Catching bait robbers

Last week, I talked about some fishing history when attempting to catch sheephead.Sheephead is a saltwater fish, with head and teeth like a sheep. They are black striped like an old convict shirt. They feed on crustaceans that thrive on bridge pilings and any other surface that these marine creatures can grow on.

All of my fishing experience has been on bridge pilings. Sheephead are very hard to catch until you finally figure out how to do it. Fortunately I had an excellent teacher in my dad.

You need a very sensitive rod made like graphite or boron. A six to seven foot bass rod with medium heavy action and a level wind reel spooled with 20-25-pound test monofilamente line will work just fine.

We didn’t have braided line such as fire line or spiderwire back then, but I’m sure it would also work. You can vary the equipment but stick with the heavy line. The set up we used was very simple.

Get some 2/0 or 3/0 size heavy short shank hooks and 3/4 to one-ounce barrel sinkers. Put the barrel sinker on you line first then clamp on a lead slit shot to the line about six-eight inches from the end.

Tie your hook on the bottom and hook your fiddler on the hook. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s assume we are already tied our boat up so we can fish some bridge pilings. This is where experience comes into play.

Now take your fiddler rig and drop it tight up against the piling on the back where the tide is swirling. Keep your rod tip close to piling and slowly spool it down to the bottom.

Then take up a little line where your rig is about six-10 inches off the bottom. Now lift your rod slowly up and down. This is where it gets hairy.

You need to keep your rod moving up and down. If you just hold it still you will continuously get your bait robbed. Some people say in order to catch a sheephead you must set the hook right before he bite.

The real way to be successful is to pay close attention to you line where it goes into the water. The current cause by the tide will actually cause you line to slightly vibrate. When this slight vibration stops set the hook. Sometimes it will be seaweed and some times it will be a big head.

When you hook up the battle begins. These fish fight like a bream that weighs up to 12 pounds. Just because you hook up doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the fish in the boat. They love to wrap around pilings and cut your line on the razor sharp barnacles. The good news is if you catch a few they make for great eats.

You can fry them or use them in a good old East Carolina fish stew. Catch plenty of bait before going out because you are going to need them.

Before closing I want to give you a heads up on this week’s Bojangles’ Fishing show. I’m airing a 30-minute special on the Bojangles Catfish Classic sponsored by the Neuse Sport Shop.

It will air at noon Sunday on WCTI ABC-12. You need to tune in so you can see just what’s lurking in the Neuse.