bull heads

[JBMan]

does anyone have a favorite technique or bait for bull heads. today, i set out a spinning rod for cats expecting your usual channels in a relatively unknown city pond. and ended up with a 14 inch yellow bullhead today. It surprised me to see one that big around here, and it just so happens to be the 1st one i have ever caught. i was fishin dead minnows on the bottom. and have came to the conclusion that circle hooks are awesome.

[micus]

worms, cut bait.

[Wolfman]

Nightcrawlers, cheap gold long shank eagle claw hook and a single splitshot fished on bottom.
The long shanks makes it easier to remove the hook. If they swallow it, which is quite common, simply cut it off and tie on a new one. When you clean em recover your hooks.
Find a shallow slough on a lake and you'll usualy find bullheads. Catching a mess of 2-3 pound bullheads isnt uncommon and quite fun. Catch one in the 3-5 pound range and you'll really have a blast.
Fair warning, catch a mess your going to come home with your fingers chewed up sore and bloody unless you cut every hook off. They make a big blue look tame...lol

[Swamp_Fox]

I fished a lake years ago that had a lot of bullheads.

I fished a #4 treble below a slip sinker and cut chicken livers to fit the hook. Caught most of them at night. They seemed most active around submerged cedars and along the edges of mud flats.

[90acres]

Wolfie, sounds like you eat those nasty things. There is a little lake next to me that is full of those trot line baits.

[Wolfman]

90, i usualy go down and catch about 20-30 of them while waiting on it to get dark. Their fun and tastey. Ultralite rod and spinning reel with 8-10 test and you'll have a ball.
I got one spot they average 2-3 pounds, fun fun fun!
Then i go looking for channels and blues after dark.

You want to give some kids a wild fishing time take em to a good bullhead spot and turn em loose...lol

[Swamp_Fox]

The ones I caught were tasty. Besides, when they are on you can't keep 3 poles in the water.

[Wolfman]

Not real hard to catch a limit of them either...usualy...lol But then who wants to clean 50 of the biteing chewing finning lil buggers anyways...lol

[Swamp_Fox]

Just use the electric filet knife. Of cours the ofal bucket fills up a lot faster that the filet bowl.

[JBMan]

hey wolf, wheres this spot at? if its close, I might join you some time.

[Wolfman]

Lil lake in camden county. Most any lake with a shallow slough where the big cats can't get at em real well will usualy hold some bullheads.
Fellows lake used to have one cove that was good for some bullheads of size. Have'nt tried em there yet but i beleive i hung into one of the flatheads that like to munch on them.
Got him up right at the boat and the hook ripped loose.
From experiance, the way he was acting(unexcited) and the rod reaction id say he was a good 40 pound plus cat anyway.

Hey 90, what lake you got your 'bait' in...lol

SF, you must just be catching the bait size. My fillet bucket usualy fills up much faster then the gut bucket...lol

[oneshot]

There was a Black Man I knew that would take them Bullheads,scald them like a Chicken,take a piece of Burlap,draw that skin right off them.



Use to catch them in a Creek that run by my house up North,catch all I wanted in no time.Only could handle one pole.



oneshot

The Big Grin likes it when they talk to him.

[cook]

Dang wolfie,av. 2-3#?I don't think I've ever seen a 3# bullhead,dem 1 pounders sure think they are!
I use a snap swivel and those cheap presnelled hooks with about 6 inches of line endimg in a loop.When they swallow it,just unsnap,slide the stringer thru the loop,slip a new hook on,takes 5 seconds,less if you keep the hooks prebaited
.The kids don't have to handle the fish at all,saves on boo-boos.

[Wolfman]

This lake i like to fish has been there since 36. Has a lot of shallow sloughs and one big shallow flat.
Did'nt used to be nothing to catch a limit of 2-3 pound bullheads with a rod or jugs. They pulled it way down about 10-12 years ago to resurface the face of the dam. Killed a LOT of bullheads and messed up the other fishing as well.
The bullhead numbers are just now comeing back like they used to be and their starting to get some good size to them again. I imagine the flatheads kinda played he!! with them when the water was pulled dow to...lol

Fellows lake is supposed to still have good numbers of 2-3 pounders above the road bridge and in the first cove. have'nt messed with them yet as ive been playing with the bigger cats so far...lol
I reckon the upper end of the linley arm should have some good bullheads to, right there where the river comes in.

[Hellbender]

In this day and age, Circle hooks rule for any fish that has a tendency to swallow before you can set the hook. Just let them swallow it and when they start off, start reeling and it will pull into the corner of their mouth. You don't want to set fast with a circle because you'll pull it out of their mouth.