8 Of The Best Lures For Sheepshead + Tips! • SaltwaterMecca

It is no secret that live bait is king when it comes to fishing for sheepshead. But when live bait is not available, why not try lures?

In fact, some of the most experienced sheepshead anglers in the world use lures, because they understand the habits and preferences of the striped bandits to be successful.

In this article, ill go over 8 of the best lures for sheepshead and a few tips to diversify your fishing techniques.

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Can You Catch Sheepshead With Lures?
Best Lures for Sheepshead
Tips for Catching Sheepshead on Artificial Lures
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Can You Catch Sheepshead With Lures?

While anglers have long been aware that live bait is the best way to catch sheepshead, there are also certain artificial lures that have seen success as well. Sheepshead have been caught using certain models of artificial crabs and shrimp, as well as saltwater flies and hard lures.

There are certain situations where anglers are unable to find or store live, fresh dead, or frozen bait, and artificial lures are the only option.

8 Of The Best Lures For Sheepshead + Tips!

While artificial lures have a significantly lower success rate at attracting and catching sheepshead, they are affordable, reusable, and convenient to store just about anywhere.

Many anglers who regularly commute will keep a small pole and tackle box in their vehicles for impromptu fishing sessions.

Sheepshead are known to congregate around underwater structures, there are many different environments where they can be found, each requiring a different type of lure.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind which types of prey are on the menu at each spot and match your lure accordingly.

Best Lures for Sheepshead

Artificial crab lures have the highest success rates of any artificial lure when targeting sheepshead. Cranka, Savage Gear, and Chasebait’s crabs are the three best on the market for catching sheepshead. Saltwater flies, scent strips, and other artificial lures can also work.

Cranka Crab

The “Cranka Crab” is an Australian-designed artificial crab lure that has been gaining popularity among anglers worldwide since it was first introduced to the market in 2010.

There are certain design features that make the Cranka Crab one of the best artificial lures on the market for catching sheepshead.

While it was originally only for sale in Australia, it is now available for international purchase on their website.

The Cranka Crab is designed to look like a fiddler crab, and its claws are made out of foam, which allows them to sway back and forth with the movement of the water in a natural motion.

Perhaps the most important feature of the Cranka Crab is the placement of treble hooks attached to these foam claws.

These claw-placed treble hooks increase the chances of being swallowed or caught in the mouth of a fish, and have one of the highest success rates when setting the hook on a sheepshead of any artificial lure on the market.

Savage Gear Duratech Crab

The Duratech Crab by Savage Gear is an artificial lure that is particularly effective when used to bottom fish for sheepshead, especially around seawalls.

It was voted “best saltwater soft lure” at the 2021 ICAST trade show in Orlando, Florida, and is designed specifically for catching crustacean-feeding bottom fish.

This artificial crab comes pre-weighted making it a great lure for dropping to the bottom quickly, and bottom fishing while dragging slowly.

The design of the crab’s body allows it to sit naturally on the bottom, and resembles the stance of a defensive crab with its claws facing upward.

It is one of the most durable artificial lures on the market, made with a proprietary blend of plastic that Savage Gear claims to be “nearly indestructible.”

Durability is especially important with a crab shaped artificial lure, as the thinner claw, arm, and leg areas tend to tear off when they get snagged.

Chasebaits Crab

Chasebaits produces an artificial lure called the Crusty Crab that looks very realistic and is the most effective option for catching sheepshead on the drop.

While the inset hook itself is weighted, there is no added weight in its body, allowing it to sink slowly to the bottom while maintaining a belly down position.

The Crusty Crab is available in four different colors, and works best when cast near barnacle covered pilings. Its legs and claws will produce a dangling action in the water as it drifts down to the bottom slowly, attracting sheepshead on its way to the bottom.

While its TPE plastic material is fairly durable, there are stronger artificial crab lure options available, and rigorous casting and reeling can result in wear and tear.

This is one of the main drawbacks of the Chasebaits Crusty Crab, especially considering it is one of the higher priced options on the market.

Saltwater Flies

Many anglers have reported success catching sheepshead using saltwater flies.

Saltwater flies are best used when spot fishing for sheepshead, as they can be cast fairly close to the fish without scaring them off due to their light weight.

The best saltwater flies to use when fishing for sheepshead are those shaped like their natural prey. For this reason, crab and shrimp-shaped saltwater flies are two of the best options for this purpose.

A smaller-sized hook also works best with these fly lures, with sizes four and six being the best options.

Buggs Lures

Though none of Buggs Fishing’s lures are technically designed with sheepshead in mind, many anglers across multiple internet forums have been bragging about their success rate since being introduced to the market 10 years ago.

