An archeologist solves a riddle: what happened to the sheepshead?

[Pamlico]

For the last couple of years I have become convinced that there are sheepshead fisheries in places where people don’t typically target them. After accidentally catching one in the surf on AI Virginia last spring and seeing multiple surprise ones caught around Chincoteague via Captain Steve’s FB page I did an exploratory kayak trip there last summer. I also made a single attempt in the lower Potomac last summer after seeing an online report that misidentified a huge sheepshead caught on the Point Lookout Pier as a black drum. No dice on either trip.

In planning for this year’s trips I kept circling back to sheepshead. Why is there a Sheepshead Bay in New York but no one catches them there? Why is there a Sheepshead Creek in Chincoteague, but even the commercial fisherman I talked to last summer said they never see them? I was nostalgia-watching some old “Saltwater Fishing with Dr. Jim” videos on YouTube when I came across a video where he caught a sheepshead in Virginia Beach back in the 90’s and said it was the first one he’d ever caught. Keep in mind that guy was one of the most successful and prolific fishermen back in the day and he’d never seen one but now they are common in that area? What is going on? Is it our shorter winters and warmer waters that keep pushing species north, similar to the recent appearance of greentail shrimp in the lower bay?

I set out to find any evidence of them in the mid-Bay, especially the lower Potomac. I pored over every Facebook page, every fishing app, spent hours wading through AI-generated garbage that has made search engines useless before I came across this gem. It answered everything in one fell swoop.

https://www.hsmcdigshistory.org/clue...arly-maryland/

I have never seen anything like this study, which used archeology in St. Mary’s County to identify what people were fishing for and what they caught all the way back to the 1600’s. It is full of fascinating information about how the types of fish being caught shifted as gear became more advanced and livestock finally took hold, shifting settlers away from seafood. There’s a whole section on tridents and nets and hooks that contains some thought-provoking stuff on why the species found on the site shifted over time.

But what I was most interested in was my sheepshead question. The answer of their disappearance and recent abundance isn’t warmer waters. It isn’t salinity or overfishing. It’s oysters. Period. These fish have to have vertical structure so they can feed on shellfish and crustaceans or they abandon the area. It’s why they orient to bridges in the absence of reefs. And as the oyster population has rebounded in the Tidewater area, so have they. With any luck, as the oyster population comes back further up the Chesapeake we may be lucky enough to see them all over the place.

Because in the past, they appear to have absolutely swarmed the area. From the article: “One historical document supports this assertion Thomas Glover, a traveler to Virginia in 1676, wrote that ‘A Planter may often take 12 or 14 [Sheepshead] in an hours time with hook and line.’ “

Let’s hope those days come again.

[Mark]

Pamilco,

Thank you for posting. Very interesting.

I had read an article (which unfortunately I can no longer find online) that Native Americans who used Gibson Island primarily as a summer home in pre-colonial days, feasted on Sheepshead fish. Archeological digs which uncovered Sheepshead bones on the island confirmed this. Gibson Island is north of the Bay Bridge in Anne Arundel County near the mouth of the Magothy River.

I have never caught a Sheepshead in Maryland. I have caught a few in Tampa Bay, Florida which indeed has oyster bars exposed on low tides in numerous areas. I recall my first Sheepshead encounter mainly because of its human-like grin! Well, I suppose it wasn’t actually smiling at me given that I just impaled its jaw with a fly. But its perfectly straight and squared front teeth were certainly a unique feature compared to other toothy fish I was familiar with.

[Slobber Bob]

Sheepshead are common along the entire seaside of the Eastern Shore, even further north into south Jersey. I regularly catch them around Chincoteague and Ocean City all the time. The Chesapeake Bay, however, I've not fished for them. I do know that they are commonly caught by those soaking crab of hard bottoms when targeting drum as far north as Tangier and Smith Islands on the eastern side of the bay.

Like you said, oysters, mussels, barnacles, and structure are key. If you can find those things together than you will likely find sheepshead. They're also not one of those fish that you would expect to accidentally catch when targeting other species. You have to be specifically targeting sheepshead, kinda like tog, to catch them, which is why people don't know that there are more of them around than they think. I too have gone and found sheepshead in spots that nobody knows about and it's only because nobody thinks to try for them. It might take a while to figure it out, but I bet if you dedicate more time to looking for them you'll discover that they're more common than you previously thought.

[dsaavedra]

That is a great hypothesis and certainly gets the mind thinking... I bet the Bay as we know it would look a whole lot different if not for the decimation of oysters.

[Mark]

... I bet the Bay as we know it would look a whole lot different if not for the decimation of oysters.

...and if 18.5 million people did not populate its watershed.

[Jigsup]

Interesting. I’ve had the same thoughts about Black Sea bass. I believe there is a good population of bigger ones in the bay it’s just people dont really know how to target them.

Like many other species that were in the bay at once in large numbers I’d have to figure food scarcity would be part of the issue. Everyone whether they want to or not can will agree the water quality in the bay is horrible. I’ve met people from different islands that loves the beach life and won’t so much of stick a big toe in the bay because they say it’s too dirty.

Any ways you mentioned they need vertical structures with shellfish or crustaceans. I wonder how if they were prolific back in the day. I wonder what type of structure they had other than oyster bars back then?

