| Sheepshead | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Sparidae |
| Genus: | Archosargus |
| Species: | A. probatocephalus |
| Binomial name | |
| Archosargus probatocephalus Walbaum, 1792 |
|
The sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, is a marine fish that grows to 30 in (760 mm), but commonly reaches 10 to 20 in. It is deep and compressed in body shape, with 5 to 6 dark bars on the side of the body over a gray background. It has sharp dorsal spines. Its diet consists of oysters, clams, and other bivalves, and barnacles, fiddler crabs, and other crustaceans. It has a hard mouth, with several rows of stubby teeth, which help crush prey.
Although the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, in New York City, was named after the fish, it is almost entirely a southern species: its range extends from the Mid-Atlantic to Texas. As sheepshead feed on bivalves & crustaceans, successful baits include shrimp, sand fleas (molecrabs), clams, fiddler crabs, and mussels. Sheepshead have a knack for stealing bait, so a small hook is necessary. Locating sheepshead in a boat is not difficult: fishermen look for rocky bottoms or places with obstructions, and they try around jetties and the pilings of bridges & piers. The average weight of a sheepshead is 3 to 4 pounds, but some individuals reach the range of 10 to 15 pounds. They are edible.