This Fish EATS Rocks... Catch Clean Cook (Sheepshead)

In 2020 I planned on targeting species that I normally haven't in the past and Sheepshead was one of those! I started out catching Harris Mud Crabs for bait and then we kayaked to the pilings of the blue heron bridge to fish. Scraping pilings is a popular method to attract sheepshead! It was a fun day of bridge fishing and certainly a learning experience.

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[RoyHinote]

I brought home some Sheepshead when I was living at home with mom, , , she said those are nasty I'm not eating it... .but after the ol clean and cook with white rice, sweet peas and butter sauce. Mom never looked back and never doubted my fish dinner again!!! Love your videos Vic an Brooke.

[Man-United-CI]

“Your funny tonight Vic!” = Vic your getting some tonight

[christopherbrown]

"2020 is gonna be an awesome year" little did he know

[davidgee]

When I was a kid, we'd catch fiddler crabs that lived in holes that they dug in the muck. I didn't find them under rocks. This was mostly at Long Point Park just north of Sebastian.

[roshif-tvxd]

Dude, I love you two, and your videos. You two remind me of myself, and my bride of 21 years. If you're lucky enough to find someone that loves doing the things you love to do, and are special enough to make you feel like your the love of their life...MARRY THAT PERSON. I did after 2.5 years of dating, and now 3 sons later, and many many adventures, she still up for anything and surprises me daily. Good luck!

[ytharper]

I was just thinking, “I’d love you guys to do a sheepshead video...” and up popped this video in my cue!
When I was a med student in Mobile, I wanted to learn to fish the gulf. I headed down to the state pier on Dauphin Island with my wife in tow - she was gonna work on her tan. When I got to where the Dog River empties into the bay, I stopped for bait. I spotted an old African American guy at the end of a short pier beside the bait shop. He was sitting on a piece of wood across the top of a five gallon bucket. I moseyed out onto the pier and struck up a conversation with him. I asked what was biting and he said, “Sheepshead, ” and showed me these big ‘ol striped fish in his bucket.
I sure wanted a shot at those, so asked what he was using as bait and instead of telling me, he gave me some of the shrimp he was using.
As I baited up, he started laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” I asked.
“Your rod!” he chuckled.
“What’s so funny about my rod?” I shot back. “I’ve caught a lot of fish with this thing over the years.”
“You ain’t never getting in no sheepshead on that thing, ” He said. “You gotta have at least a surf rod.”
I’d finessed some really big ol’ catfish into our boat back home fishing with my dad on that rod, so the rod and I were offended by his laughter. We thought we’d show the old man how we fresh water guys got things done.
Well, soon, I hooked into a big ol’ sheepshead and started to try and work him in like a big bass or catfish. He felt the hook and zing, he took off. I had the drag on, but he’d just about yanked that rod out of my hands. I fumbled around trying to loosen the drag, but before I could - CRACK! The big fish promptly snapped my rod in two like a toothpick! Despite a broken rod, he was still hooked and I fought him up and down the pier to the delight of the old man watching the spectacle.
Between guffaws, the old man guided me on. “Keep ‘im from gettin’ ‘round the pier or he’ll straighten out your hook and get off!” He hollered.
Thankfully, I got him to the surface just as the fish and I wore each other out.
The old fellow used his gaffing hook to pull the fish up on the pier. I thanked him and since my rod was useless, I bid the guy good afternoon and hauled it back to my car.
My wife had been relaxing with a book when I showed with the big sheepshead. Her eyes got huge when she saw it. It was the biggest fish I’d caught up till then, salt or fresh water.
Back at our apartment, I couldn’t figure how to clean the thing. This was way before videos online and I ruined two knives before figuring out that you have to cut it from the inside out. Stick the fillet knife along the fins to get under those scales!
We cooked him up and had the first “catch, clean cook” of our own. It was so good that my wife told me I had to go back every weekend or two for more, and I happily obliged, eventually becoming a pretty good pier angler. I miss those salt water days!
Later on, I heard that sheepshead were “trash fish.” I learned not to judge a fish by its reputation. I guess that’s why I love your videos so much. I will say that I believed the one about the salt water catfish, however, till I saw your video on them! LOL! Lord, I hated those bait stealing thieves! I threw a zillion of them back when out on the piers at night fishing for specks, flounders and redfish.

[MyEmily]

I fish that park for sheepshead you can go behind the little police sub station and sight fish them by free lining crabs to them. You will see them all around the pilings on the docks the police boats are on.

[seanodonnell]

I live in Illinois so our version of sheepshead is called fresh water drum. This and a vid by a guy named Jason Special are some of the best videos about catching this kind of fish. Being considered a "trash fish" by many bass anglers, and being that firm and flaky type of white fish has drawn my curiosity towards it. What a grade A catch and cook you did, it inspires me to knab one in downtown Chicago.

[dannytruong]

If you want fiddlers, go to salt marshes at low tide. If you see a bunch of little holes, you know you're in the right area. Sometimes you will need a shovel to pop them out of their hole. The bigger the hole, bigger the crab. Also, usually the hotter weather, the better. As there will usually be more out and about.

[SqueaksUofA]

Sheepshead is the fish we caught the most off the oil rigs in Gulf Shores with my grandfather. Good memories!

[memrios]

My favorite thing for sheepshead is to grill em whole with the skin on. Just gut em and remove the gills/scales and score them down the side. Just season with salt and pepper, so buttery and sweet!

[dannilaser]

Brooke, you didn’t only catch the most fish today but you caught the biggest keeper.
Your boyfriend is one helluva guy. Hang on to him. Guys like that are hard to come by, trust me!
(This coming from another guy) great video guys. Congrats.

[tastetreasures_dubai]

The cooking part made me smile, feels like home 😊 keep it up you both🙏

[gregjohnson]

They are called fiddler crabs because the large claw looks like the fiddle (violin) and the small one would be the violinist’s handle on the fiddle.

[jermainjarvis]

"We're going to go a little heavy on the pepper today because we're feeling extra spicy" lol love it

[princessalwayseva]

Aaahhh Brook I laughed too.😁😉 I LOVE you guys together. You remind me of my husband and together like peanut butter and jelly. Well, crunchy peanut butter because I’m a little nutty. 🤪 I LOVE garlic too. Vick has jokes huh Brook. I’m telling you....just like my husband and I. You guys are like a younger “us”. Mushrooms looking good! I’m drooling over here watching. Spinach....yummy! Awww feel better Brookie.💓 No, you both for all you do. Enjoy the rest of your day.🤗

[jessehope]

Vic, me and my buddy live in clearwater, Florida. If you take a trip over here, we’ve been killing the sheephead. All sightcasted on barnacles, it’s a really fun and action packed fishery.

[BasicFishingNZ]

lol must b nice to finally find a spot where no one kicks you out! haha

[CampCatch]

Mud crabs and dock/mangrove crabs work even better then fiddlers, and that is the reason fiddlers work better without their claw. sheepshead surely encounter these crabs more often then fiddlers. My wife and I did a sheepshead catch n cook last week and sight fished them off a dock with really good success.

[nicholashuska]

I live in Tampa Florida and I usually spear fish for sheepshead and I can limit out in like 10 minutes of Freediving with my dad