Sheepshead

The first annual Great Tide Debate.

I have been in coastal georgia for just ove half a year. In that time I have made many, many inquiries into every aspect of fishing I could conjure up. One question arises in every conversation, "During what tide do you fish for **?"

Well, of course I get every conceivable answer. For trout and slot reds I get all the answers. One of the most common being, "One to Two hours before and after high or low tide." which leaves me to believe that, basically, if the water is moving, the fish are moving. If the fish are moving, they might be eating. Etc.

Now then comes the sheepshead issue. I was originally told that sheepshead feed off of the barnacles and mussels that inhabit rocks or pilings or nearly all oceanic structure and that, just before the tide goes out, they rush to get a mouthful before they have to move out to deeper water for low tide.

So, last fall a friend and I tested this theory. We came to our hunting grounds with a bucket of fiddler crabs, some small floats, small-strong hooks and some split-shot. We pulled in, anchored as close as we could and fished away.

We got a couple of hook ups early and caught one or two sheepshead of smallish size, then the slack flood tide happened...nothing for five or six hours. we waited the entire cycle, through ebb, through slack and finally the flow started coming in.

We almost couldn't keep a bait in the water without it being stolen or hooking up. Then the sun began to set and, worst of the worst, we had to leave a strong bite to make it in to the ramp and go home.

Survey says, in my admittedly limited experience, the incoming, flood, tide is better for sheepshead fishing inside of the ICW. I theorize that the fish are waiting in gangs to assault the bait they have been deprived of through the low tide cycle and are eager to attack their favorite food as soon as they can reach it.

Does anyone have a better or at least arguable theory?

Post Script: What's this I hear about gigantorical sheepshead out on the nearshore reefs? *must read other posts*

No Takers, then?

I guess my theory holds true. Since nobody wants to dispute my claim.

Tidess are the issue today, tomorrow we can talk about barometric pressure and weather systems affecting the bite...

hntr2k, I fish the jetties at Cumberland Island for Sheepies. I always get fiddlers during the last hour of outgoing tide, then haul it out to the rocks and fish the entire flood tide. Others may differ, but it always works for me!

Under Sidney Lanier Bridge on the rocks.... Last of the ebb, first of the flood. Also, dead high is good there too. PLENTY of area to fish.... Thousands of tons of rocks around the center span. Easy pickins!

Fish up off the bottom about a foot or so, no float. Just a 2 OZ lead with 20 pound flouro leader and a 1-2/0 hook and a fiddler, fishing straight down beside the boat.

I agree with you some of the way and disagree the other part. I have fished the jetties and piers only for sheepshead so I cant tell you what is going on out in the deep water. What have found is that the fish dont do so well on a slack tide as you would think. They dont even bite that well in the morning. What I have found is that they are pretty agressive on the full tide, and they go crazy about an hour before dark. I found this pattern to be true in most of the places I fish. I think that I may even have a little credibility from the Sheepshead post I have made including one from yesterday! Go back and read those about the rig i am using. I fish beside people all day on loaded piers and just laugh. I teach the ones that are nice and ignore the one that think they are stealing my spot!

Thanks for the comments!

Sounds like a good way to spend some of my fishing time awaiting a fall charter with Capt. RL.

You guys are great!

KLM