Sheephead fishing is great at the Channel Islands.
For example, I had a charter group out last week. They wanted to target sheephead. I was more than happy to oblige since that is one of my own favorite fish. They fight powerfully and they taste great. Come to think of it, they look great in photos, too.
We fished the front side of Santa Rosa Island, in shallow water (less than 35 feet) over a reef zone, using squid strips and shrimp for bait on dropper loops. Our rigs were Penn Torque rods with Penn International 975LD reels spooled with 25 pound Trilene Big Game line. These were the perfect rigs for this kind of fishing.
We baited up, dropped the rig to the rocks below and waited. The bites were not at all subtle. Instead, these big brutes would danged near yank an angler off the boat. The fish would be ahead in the battle and then we would slowly turn the advantage to the angler. That was a good trick since many of these fish were in the 15-pound range.
If you fish for sheephead, you know those are very nice fish. Well, they did seem nice until a monster 21-pounder came aboard. Suddenly those 15-pounders didn’t look quite so magnificent. But I still have a tremendous appreciation for a 15-pounder.
Santa Rosa Island doesn’t get a lot of fishing pressure because of the distance and the prevailing wind and seas. A fishing trip out to this special Channel Island is always a treat, though not always attainable. I wish I could be out there twice a week. Enjoy the fishing photo.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help.
