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I've been spending too much time trying for sheepshead this summer with little to show for it. I'm going out about twice a week since June just targeting sheepshead - not letting other fish distract me while I'm out there. Most of my focus has been in the OC Inlet, but I've been trying the Chincoteague area too since I work down there. In late spring/early summer it wasn't too bad because at least in the OC Inlet tog were keeping me busy, but as July started, the tog bite has really shut off with just an occasional fish here and there. Lately, it's been toads, toads, small croaker, black wills, more toads, or just nothing for long stretches - especially around Chincoteague. Too make it worse I keep seeing local reports of sheepshead being caught every week by anglers that half the time aren't even targeting them. Frustrating...
So, last night I'm in Chincoteague endlessly moving from piling to piling and dropping fleas to the machine gun bite of croakers. I'd been out for 3 hours without a decent bite and I was starting to think to myself how this is getting old, but when (if) I finally do get another sheepie it's going to be that much sweeter, when all of a sudden my line goes slack. I was fishing in about 30 ft of water at the time and I thought to my self what the heck is going on here? I quick crank up the slack, set the hook, and the rod doubles over and I'm in a good fight trying to keep the fish from wrapping me. I'm also pumped at this point because I imagine the only thing this fish can be - hopefully, that is - is a decent sheepshead.
Then I see the big unexpected rubbery lipped smile of a bulky male tog coming up and I can tell this isn't the size tog I'm used to catching. When it hits the surface I can see this is the biggest tog I've ever caught and desperately want to just land it so I can see the whole thing. I finally get it in my lab and it goes 22" crushing my personal best of 19"! Needless to say I was thrilled. It was also the first tog I've caught around Chincoteague and it was released to hopefully be caught again later this year!
The quest for Mr. Sheepshead continues on but at least, for this day, I finally was rewarded with a good fish.
P1030823.jpgP1030825.jpg
....just wish I had gotten better quality pictures
So, last night I'm in Chincoteague endlessly moving from piling to piling and dropping fleas to the machine gun bite of croakers. I'd been out for 3 hours without a decent bite and I was starting to think to myself how this is getting old, but when (if) I finally do get another sheepie it's going to be that much sweeter, when all of a sudden my line goes slack. I was fishing in about 30 ft of water at the time and I thought to my self what the heck is going on here? I quick crank up the slack, set the hook, and the rod doubles over and I'm in a good fight trying to keep the fish from wrapping me. I'm also pumped at this point because I imagine the only thing this fish can be - hopefully, that is - is a decent sheepshead.
Then I see the big unexpected rubbery lipped smile of a bulky male tog coming up and I can tell this isn't the size tog I'm used to catching. When it hits the surface I can see this is the biggest tog I've ever caught and desperately want to just land it so I can see the whole thing. I finally get it in my lab and it goes 22" crushing my personal best of 19"! Needless to say I was thrilled. It was also the first tog I've caught around Chincoteague and it was released to hopefully be caught again later this year!
The quest for Mr. Sheepshead continues on but at least, for this day, I finally was rewarded with a good fish.
P1030823.jpgP1030825.jpg
....just wish I had gotten better quality pictures
You can also fish along the Robert Reed park next to the old bridge pier and Memorial Park is fishable from the shore too. You can also park along the causeway and fish under the bridges (no fishing allowed from up top the bridge though). Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of shore based public access points for fishing the backwaters in town. 
Good luck with the sheepie hunt
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