My favorite and go-to breading for EVERYTHING is Kentucky colonel seasoned flour. Fish, morels, turkey, you name it. Awesome thing is no egg, no milk, less mess and cleanup. Just rinse with water, roll in flour, ready to fry. Awesome stuff.

Have a cooler of ice and put them in as they are caught. This makes big difference when water is warm in summer.

I live on lake Erie and sheepshead aren't eaten by anyone I know, but I do use them for coon bait and making fish oil

greencountypete has it right ,they are good eating

I too live on Lake Erie and no one I know keeps them. That said, I would nail the fish to a cherry or oak plank by the tail, place it by a good cooking fire outside and let it cook for an hour. Throw the fish in the fire and eat the plank.
We always removed the stones from the heads and let the Galls and turtles eat them oily nasty things.

This is the main thing to do with them. I faster you get them on ice the better you are off. I always like to get them and eat them.Too many over looking that you need them on ice as soon as you can. Since they go to mush fast if not .and spoil. I just fillet them and eat them like any other fish I eat. Like stated also no Y bones .

Fillet them and cut off all the red meat. Soak in water overnight then cut the loin into strips and boil in crabboil mixture. Dip in melted butter and you have a poor mans lobster. Just as good alot cheaper.

So I had them in a pail of coolish water about 50 degrees for about 3 hours before I cleaned them. I wouldn't worry about it with other fish but with guys saying these go off really fast do you think they will be ok?

fine , I would soak fillets 30 minute in milk to be sure , the enzyme in fish is apparently all about the same it is what fish oxidize faster.

soak in the milk rinse in water you should be fine.

it won't hurt you even if you left long enough it got off taste , it will only taste fishy try the first piece and see.

As long as they are under 3 lbs they are delicious !!!! Big ones will run you out of the house trying to cook them

That's the only way I ever heard of anybody eating them: smoked.

A guy I'm my town fishes Saginaw Bay often (Walleye). He keeps all the smaller drum/sheepshead, then smokes them. In my opinion, they are delicious.

On the Mississippi river in iowa you can catch them by the cooler full and lots of people fish for them.

Gasper Goo.........

I'm thinking smoked has to be good, cause their "almost" edible not smoked.not quite though.

probably like many fish that are better skinned, then cut out the lengthwise grey/red stripe under the skin, which is their "ear" organ.

This is where I get my from. I do not worry about the red part of the fish, I just cut it up like I do other fish and cook it also. The only part about them is get them on ice when you done fishing or have ice in a cooler that you put them in. Then you ok. I eat them when ever I do get them with out any problems.

What is the method of smoking them? Are they brined first?