California Sheepshead Bait/Lures

[Badfish07]

Hi Folks!
Looking to get some advice on what works best for California Sheepshead off coast of Ventura?
Going in 2 weeks on overnight ride!
Rigging? Bait? Artificial bait? Tactics?
Fill me in!
Mahalos!

[funhog]

 Beaches that have an abundance or rocks, seaweed/kelp. I've had best luck clams, mussel, or dead squid with a short piece of thread wrapping it around the hook a few times to hold it in place. Best chances would be a party boat out of one of the near by landings in Oxnard, Ventura, or Santa Barbara and fish theChanel Island for the day. They are close and productive. 

[pjstevko]

Having never targeted them but I hear Hook-Up Baits work well.

[Swami805]

Any kind is shell fish mostly. If you can find a rocky area the day before your trip those side winder crabs that live in the rocks are deadly   Whole razor clams with the shell on work well too.  They eat squid or fin bait pretty good at times too

[ExcessiveAngler]

Don't know how they are out in California?
But here in NJ, we crush them with sand fleas and crabs, calico crabs are the best lol!
Also get them on clam and other types of crab and shellfish, sometimes using fresh shrimp as well!
Sheepshead can get big here, upwards of 15 pounds, is not uncommon here at all!

[sciaenops]

Shrimp is candy for CA sheepshead in my experience. People who target them bring their own. Cut squid & anchovies will work too.

Don't know how they are out in California?
But here in NJ, we crush them with sand fleas and crabs, calico crabs are the best lol!
Also get them on clam and other types of crab and shellfish, sometimes using fresh shrimp as well!
Sheepshead can get big here, upwards of 15 pounds, is not uncommon here at all!

different species, but same shellfish baits apply!  shrimp, & fiddler crabs? I remember Atlantic sheepshead (porgy) have small mouths & are expert bait stealers, so smaller hooks give you a better chance.

[Swami805]

A good place to fish for them is in areas with lobster traps. They hang around trying to figure out how it get in them to eat the lobsters

[Shellbelly]

Sheepshead

One of the best fish for the table and fun to catch.  Fiddler crabs work well here on the Gulf Coast.  Long shank hooks might help get you get back in the water a bit faster.  Gives you something to grab onto when they clamp down.

[jurelometer]

As sciaenops said - not the same species.   Common names are frequently reused for different fish.

California Sheephead (a wrasse):

https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/sftep/en/thefishes/species/1652




East /Gulf Coast Sheepshead (a sea bream):

https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3740




Not much in common other than a similar name.  Note that there is no second "s" in the common name for the California Sheephead.  I have fished for both, and wouldn't say that they have much in common in terms of habitat and fishing technique.

-J

[philaroman]

cool species...  no direct experience, but reading up on those chompers & feeding habits,
seems like you could use whole, shell-on bivalves -- something fairly thin-shelled (big mussels / small razor clams)
so you can make a hole/rig without power tools, yet discourage nuisance species

[ExcessiveAngler]

Shrimp is candy for CA sheepshead in my experience. People who target them bring their own. Cut squid & anchovies will work too.

Don't know how they are out in California?
But here in NJ, we crush them with sand fleas and crabs, calico crabs are the best lol!
Also get them on clam and other types of crab and shellfish, sometimes using fresh shrimp as well!
Sheepshead can get big here, upwards of 15 pounds, is not uncommon here at all!

different species, but same shellfish baits apply!  shrimp, & fiddler crabs? I remember Atlantic sheepshead (porgy) have small mouths & are expert bait stealers, so smaller hooks give you a better chance.

Well, I got news for you lol!
I just went and looked it up lol!
If it's the giant, red and black, scary looking rausse fish?  That is one bad mother!
That fish looks like a cross between, a northern sheepshead(Convict fish)and a northern blackfish(Tautog)!!!
I wonder if it fights twice as hard lol?
I'll have to admit, I'm thoroughly impressed!

[MarkT]

They call a big male sheepshead a goat. I've caught them on a dropper loop with a sardine. I've caught them on a sliding sinker rig with a clam or shrimp. I've caught them yo-yoing and on a Colt sniper. Some divers on a panga at Cedros (Cousin of our panguero) gave us some moon snail meat when they were diving for them. We dropped back down with some and caught as many as we wanted... don't snag the diver!

[Crab Pot]

A few Kali-Sheepshead were caught when we took refuge on the lee ward side of San Clemente Island, as we ducked out of the tail end of Hurricane Hillary winds in late August. 

We were fishing sinker rigs on live bait (sardines) for YT but up came a lot of Calico Sea Bass and the occasional Sheepshead.

Nothing to write home about on the Sheepshead's size but people were offering to trade some nice Calicos for them.

Steve

[sciaenops]

They call a big male sheepshead a goat. I've caught them on a dropper loop with a sardine. I've caught them on a sliding sinker rig with a clam or shrimp. I've caught them yo-yoing and on a Colt sniper. Some divers on a panga at Cedros (Cousin of our panguero) gave us some moon snail meat when they were diving for them. We dropped back down with some and caught as many as we wanted... don't snag the diver!

Here's my buddy Ramon w/a big ol CA goat out at the Channel Islands



and me w/an Atlantic version from the Everglades

As sciaenops said - not the same species.   Common names are frequently reused for different fish.

Not much in common other than a similar name.  Note that there is no second "s" in the common name for the California Sheephead.  I have fished for both, and wouldn't say that they have much in common in terms of habitat and fishing technique.

-J

I wouldn't "lip" and not a fan of fileting either one. Both have hard, toothy mouths & thick skin/big scales, also decent table fare both.

 

[ExcessiveAngler]

They really are an absolutely gorgeous fish!
The way that fish is designed, it has to be
an incredible fighter, It just has to be lol!
I'm also willing to bet, they're awesome eating too!

Edit:
(hate voice text) good eating, not meeting lol!