bully questions

[blakeb]

I made my first visit to my bullhead pond today.

I catch everything from cute lil 3 inchers to about a max of eight inches.

What do you do with your shorty's i throw back the sub 5 inchers, what do you do with em are they worth there space in the tank?

And i caught a few too any today i like to keep 20 on hand i got 32 any one want some (ten), preferably in trade for another species?

[nsnutter]

Blake, I keep the sub 5 inchers. (Well, depending on how slow the fishing is at my spot for them) I generally like to keep 15-20 on hand, as my current bait tank is fairly inadequate for larger numbers. The smaller ones are perfect for cut-bait. Snip off the head and tail and you have some primo cut-bait amigo.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

3" is pretty darn small but I don't hesitate keeping the 5" Bullies. They do make a couple good pieces of cut bait.

[nsnutter]

Yessir, indeed they do...

[DTro]

Those little guys make darn good cut bait in a pinch. The walleye guys might take them off your hands

[blakeb]

well seeing that i do some pool two walleye fishin i think that i will keep them and jig em, never tryed it, never thought too!!

Do you guys shy away from the head and tail?

on my cut bait applications i make three pieces outta a 5 inch bait, (head upper belly, lower belly/tail) weather it be shad bully or sucker.

You?

Is the belly piece going to out really out-fish the heads/tails? they must leave nearly as equal scent trail, moreso the heads.

I typically tip the tail piece with an already in use bait that has been soaking in the river for a while, to kinda re-up the potion.

[nsnutter]

Dude, I have heard mixed things. I have always thought that the heads were fantastic, and they would seem to be so, as they have lots and lots of blood in them. But honestly, out of all the cutbait I have fished, I have yet to pull one up on a head. Now, not saying that it won't work, only that I have not had success on them. I still wouldn't rule them out. The belly portion is great, lots of juices, guts, blood. But my first big channel this year was caught on a tiny piece of the bullie before the tail. So idk dude, I think they all will work ... they're all gonna smell like food to a kitty. Just make sure to change them out often. I change mine religiously every 20-30 minutes ...

[DTro]

I love using the head section of smaller suckers/chubs. I cut it back to get some meat/belly in it as well.

Unless it's a big bait like a 12" and the head is the size of an apple, I don't like those.

[TruthWalleyes]

I like to cut the head in half, and put the hook through the lips. I caught a channel with 1/2 sucker head on tuesday.

[Shack]

I would not rule out the little guys as far as good bait for larger flatheads. Not the most preferred, but a 3-4" bully is better than digging for the stink bait from the bottom of the tackle box when the 2 dozen you brought with are being used up on a good evening bite. It does seem at time smaller can be effective in certain areas and times of year.

[Gordie]

Those sub bully's are what caught my three biggest channels last year and they were alive I was fishing them during the day. As shack mentioned sometimes the smaller bullies will just work better. If you want to fish for rough fish (eyes) you could get them on the smaller bullys also.

[harvey lee]

I have caught flats on those smaller ones and also used them for cut bait.

They are better at catching eyeballs.

[jiggineye]

Those little bullys are awesome for eyes. We pick up some sumo saugs and eyes on 2-3" bullies, hooked through the back. We cut the sharp fins, dont' know if that helps but it has worked for us. Good thing about fishing borders waters, one pole for the eye, and one for the cat.

[Shack]

IMO big baits=big fish in the end.

Even for those eyes.

A 30"+ incher had no issue taking down a bully all of 7" back in 08 on Pool 2.

[blakeb]

Thats cool shack!

Next question, bullheads got them spikes in the fins how many of us in here clip them, I have to imagine that they are a defense mechinism, if i were a catfish id spit that thing out as soon as i got pricked.

[Scott K]

I dont clip them. Bullheads are a normal part of a catfishes daily diet, nobody in the wild clips them for them, I am not either.

[Borch]

Walleyes are the same way. No need to clip them unless ytou like to do it.

[nsnutter]

IMO big baits=big fish in the end.

Even for those eyes.

A 30"+ incher had no issue taking down a bully all of 7" back in 08 on Pool 2.

Not always the case lol ... I wish it were a fact ... but ....

Last year ... threw on a fat 12" sucker in high hopes of catching a monster flat ... pulled up a baby with a monster appetite. 24" flat took a 12" sucker ...

Oh and here is a video of the fish too ... cell phone camera so pardon the shakiness.

[blakeb]

Wow i am i ully believer, my first walleye rough fish took an all of six inch bully on sunday fish weighed in at 7-11 and length was 28.5

[cutter08]

we have pulled some monster eyes on 6-7" bullies in pool 2. The biggest one we got was about 29".

[blakeb]

maybe it was her^^^^^^^^^^^^

[blakeb]

and i got her sisters too! CPR

they are all three different fish from three days in a row i had an about 26 spit the bait at shoreside today, but that just another one that got away

[blakeb]

they still wont leave me alone, but its cool

[jwmiller33]

blake--are those all on bullheads?

nice fish by the way! you seem to have those big eyes locked in on pool 2. are you getting all these guys from shore?

[blakeb]

some from shore yes, yup all eating bullheads