Late Winter Sheepshead Madness

Sheepshead aka Marsh Permit aka Convicts aka my new obsession.  This past winter, we constantly saw these big heads tailing and cruising all over the place.  Unlike some guides out there, I encouraged my clients to cast at them.  Most of the time they would spook before you could get the fly to them or they would follow it all the way to the boat without even a peck. But sometimes the stars would align and they would eat almost anything presented.  I had a couple of days when we focused only on Sheepsheads, throwing small crab patterns on lightweight rods with lightweight line.  It’s totally different then trying to feed a Red.  We had some success: a couple of 3-4 fish days with an average weight of 7 lbs.  If you’re looking for a challenge on the fly, come down to the Louisiana marshes in late winter and try to stick one of these bastards!