Virginia Saltwater: Sheepshead

The Virginia Saltwater Master Angler requires 25 citations in five species with no more than one citation per species per year allowed.  Fresh off the addition of the third species to my list (cobia), I set my sights on a species I had never caught before:  sheepshead.  While Zack Hoffman (salttreatedfishing.com) has built an amazing resume as a cobia tournament winner, it was his consistent sheepshead citation record that drew me to Seaford, Virginia in October 2023.

Mother Nature was alive and well on the morning of our trip.  Shrimp were packed in the harbor and dolphins were cruising the mouth of the York.  Zack quickly proved me right in picking him for citation sheepshead:  I caught a 24-inch citation sheepshead almost immediately after we set up on Zack's spot.  I then caught another one.  Many more fish followed, with species including tog, black drum, red drum, northern kingfish, bluefish, and even a sandbar shark.  My biggest sheepshead of the day went 26 inches and 10.5 pounds.  It was a truly fantastic morning on the water and a perfect way to add species number four to my Virginia saltwater citation list.