Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! The Space Coast is definitely feeling a little out of the norm lately. This past week’s cold front has been an incredible one, to say the least — record low temps, freezing rain even — these make for some less than desirable fishing conditions. However, as tough as it may be there is still several species that this type of weather is really good for.

Those looking for a tight line can look toward sheepshead fishing. Small fiddler crabs, shrimp, sand fleas, and other small crustaceans work great for these fish and you couldn’t ask for more desirable conditions. Anglers can find these convicts hanging around almost any structure (the rougher looking the better), bridge pilings, residential docks, offshore structures, jetties. All these are super fishy spots for sheepshead and other bonus species as well. It’s important to fish light lead when sheepshead fishing as most fish are suspended throughout the water column. A small split shot with three feet of 30lb fluorocarbon leader and a #2 long shank hook is my go to!

As the weather warms the flats will become more active but the majority of fish for now will be around these deeper, rougher looking areas.