Ever notice that practically nobody ever goes fishing specifically for bullhead.  Most people who fish for catfish go after channels and blues.  Why do bullhead get such a bad rap?  Possibly because of their size?  They seem to fight well on light tackle.  I just don't get it.

I guess I use them for bait.

Other than that there's not much big bullheads that I can find. I've once caught a 14" bullhead that was a blast, fought a lot like a channel cat. Other than that I mostly catch them 8 inches and below.

I think one of the reasons bullhead are considered trash fish in many places is that they do not get very large and tend to squeeze out "more desirable" fish. Any body of water has a limit to how many fish it can support and most anglers prefer larger fish. I have heard that they can be quite tasty when properly cleaned and cooked. Tom

Bullcat?  Isn't this the same fish that once was called "government cat" or "speckled cat"?  If you have any information drop us a post?  Uncle Tom

A bullhead is a bullhead. I've never heard them called anything else.
TIGHT LINES!

Ah ha...caught another 14" bullcat.   This one is a lot smaller than the one I've caught years ago, but it has the length.

Nice fish!
TIGHT LINES!

I just got done fishing at my local pond.  Caught a 14" and 12" bullhead.  One of them actually scraped me with it's fin.  I hear there is some type of poison in bullhead fins.  Is that true?
TIGHT LINES!

Posted By multispecies101 on 31 Jul 2010 08:36 PM
I just got done fishing at my local pond.  Caught a 14" and 12" bullhead.  One of them actually scraped me with it's fin.  I hear there is some type of poison in bullhead fins.  Is that true?
TIGHT LINES!

To some degree this is true of all catfish. There is a very small specie, only a few inches in length, called Mad Tom, Mud Tom, Muddler, etc, that has quite potent venom. Not deadly, but very painful. You'd already know it if you got spined by one of these.

Posted By bass or bass? on 31 Jul 2010 08:54 PM

Posted By multispecies101 on 31 Jul 2010 08:36 PM
I just got done fishing at my local pond.  Caught a 14" and 12" bullhead.  One of them actually scraped me with it's fin.  I hear there is some type of poison in bullhead fins.  Is that true?
TIGHT LINES!

To some degree this is true of all catfish. There is a very small specie, only a few inches in length, called Mad Tom, Mud Tom, Muddler, etc, that has quite potent venom. Not deadly, but very painful. You'd already know it if you got spined by one of these.

yes as bass to bass said to some degree.......but with most bullheads its not the little bit of venom that is bad,. but the germs or micro organisms that live on/in the spins of the cat family that cause all the swelling and such.

I don't know about every catfish but it sounds good to me.  I do know about those saltwater cats, they can make you sicker than a dog.  I had a friend who insisted in not wearing his shoes while we were fishing for whiting.  Occasionally we caught a saltwater cat and sure enough he managed to step on one.  This guy was tougher than a linebacker but he curled up in the floor of the boat for about 3 hours before he could get any relief.  I shudder at the memory--needless to say he wears his shoes when we fish now.  Be careful around cats or any fish--they can make or brake a great trip.  Uncle Tom

What kind of catfish was it (species)?
TIGHT LINES!

My Father used always insist on using a glove when handling live bullheads, sometimes for any catfish. Their spines carry bactieria that can be painful if they gouge you deep enough. As far as quality, they taste excellent if prepared right.

Went carp fishing one day last week and caught another Bullhead.  I GOT SPIKED AGAIN!  I didn't expect to catch one so I left my gloves at home!

The Classic Michigander 

i now of some nasty tails and i've seen a couple of them that have happen.

i had a nephew a few yrs. ago catch a big channel cat and when he pulled it up onto land. it thrashed and put 1 of it's side spikes through his leg. by the time we were able to get the thing broke off and him to the hospital, his leg was twice it's normal size. he had to have that horn surgerly removed.

Up here in the Midwest there are 3 main kinds of bullheads....black, brown and yellow.

Minnesota folks have an option on the DNR website called "Lakefinder"...

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html  

Using this...you can look up a specific lake, and get a lake map and other info including "Lake Survey" information, which includes types of fish and sizes found in the lake during a survey.

In certain waters...they've found bullheads 20" long

That said...since bullheads are much smaller that the average catfish...I believe that their meat is cleaner and better tasting than the average catfish.

I also know folks that love a mess of 10" or bigger bullheads for eating

LAST..but NOT least...these and catfish...are fish to "handle carefully"...as noted by other folk's posted experiences above.

JMHO

For those that know Bullheads are fun on light tackle, tasty, & easy to catch .....just enjoy!!

I used to catch lots of yellow bullheads when I was a kid in Ohio. We went to Indian lake for vacation once, my sister, brother, and I caught a couple hundred over about four days. Dad showed me how, and he and I cleaned them. We had G'ma and G'pa up for a big fish fry. Some yummy fun!