Kelp Crawling for California Sheephead

Sheephead are an odd species of fish, but one of my favorite targets. These colorful wrasse are one of the California coastline's most iconic fishes, instantly recognizable to fishers, divers, and aquarium-goers alike. They're probably most well-known for their sex-changing abilities, but also play an important role in sportfishing and ecosystem regulation. Sheephead are protogynous hermaphrodites that change sex from female to male in their lifetimes; this allows females to quickly replace any males lost to predation or other factors. They are primarily found in relatively shallow water over rocky bottoms, especially in dense kelp forests. It was this defining characteristic of their habitat that initially made me interested in Sheephead fishing.

I've always enjoyed fishing in thick kelp. My earliest kayak fishing experiences involved exploring thick mats of the seaweed in Northwest waters such as the Oregon Coast off Pacific City and the Salish Sea surrounding the San Juan Islands. There's always interesting things to see in the kelp forest, ranging from small fishes and invertebrates to large marine mammals. The kelp itself is also pretty captivating as far as seaweed goes. The thought of aquatic plants growing to over 100 feet in length is mindboggling, and even more so when considering how fast it reaches such lengths. Kelp forests are akin to coral reefs in the Southern California Bight (and just about everywhere else they're found), harboring a vast array of life.

Kelp forests also provide a great benefit to those who enjoy fishing, and particularly those with rudimentary, minimalist kayak setups. As of writing, I have not done much kayak fishing with a fishfinder. I anticipate finally getting one soon, as they undoubtedly lend a huge advantage to many types of fishing. Drifting around in miles of open sea without conclusively knowing what's underneath you sometimes feels like throwing darts with your eyes closed, particularly for bottomfish that may be clustered around a rockpile no bigger than a car. Kelp that extends to the surface allows you to confidently focus your efforts around visible structure in deep water, maximizing your chances of success. Kayaks also have the ability to navigate dense kelp beds that may otherwise foul the engines of powerboats. For these reasons, I prefer Sheephead fishing in the kelp to aimlessly drifting around deep rocky areas. In addition, the action is often more fast-paced and Sheephead fight way harder than deepwater Rockfish encumbered by their expanding swimbladders.

Sheephead fishing from a kayak is fairly simple; all that's needed are hooks, weights, and a lot of shrimp. I usually use #1 hooks, as the kelp usually is full of small Sheeps and other assorted bottom critters that are great at nibbling the bait off of larger hooks before bigger models find it. When fishing in deeper water or areas of the coastline known for producing large numbers of fully-grown Sheephead (e.g. The Channel Islands), larger hooks (up to even 6/0) are recommended. Strong hooks are a must. Weight size depends on how deep you're fishing; use the lightest weight that will keep your line vertical when the rig is sitting on the bottom. The rigging itself isn't particularly important; dropper loops, carolina rigs, and knocker/hopper rigs are all commonly used. Medium-heavy gear (30-50lb test) is usually used; although lighter gear makes the average size Sheephead a lot more fun, it isn't fun to lose the big one when it buries your light setup in the kelp or rocks within seconds.

Kayak fishing the kelp beds involves a lot of securing your kayak to a kelp frond, dropping the rig down, waiting a few minutes, and either hooking a fish or moving on. Sheephead are highly visual feeders, and if a spot doesn't produce in 5-10 minutes it's best to move on and try a nearby kelp. In enough tries you'll likely find one that yields fast action. These wrasse seem to like slack tide/minimal current, which also leads to more kelp floating on the surface without strong water movement pulling it down. Sheephead also like a well-presented bait that sits naturally in the current, which in many cases means keeping the bait as still as possible. Sheeps and Wrasses in general seem to be pretty smart; East Coast Tautog are known for being notoriously finicky and a species of tropical Tuskfish was observed in a Blue Planet documentary using sharp rocks as rudimentary tools. Even though Sheephead don't seem to be particularly endowed with great intelligence, a piece of dead shrimp moving at the fast pace of a kayak drifting with the wind seems to turn them off. Kayaks can be secured to the kelp via a variety of means. Bungees, ropes, wrapping a frond around a cleat or even your leg, etc. The most important factor to consider is ensuring that the kelp is secured properly while making it easy to quickly disattach if necessary. It's also a good look to not overly damage the kelp in the process, although healthy kelp will grow back quickly (and be hard to break in the first place).

