bait for sheephead

badcast

Is there anything else that works well for sheephead besides fiddler crab or sand fleas... There not always available . I hate using shrimp all the little stuff around picks it gone quick. I tried looking for snails but only get a few. Hate to have to stay home because i cant get bait. thanks

Pilchard

Old timers use tube worms almost exclusively. They can be found on an exposed flat at low tide.

duckmanJR

Pilchard wrote: »

Old timers use tube worms almost exclusively. They can be found on an exposed flat at low tide.

This ^^^

It is the bait of the real deal sheepshead sharpshooters.

Jack Hexter

Barnacles.

12bhunting

Oysters will work as well.

fishdish

Any crustacean or mollusk. It's been a while but I remember folks using red wiggler worms too.

optimistic Angler

Shrimp

DrCoke

Very small shrimp, bite the tail off and hook an owner mosquito size 4 or 6 through the tail area you bite off.

Sizuper

Night crawlers

flagold

Snails off the seawall - effective, and free: [video] 3 mins.

CaptJeremyFielding

Agree with most of the others. Never tried nightcrawlers but besides a small shrimp hooked with a very small (depending on size #6-#2) live bait hook. And the thinnest flourocarbon leader you are comfortable fishing. I use 15lb either yozuri or seaguar but ohero is also a quality flourocarbon. Then there is the tube worm amazing bait/pain to aquire...and thwn the barnacle and oyster option...but dont forget the excellent"black mangrove crab" or whatever they are ...awesome as well but dont be discouraged by shrimp fishing...you may just need to do some other things like chumming and preparing the spot to be more successful amd weed out the other smaller and less desireable species.

Capt Jeremy Fielding
Itrekkers.com/c135

badcast

thanks, I sure learn alot here.

jamesbay

lots of times i find my self doing better on oysters than i do fids. keeping them on the hook is problem. fun fact out of all the sheeps head i have filleted i have never once found on with a sand flea or fid only oyster and barnacle. on the other hand ive cut one a couple redfish loaded with fids.