Buggs follows a simple three-step criteria before releasing a new fishing lure:

First, it must look alive in the water. Second, it must not spook the fish, which is why their lures are designed to be lightweight and quiet when cast.

Lastly, the lure must imitate what sheepshead actually eat, and there are a variety of options to imitate different prey in different environments.

Vudu Shrimp

The Vudu Shrimp is another artificial lure that has seen success when targeting sheepshead due to its extremely realistic “shrimp-like” appearance.

Kevlar nylon is woven throughout the entire lure to boost durability, and the tail bounces in the water to attract fish.

Vudu shrimp are great for targeting sheepshead on the drop, as the long shrimp-like body with its many legs and long tail wiggles around with tons of action on its way to the bottom.

They are available in 20 different color options, allowing anglers to choose a pattern that closest mimics their local bait shrimp.

In my area, Vudu shrimp work really well when I’m fishing for sheepshead at night. FIsh along docks with lights, let that shrimp sink just on the edge of the shadow lines and get ready!

Rat-L-Trap

The “Rat-L-Trap” by Bill Lewis is a popular lipless crankbait that has been on the market for over 25 years.

While a shad-shaped hard bait certainly isn’t the first artificial lure that many anglers would use when targeting sheepshead, experienced anglers have developed techniques for drawing them out.

A popular technique involves dropping the Rat-L-Trap to the bottom near a structure where sheepshead fish are known to congregate.

Then, the hard bait is dragged back and forth along the bottom, causing a commotion with its loud rattle and vibration pattern as it slams back and forth.

The basic theory is that all the rattling and vibration will lure the sheepshead out and cause it to strike.

Some anglers claim that the fish become “annoyed” with all of the commotion, while others attribute their success to the fact that sheepshead have been known to be territorial.

Artificially Scented Bait

While there is some debate as to whether these artificially scented bait strips and shapes should technically be considered lures, anglers all the way up the East Coast down to Mexico have reported success when using them for sheepshead.

Gulp! Baits by Berkey are an extremely popular line of artificial scented baits that come in a variety of shapes and scents.

These baits are 100 percent biodegradable, meaning they will break down over time and are not a reusable option over long periods.

What makes Gulp! baits great options for sheepshead is that they are available in shapes and scents that mimic their natural prey.

Ghost shrimp and saltwater shrimp baits are both popular options and look quite realistic while stinking of fish attractant. The saltwater crab and sand flea models both work great as well.

Fishbites is a company that makes long strips of scented fish attractants that are broken off into pieces and placed directly on a hook.

While Gulp! baits can possibly be categorized as lures due to their prey-like shape, fishbites are firmly planted in artificial bait territory.

Nonetheless, they are available in scents that have been known to attract sheepshead, and many anglers swear by their use.

Crab scented strips, as well as shrimp and sand flea models, are all the best options when picking up a pack of Fishbites in hopes of catching a sheepshead.

Tips for Catching Sheepshead on Artificial Lures

While artificial lures are much less effective than live bait, there are certain techniques that can make them more effective. Dropping artificial lures near dock pilings and seawalls, bottom fishing, chumming, and the use of scent boosters can all increase success using artificial lures.

When fishing for sheepshead, the first key to success is to know where to look.

Sheepshead are known to congregate around underwater structures, dock pilings, jetties, reefs and sea walls, which are all great places to start. Locals also often have knowledge of shipwrecks, a sheepshead angler’s goldmine.

While a clean dock and seawall may be more visually appealing to passers-by, anglers prefer structures that are covered in barnacles, algae, and other slimes.

These are all signs that an area is teeming with underwater life, and these are some of the best spots to look for sheepshead.

The most common technique when lure fishing for sheepshead is simply dropping or lightly casting near structure, and letting the lure sink to the bottom.

Some artificial lures are designed to be hit on the drop, while others are built to sit nicely for bottom fishing.

Once the lure hits the bottom, there are a couple different techniques that can be used. Some anglers prefer to slowly pull the lure upward, and let it drift back down slowly.

Others choose to drag the lure back and forth along the bottom, imitating a scurrying saltwater crab or other bottom dwellers.

Chumming the water is another great way to attract sheepshead to an area, as many anglers feel they need all the help they can get when using artificials. One of the best tricks when chumming for sheepshead is barnacle scraping using a shovel or other hard object.

Scraping barnacles is best for anglers who do not wish to prepare and carry their own chum and is a technique that has been used on fishing docks for many years.

Check your local rules and regulations regarding the scraping of barnacles beforehand, and also check the area for posted signs.

One of the main drawbacks to using artificial lures in the eyes of many is the fact that they do not provide the smell of prey that generally draws fish in.

To help combat this issue, many anglers will cover their lures in a stinky fish attractant solution.

Fish attractants can either be homemade or store-bought, and there are many options that are easily stored away in a tackle box.