Oysters for sheepshead bait.

220BAHIA

Where do you buy oysters for bait. Are they already shelled or do you have to do that ? May sound pretty novice but you don’t learn if you don’t ask. Thanks

fsu11

You can always go to Palm valley outdoors for their oyster special on sunday think its .25 cents per oyster and they shuck em just throw em in a bucket at the table just dont eat them all.

jawray

Publix has oysters in a container at the seafood counter. Dont forget to use the mesh method.  You can catch several fish on one bait.
https://forums.floridasportsman.com/discussion/255839/mayport-variety-fishing-with-oysters-the-easy-way

220BAHIA

Ha ha fsu11. Thanks for the help

fsu11

lol i would say youd probably have to buy at a fish market ive never tried to buy oysters, but like jawray says the mesh method is proven. think its called wrap system.

Sea Snake

GOOGLE..........MOSSY HEAD BAIT SYSTEM

This is the wrap system, with the little mesh bags.

I will tell you this........the system works best when chumming, and by chumming mainly scraping pilings. Because as you scrape the pilings the oysters and mollusks, and periwinkles and whatnot trickle down current.....you add a wrapped fresh oyster and you'll get the bites.

If you just pick a spot random, say at the jetties....you'd be better off, smashing the oyster casings very fine, and mixing a little shoreline shells with it and toss out that for chum. still you want a moving current. 

If you take the oysters offshore, the sea bass will mostly beat the sheeps to the bait, because a sheepshead will look at and study the bait before he decides that's what he wants to eat......on the other hand a sea bass will just gulp it down...and I'm talking very small sea bass at that.

Anyway, that's what I have found.

Good Luck with them if you try them.

220BAHIA

Thank you for the help. I bought the little bag kit. Just didn’t know were to get the oysters. Ended up getting a couple pints at the fish market.