The sheepshead is a member of the porgy family and one of the most well known of coastal fish. Its silver body with vertical black bars are distinct, but the sheepshead teeth are the most noteworthy. They have large incisors that they use to clip barnacles and shellfish off of marine structures. They then crush these hard-shelled prey with the large molars in the rear of their mouth. They consume the soft parts are consumed and discard the shell.
Sheepshead are normally found around any hard structures that are covered in their food. Bridges, jetties and inshore rigs and pipes are the most common places to find sheepshead, though they patrol the marsh at times.
Some of the most common baits used for sheepshead are fiddler crabs, sand fleas, shrimp and barnacles. Sheepshead are known for their ability to clean your hook without being detected so you must be on your toes for their light bite. Anglers often scrape the pilings to chum up sheepshead and gather them in numbers. Small but strong hooks are preferred, and tackle must be sufficient to pull the sheepshead out of their haunts.