How To Catch Sheepshead Without Live Bait (LIVE Video)
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
What do you do when conditions are crummy for fishing?
Do you try to stick to the plan and tough it out?
Or stay at home and clean the boat?
Luke and I were recently faced with this problem and had a big decision to make.
The tides were bad, weather was bleh, strike score was low, and to make matters worse, we needed to create a podcast episode.
We had to go fishing and instead of trying to stick to our original plan, we made a new one: let’s go fishing for sheepshead in the canals.
And to give ourselves an extra challenge, we weren’t going to get live shrimp or fiddler crabs, but instead were only going to use fake crabs.
Up until recently, we never thought you could catch sheepshead on artificial lures but we’ve been testing these lures out and wow…
Want to see how we did?
Check out the podcast below.
I definitely recommend watching the video (spoiler alert: there’s some pretty awesome fish-catching footage), but you can also listen to the podcast by clicking the play button below the video, or on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
How To Catch Sheepshead On Fake Crabs [VIDEO]
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How To Catch Sheepshead On Fake Crabs [PODCAST]
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Related episodes:
- Trolling For Trout: How To Catch Boatloads Of Trout In Idle Zones!!!
- Sheepshead & Mangrove Snapper (ON DEMAND)
Conclusion
What an awesome day!
I would have never thought you can catch sheepshead on artificial lures but here we are…
And not only are we catching sheepshead, but we’re catching really nice sheepshead!
The two lures we were using were the Savage Gear TPE Crab and the Chasebaits Crusty Crab, and if you’re an Insider you can click here and get 20% off of these lures.
We were also putting Pro-Cure on the lures, which is available for 20% off at the link above as well.
If you’re not an Insider and you want discounts on the lures used in this video (as well as other fishing equipment, like rods, reels, and even sunglasses), click here to join us in the Insider Club.
Have any questions about catching sheepshead in canals or on artificial lures?
Let me know in the comments below!
P.S. Check out our Sheepshead mini-course here (Insiders only)
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Have you ever tried artificial crayfish as fiddler or crab look. Hook it with a lead-head hook
Good podcast thanks
So fun to watch these videos after being a member for a couple of years. Know you guys are super busy now. Just think, 12k members back then vs. where you are now. Congrats.
Enjoyed the live “real time” fishing podcast thing. Would definitely like to see more of it.
Bought a cranka crab recently due the floating claws and hard body. It looks really awesome and saw some great reviews.
I think Luke said he’s used or owns a Cranka crab in the video but only fishes with savage gear and chasebaits.
Guess what- no luck w the Cranka Crab. Couldve been bad time/area, but maybe not. Didnt have live bait those days to compare. Anyone use Cranka Crab and if so, how does it compare to the others?
It sure does look more realistic to me, I even through pro-cure on it but its hard so I’m not sure how well it stuck.
I do have a cranka crab but still haven’t used it. The fact that it costs so much makes me less excited about throwing it into the zones where I catch most of my sheepshead due to the fact that they hold on hard structure and the cranka crab has two sets of treble hooks.
As for the two crabs shown in this video (Crusty Crab from Chasebaits and the TPE crab from Savage Gear, then are both excellent at catching sheepshead and cost a fraction of Cranka).
Can you show how you bled out the sheephead, by cutting the gills?
Here’s a video showing an easy way to bleed fish: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/bleed-fish/
Note: The iki-jimi method is the best way to do it, but it’s more difficult.
Great video, I have had success with small treble hooks and shrimp, have you ever tried small squid strlps?
Never in a million years would I think to use artificial lures for Sheepies!
I’ll definitely give it a shot.
Normally, I’ll scrape barnacles and feed them over a #2 hook. Never been disappointed. Scraping, however, can be a painful endeavor while on a kayak if you catch your knuckles!
This was a great video. I ordered both types of artificial crab baits and am really looking forward to using them. I took note of how you repeatedly mentioned to drop the lure straight down, very close to the post. Made me wonder; I bet one of those collapsible cane poles would be fun. Or I have a 3-piece, 15′ surf rod . . . ? I live on a canal that opens up at the top of Old Tampa Bay, just east of Rocky Creek – lots of docks between me and the bay!
I have caught sheepshead in Marco Island on gulp!