[Redfish12]

Thanks for confirming, I’ve always guessed it is because of the overfishing and collapse of oysters in the bay and the ecosystem surrounding the habitat they created. Same with Black Sea Bass. Seems like they used to be prevalent enough for the Potomac to have to create a limit for them. We also used to have winter flounder with the last reports of a population being in the Choptank I believe. Seems like water temps and environmental changes along the coast have pushed these to NY and further north. I still can’t believe they allow wild oyster harvesting in the bay. I know there is history here, but it is a very small group of fishermen benefiting. The state and other groups contribute a lot of funding to restoration activities only for these fishermen to try to harvest them. I don’t think we’ll ever see oysters come back to anywhere near historic levels (pre oyster wars of the 1800s). I have a fairly small observation window of the bay fishery, but it’s been a steady decline since I used to come up from VA in the summer to fish with family on the Potomac for croaker, white perch, and stripers. Now those same areas hold mostly blue cats and many of the stripers have mico. I hope things start to turn around, but the species diversity of the past is probably gone forever in the bay.

[Pamlico]

Sheepshead are common along the entire seaside of the Eastern Shore, even further north into south Jersey. I regularly catch them around Chincoteague and Ocean City all the time. The Chesapeake Bay, however, I've not fished for them. I do know that they are commonly caught by those soaking crab of hard bottoms when targeting drum as far north as Tangier and Smith Islands on the eastern side of the bay.

They are definitely around Chincoteague. Last summer I talked to several boaters during a two-day exploratory trip looking for them that were soaking crabs in the channel under the bridge who had caught a ten-pounder the day before without even targeting them. And it makes sense because that place is practically choked with oyster reefs. I just didn't have any luck in the two days I tried for them because I used shrimp and the bait stealers wiped me out. When I asked Jimmy at Captain Steve's he kind of shrugged and said exactly what you did--nobody messes with them there. That is a fishery ripe for targeting because of the low pressure they are under.

Like you said, oysters, mussels, barnacles, and structure are key. If you can find those things together than you will likely find sheepshead. They're also not one of those fish that you would expect to accidentally catch when targeting other species. You have to be specifically targeting sheepshead, kinda like tog, to catch them, which is why people don't know that there are more of them around than they think. I too have gone and found sheepshead in spots that nobody knows about and it's only because nobody thinks to try for them. It might take a while to figure it out, but I bet if you dedicate more time to looking for them you'll discover that they're more common than you previously thought.

100%. They are incredibly finicky and delicate feeders, though I've found that bottom sweepers and fiddler crabs really up your odds. I think it may be the fussiness that appeals to me. Years ago a guy I used to fish with down on the Banks told me that an oldtimer told him years ago "When you first start fishing, you want to catch the most fish. Then as you are into it for a decade or so you want to catch the biggest fish. Finally, when you're an older guy you want to catch the hardest fish." Speckled trout used to annoy me how they change color preference and presentation, now I think it's part of the fun of chasing them. Sheepshead are kind of in that same category for me as well.

I also tried the pound net posts near Pt. Lookout last year, using fiddlers I caught in the marsh. No luck. But I intend to try again in the lower Potomac this summer, both at PLO and the hard bottom/bridge around Piney Point. I'm still convinced they are there, though probably in lower numbers than other spots.

[Pamlico]

Thanks for confirming, I’ve always guessed it is because of the overfishing and collapse of oysters in the bay and the ecosystem surrounding the habitat they created. Same with Black Sea Bass. Seems like they used to be prevalent enough for the Potomac to have to create a limit for them. We also used to have winter flounder with the last reports of a population being in the Choptank I believe. Seems like water temps and environmental changes along the coast have pushed these to NY and further north. I still can’t believe they allow wild oyster harvesting in the bay. I know there is history here, but it is a very small group of fishermen benefiting. The state and other groups contribute a lot of funding to restoration activities only for these fishermen to try to harvest them. I don’t think we’ll ever see oysters come back to anywhere near historic levels (pre oyster wars of the 1800s). I have a fairly small observation window of the bay fishery, but it’s been a steady decline since I used to come up from VA in the summer to fish with family on the Potomac for croaker, white perch, and stripers. Now those same areas hold mostly blue cats and many of the stripers have mico. I hope things start to turn around, but the species diversity of the past is probably gone forever in the bay.

You're right that we will never go back to what the bay used to look like. But I wouldn't give up hope that the oysters can turn around and bring the sheepshead with them. I grew up in the Tidewater area and have watched the oysters go from barely hanging on to practically turning into a menace to navigation. There are huge reefs back in Lynnhaven that weren't there even a decade ago, and they grow so thick in Rudee they have to powerwash them off the ramp because they self-seed so quickly that they'll pop tires if they aren't removed. 20 years ago not even the guys fishing for tog came across sheeps except on rare occasions. But with the oysters back they are so common I've see them lolling around next to dock pilings inside Lynnhaven, right at the surface.

[dsaavedra]

Pamlico Have you considered using forward-facing sonar in your pursuit of sheepshead in unconventional locations? Your comment about looking for them on the bridge pilings at Piney Point gave me this thought. I have seen forward-facing sonar used with incredible efficacy to locate individual sheepshead on pound net pilings and bridge pilings and quickly identify their depth. I realize forward-facing sonar can be prohibitively expensive for some and not everyone has a desire to introduce that amount of tech to their fishing game, especially in a kayak which many people prefer to keep minimal.

[ski357]

Thanks for sharing. That was definitely an interesting read. I wonder what effect the various oyster restoration projects will have on the return of sheepshead to our waters.

[Pamlico]

Pamlico Have you considered using forward-facing sonar in your pursuit of sheepshead in unconventional locations? Your comment about looking for them on the bridge pilings at Piney Point gave me this thought. I have seen forward-facing sonar used with incredible efficacy to locate individual sheepshead on pound net pilings and bridge pilings and quickly identify their depth. I realize forward-facing sonar can be prohibitively expensive for some and not everyone has a desire to introduce that amount of tech to their fishing game, especially in a kayak which many people prefer to keep minimal.

I've seen people on YouTube use it for that purpose but I don't know...it kind of feels like cheating. Not to mention you have to build special mounts to aim it with. I'll stick with my cheap little Garmin for now.