Shredded Bullhead!

[howellcanufish]

After a couple pulls of drag this is what we reeled up. It was plenty lively on the cast out, not so much on the return.

[CFHunter]

Picture is pretty small. I didnt think turtles went after bullheads? Looks pretty ripped up

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I caught a huge softshell turtle about a month ago using a Bullhead...very well could have been what it was.

[pureinsanity]

Nothing a little bit of duct tape cant fix

[bobbymalone]

Turtles will go after whatever they can catch. A bullhead acting funny on the bottom and tethered to a 3oz chunk of lead would make for an easy meal.

I have reeled in half a bullhead before, but not one as messed up as the one that picture.

[CFHunter]

Guaranteed a turtle did that, they always rip open the belly and clean it out if the bait is left for them long enough. I like the bigger picture. Couldn't see it very well before when it was small.

[SteveD]

Just some thoughts after looking at your picture of the bullhead. I was looking at how deep you have that bullhead hooked. The biggest problem most cat guys have with the hookset is that their hooks get reset back into the bait and they miss the flathead because the hook is lost inside the bullhead.

I barely run my hook under the bullhead's skin. On the hookset what you want is that hook to come completely out of the bullhead and the full hook to catch in the flathead. I also run my hooks so the hook point is toward the head. When my hook comes out of the bullhead it has a better chance of catching the flats mouth.

My bullheads stay on fine for casting and positioning but all I need is a quick rod jerk and my hooks pull clear of the bullhead. When I am done fishing or done with a bullhead all I do is reel up the slack and get a tight line to the bait and do a short whip of the rod and the bullhead is off. I don't whip it around over hand near the boat with hooks and sinkers flying. If you have to do that to get your bullie off than your bullie is hooked too solid and your chances of missing a flat on a hookset are pretty high. I never have to touch the bullhead to take him off the hook.

[Tyler Holm]

Man that's quite a number done to that baby. Cut bullie.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Good points Steve...I learned that trick from you for getting Bullheads off at the end of the night. I hold my rod pointing straight at the bait with tight line and jerk straight back. Works every single time.

[pureinsanity]

I hook my bullies pretty deep. I most the time I cannot even over hand whip them off. However I have yet to miss a flat? Maybe I am using a big enough hook, or I am hooking them far enough back that the hook cannot set itself back into the bullie? Maybe I am just plain lucky???

[howellcanufish]

I typically hook about 2/3 up the side of the bully and towards the back. I also set up my hook so that the barb points towards the tail in hopes that the flat will take it on at the head and I'll land a nice lip hook set. This particular bully was a buddy of mines and after about three good pokes of the hand he didn't put much effort into hook placement and went a bit deeper than I usually would. He was successful in the cast off after the photo opp.

[MN Shutterbug]

Poor thing.