mike “Ike” Iaconelli on the boat, and he had to solve the puzzle with the hookset and slow down and adjust his Bassmaster hooksets accordingly to set the hook depending on how they are hitting the jig.” When hooked, fights with the convicts may last a half hour time, and it’s a team effort boat spinning constantly, pull away from the structure and avoid wrapping on the boat.

IGFA just recently opened up the sheepshead line class category in March of 2022. With the sheepshead population ranging from Mexico all the way up to the Northeast, many opportunities abound geographically to beat line class records. But my bet is on Jersey.

Captain Dan Schafer, Insomniac: VIDEO AND WEBSITE - https://bottomsweeperjigs.com/