Sheepshead Archives - Mississippi Sportsman

January 12, 2026

Sheepshead are among the most challenging inshore species to catch, but it’s a challenge worth taking.

Winter teeth

December 23, 2025 Brian Cope

Inshore anglers can catch plenty of sheepshead with these tips. December offers steady action and the chance at some large fish. […]

MS Outdoors TV: Sheepshead at coastal hotspot

November 7, 2025 From News Reports

The Mississippi Outdoors crew joins Capt. Brennan Carter of Rough Water Charters for a day of fishing along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. […]

This sheepshead was caught with a small piece of shrimp on a bass-style jig.

Sheepshead all around

February 12, 2024 Brian Cope

Sheepshead is one fish that can salvage a day of fishing. They are willing biters throughout February on live bait like crabs and shrimp. […]

Fishing guide Jeff Wolfe caught this sheepshead, a typical-sized one for the summer. (Photo by Craig Holt)

Summer sheepshead tactics

July 19, 2022 Craig Holt

Chasing sheepshead with fiddler crabs and the right technique provides action and challenges for adults and children throughout the summer. […]

Lon Porter shows off a sheepshead he caught. Sheepshead eat barnacles and typically stay near any hard structures, such as rigs, wrecks, reefs and bridge or dock pilings. Throughout the Biloxi area, anglers can find numerous structures that hold sheepshead. (Photo by John N. Felsher)

Structure-loving sheepshead are an angler’s winter wonder

December 16, 2021 John N. Felsher

Sheepshead traditionally rank low on the desirability scale on the Mississippi Coast, but they provide outstanding sport for any angler. […]

Sheepshead feed mostly on crusaceans, so shrimp or fiddler crabs are great baits. (Photo by Dora Lambert)

‘Scraping’ is a little-used, effective method for catching sheepshead

August 27, 2020 Dora Lambert

Fishermen should try scraping barnacles and oysters off pier posts and seawalls to chum sheepshead into biting this September. […]

An easy way to clean sheepshead

May 14, 2020 Mississippi Sportsman

Humberto Fontova expertly demonstrates the proper step-by-step technique of how to clean a sheepshead — including a great tip on avoiding the rib bones. […]

Sheepshead like this one are often caught around docks, where the fish search for food among the barnacles that grow on the wooden structures.

Species spotlight: Sheepshead

July 17, 2019 Brian Cope

Sheepshead are sought after by many anglers for their sporty fight as well as their tasty table fare. Most succesful anglers devote a lot of time to them. […]

Chum up a sheepshead

July 8, 2019 Jeff Burleson

Once located, it’s not difficult to get sheepshead to bite, but finding them first is the key, and chumming can be a way to concentrate the hungry fish. […]

The bag limit for sheepshead is 15 per person and the minimum total length is 14 inches.

New sheepshead regulations take effect today

May 16, 2018 From News Reports

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has sent out a reminder to recreational anglers that the new regulations for sheepshead are effective beginning today, May 16. […]

Sheepshead fishing is part fun, part frustration, and one of the frustrations comes from the fish’s ability to steal your bait before you know it. The main bait of choice among sheepshead anglers is a live fiddler crab. And catching the crabs, keeping them alive, and constantly rebaiting with them is no fun, and it’s time-consuming. […]

Piling on sheepshead on the bridges

March 15, 2018 Bobby Cleveland

Sheepshead get little respect outside of the small percentage of coastal fishermen who relish the winter opportunity to easily rack up big catches of them. […]