# Sheepshead fishing in Galveston Area ?



## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

I have some folks that want target sheepshead and I was searching around 2cool and found some info on the sheepshead and want to obtain some more information on fishing for the 2cool mascot ( from a boat )

I do appreciate the opinions and elaborations on this thread.

*Here is some of the info collected.* 

The sheeps are a barnacle eating machine and heard that peeps scrap barnacles of and use it as chum
Use live shrimp
Use fresh dead peeled
Use a 1/2 oz egg -> Barrel Swivel -> 18 inch mono
Use a size 8/10 treble or a #2 J hook
Fish close to rocks as possible
Fish rigs close
Available year round, but colder months produce more
A Run in March ?
Good Table Fare
Baaad Table Fare
Outgoing Tide
Time of day \ Month ?
*From TX Parks and Wildlife:*
*Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)*








TPWD ©

Other Names Convict Fish Description Vivid black and white bars make the sheepshead or "convict fish" distinctive among fishes of the Texas coast. large sharp spines and a razor-edge gill cover make handling and cleaning difficult. another key feature is the jutting teath, slighly like a human's.

Life History: Spawning occurs in February and March in the Gulf near jetties, rock piles and reefs. The young fish live in shallow, grassy areas where food and shelter are abundant.

Habitat: Young live in shallow, grassy areas. Adults live near pilings and rocks where their strong incisor teeth are used to good advantage to graze barnacles and small shellfish.

Distribution: Coastwide

How To Catch: Experienced fishermen use small fiddler and hermit crabs to catch sheepshead. Alterness is essential, for the fish is an adept bait stealer.

Where To Catch: Near hard substrate such as jetties, rock piles and reefs.

How To Eat : Although sheepshead are difficult to clean, the flesh is excellent.

FiShOn


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## TripleGrip (Oct 18, 2007)

shelled hermit crabs great to eat from the bottom of the rib cage down.


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## steverino (Mar 8, 2006)

*sheephead*

They are very good tablefare-white flesh, large bones. People always say that they have too many bones, this is a misnomer. They have large, heavy bones. They are difficult to fillet but the larger fish can produce a nice fillet (not too thin). Use a carbon steel knife to fillet-it will cut/break the bones-be careful or you'll cut you hand or worse yet, gut yourself!
In late winter or early spring use small live shrimp fished close to the rock jetty or a bridge piling. In the summer use small blue or hermit/fiddler crabs also fished tight to the rocks or a piling. Use a float and a strong hook a few feet below it-treble or small kale/circle hook as their strong, hard mouth will crush a thin hook and they will get off. Limit is 5/fisherman and if they are biting you'll limit in minutes! The small fish will not give you much to eat so if they are biting well throw them back and get a larger one. Good luck.


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

Dave you read my mind. I have been thinking about targeting Sheeps as well. On light tackle they are an excellent catch. And when you get into them it can be a blast. Excellent for kids to cut their teeth on these fish. Although I've never eaten one, everyone I've talked to said they eat well. With all the other fish regs coming we need to target different species. I told my Dad 2 weeks ago about doing some Sheephead trips, he said he will do anything as long as he get to fish. Good thread, I'd like to learn more about Sheeps as well. My wife caught a 6lb 12 oz in 1999. Thats the biggest Sheepy we've ever caught. Thanks.


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## speckfisher (Apr 11, 2006)

I have caught many sheephead and have baked them at the same time as snapper and many people prefere the taste of the sheephead over the snapper.


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## luna nueva (Jul 4, 2007)

good table fare, but very bony and somewhat tough to clean


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## cannonjb123 (Mar 30, 2006)

they are thick, off of sportsman road. feeding over scattered shell. caught on carolina rigged dead shrimp


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## TheSamarai (Jan 20, 2005)

Best way to prepare them is to gut and throw them on the grill. Doesn't matter if the fire is too high, just will burn the scales. Meat will come out white and moist. In my opinion better tasting than a redfish. N. Jetties and San Luis Pass bridge pilings seem to produce good numbers.


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## thebach (Apr 13, 2005)

They do eat good !

Try fileting them from the tail forward till you hit the rib cage, use a serrated filet knive

I have found this works real well.


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## Splitshot (May 23, 2004)

They Blacken up real nice too !

I usually just scale them from tail to head along the dorsal fin and down along the gil plate with a tablespoon(saves the knives) and filet them right off the rib cage , down over the backbone to catch that little peice on the bottom tail.


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

Sheepshead are very easy to catch at the jetties most of the year. Alot easier in the winter. There are some big ones out there, but most are 3 to 5 pounds. Plenty of them.
Great place to take kids fishing and people that do not fish much. They pull hard and are fun to catch. We have sat at the jetties before and caught so many we were wore out. 
Sheepies make great table fare. Altough we let them go unless we are fishing a kids tourney or something.