These buck-toothed fish can be tricky to hook. On some days, it feels like I miss over twice as many bites as those that I stick. Their tough, rubbery mouths are lined with sizable teeth that nip and peck away at baits before engulfing them. Setting the hook at the wrong time will result in them stealing the bait. The classic Sheephead bite consists of a few sharp raps before the rod tip gets gradually pulled down. When the last step happens, set the hook as hard as possible and immediately work the fish up from the bottom. This is where heavy line, strong hooks, and a stiff rod comes in. If a large Sheephead manages to dive into a rocky crevice, it's game over. If one dives into the kelp, it also often results in a pulled hook or broken line. However, they can be successfully pulled out if securely hooked (often leaving them wrapped in a big clump of kelp). If you make it past the first few seconds of the fight, you can usually land them. Landing or losing a nice Sheephead can make or break your day. The biggest fish are often the last on the scene during a hot bite, attracted by the commotion of the smaller ones feeding aggressively. I've seen bites completely shut down after a big one gets away, as the distressed fleeing of the dominant male often spooks its smaller companions away from the area. If a steady bite of Sheephead turns into only catching assorted bottom critters like Rock Wrasse, Halfmoon, and Blacksmith, it's time to try somewhere else (unless you like the variety).

Sheephead are great eating fish, with a taste and texture resembling crabmeat. However, it's extremely important to keep conservation in mind with these fish. These fish are extremely important for maintaining the health of Southern California kelp ecosystems, as they feed heavily on sea urchins. A population decline in Sheephead results in a population explosion of the kelp-eating urchins, which in turn decimate kelp forests and disrupt the entire ecosystem. Since Sea Otters are not found in San Diego, Sheephead are the main line of defense keeping the spiny invertebrates from overgrazing and turning lush kelp forests into bleak, depressing urchin barrens. In addition, the unique life cycle of Sheephead presents visible evidence suggesting that they may be getting overfished in the La Jolla kelp beds. When sexually mature, adult male Sheephead have their distinct tricolor scheme with black heads/tails, a white chin, and a bright red body. Females have a solid reddish-pink coloration, with transitioning fish sporting a muddy intermediate between the two patterns. It's well established in marine biology and fisheries science that fish often respond to increased mortality rates by reaching sexual maturity sooner. When individuals are being removed from the population at a disproportionate rate due to fishing pressure, the remaining fishes reach maturity at a smaller size to maximize their chances of passing on their genes before it's too late!

With many fish that don't look particularly different at different stages of growth, this may go unnoticted. However, Sheephead have different color schemes that reflect different maturity levels. Even in the limited time I've been Sheephead fishing, I've seen lots of fully terminal males that are significantly smaller than those that I see posted from less pressured areas. In the less pressured areas, I see photos posted of pink females that are larger than most of the red/black/white males I see kept in La Jolla! Something seems to be resulting in these females needing to turn into males sooner, and I'm putting money on increased angling effort towards Sheephead contributing to this.

This is not to say to avoid keeping them; I like eating Sheephead and have kept full five-fish limits on a number of occasions. However, I urge anglers to exercise some restraint when keeping these fish, and to release the larger males when possible. In addition to providing the most for the gene pool (not to mention the enhanced urchin-destroying abilities of the huge teeth found on large males), many have noticed that the big trophy Sheephead are inferior on the table. The biggest one I've landed had poor flavor and texture, while the small, barely-legal ones are some of the best tasting fish I've tried. I've heard the same from other anglers, many of whom touted ceviche and elaborate mock-crabmeat preparations as the only ways to make the bigger ones palatable. Others may disagree and enjoy eating the "goats" as much as the smaller ones, but for me this only serves as another reason to justify releasing the big males. Everyone wants to be the guy back at the launch with the big fish to show off, but to me it's not worth keeping big ones unless there's a pressing reason to do so (e.g. the fish is deep hooked, won't revive, etc.). There's always a chance of running into him again, although he may end up a little wiser after the experience.