Bait- Live shrimp under a cork.

Here is a pic of my son with his CCA StarKids winning Sheepshead Mount. He got 1st place in 2005. And won $50K for school.
And a picture of my little girl in the summer of 2005 with a 5 pounder of her own. She loved catching them. She passed away in December 2005. Great memory.


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## arius felis (Jun 12, 2007)

yum


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## WetAndSmelly (Jul 4, 2007)

I always thought the idea was to avoid catching sheepshead, the same way you hope to avoid catching hardheads, piggies, lizardfish, and such. But I'll admit to having caught quite a few of them anyway (same with the others listed). Plain old live shrimp, or dead, or even cut squid in a pinch will do the job; they're not that fussy. But someone should mention that if you happen to go to some of the offshore rigs such as Buccaneer, or some of the few pieces of structure closer to shore, you'll find some huge sheepshead. That's a nice 5-pounder in the photos; that's the sort of sheepie we used to find around the rigs when we were hoping for snappers.


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## Texhad (Dec 5, 2007)

Try jigging. Use Carolina rig with a # 6 gold trebble hook. Let it go straigt down to bottom, then take in just enough line to lift it off bottom. Jig it till you feel a bite, set the hook and enjoy the fight.


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## fuelish1 (Aug 3, 2004)

I HATE it when I fillet a big one and after you take the small fillets off, you pick up the fish carcass and it still weighs a ton 

(that's why I have a self imposed size limit WAY over the state minimum)


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## fuelish1 (Aug 3, 2004)

SpeckReds said:


> She passed away in December 2005. Great memory.


I am so sorry to hear of your loss, I'm glad yall had some good times on the water togather b4 her untimely passing, my deepest condolences.


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## johnd (Dec 17, 2004)

Orange Ruffy is my favorite, but fish from our bay systems the Sheepshead is the best. A pain to clean. Two best ways to cook: inject with lemon, butter and garlic then bake or smoke. After smoking you can practically pull the complete skeleton from the fish leaving nothing but white meat.

Last Fall, I caught the largest Sheepshead ever [11pounds] on a Plum Redkiller while fishing for Trout in Moses.

The best place that I have ever caught them was in March, under the Kemah/Seabrook Bridge among a lot of boat traffic. It is unreal in that pass during March, if you are after Sheepshead.


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## garypro (Dec 1, 2006)

Fillet them from the head down then cut out the rib cage throw them on the pit as a half shell marinated however there good. I have some in the freezer right now from two weeks ago at the north jettys. They were scerce all summer but they have come back. Got throw on the rocks take some extra weights.


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

Great report Everyone ! Keep em coming.. 

SpeckReds, We are so sorry to hear about your Family loss. 

Cherish the times for lifetimes....


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## boashna (May 28, 2004)

Take the guts out and bake them, put some water in the pan to stop the oil from fish stinking the room - water will stop the oil from evaporating then pick the meat. When the fish is baked the shell will come off so easy. Add seasoning as needed and call me for dinner.


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## selder (May 3, 2007)

I have a fingernail that has yet to grow back after shoving a dorsal spine under it while cleaning one two months ago. Now I found fish house in keabrook that will clean mine for $1 apiece. If I'm not in that area, I snip the dorsal off with wire pliers prior to filleting. They are excellent table fare but are kind of a pain to fillet.


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## mahiavk (Sep 5, 2007)

i take mine to kemah and pay a dollar a fish for the laborers and the filllets are excellent to


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

Caught a bunch of sheepshead this past week end and got to try some of them for the first time. A very good tasting fish. Firm white meat. Just cook it whole wrapped in foil and your fav mix or in the half shell.


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Captain Dave said:


> Caught a bunch of sheepshead this past week end and got to try some of them for the first time. A very good tasting fish. Firm white meat. Just cook it whole wrapped in foil and your fav mix or in the half shell.


Hard to beat the sheep.


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

Redfishr said:


> Hard to beat the sheep.


Absolutely redfishr!!! sheephead and flounder are the only fish in the bay that I really enjoy without having to fry them. Sheepies are wonderfull fish to eat and catch, they fight great. Unfortunately I never fish bait so I am relegated to begging or trading trout and reds for them, which I will do in a heart beat for any of you that want to trade.


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## PortHoleDiver (Sep 5, 2007)

For those of us that don't know.... Where can you take them to have them filet.


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## Texxan1 (Dec 31, 2004)

Kaylin catches a ton of them during the winter in jones lake on crankbaits or gulps fished over shell.... They are great fighters and eaters, although we rarely keep them


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