How do you tell the difference between a bullhead and a catfish?

[BLACKJACK]

Been catching a few icefishing, mostly at night on rattle reels, most of them pretty good sized, one was huge, I broke the line on it, I assumed they were bullheads but a friend said they might be catfish. Looked at some online images and stories and the only thing they say is that catfish have forked tails.

Any good tips?

[Stick500]

bullheads are generally greenish and brownish while channel cats are typically silver colored

channels can also have some subtle spots

bullheads have a broader, wider head while channels are a bit more streamlined

bullheads rarely approach 20" in length, while channels get much bigger

does that help narrow it down?

do you have any pics?

my guess is you're catching channels in the winter- I think bullheads shut off completely under the ice

[Neighbor_guy]

I might have to disagree with the inactive bullhead theory. I see lots of them up shallow from inside the spear shack.

[11fish1]

Check the DNR survey to see if there's any catfish in the lake you're fishing. If not, they're bullheads.

[aanderud]

I'd guess you're catching channel cats. Bullheads don't go completely dormant, but they will not feed aggressively during the winter (or any time the water is less than 60 degrees) according to most biologists.

Here's what the MN DNR has to say about identification. Hard to get a much better answer than that.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/catfish/biology.html

[th64]

I hate to be the one to say it but a bullhead is a catfish their are hundreds of species of catfish worldwide-bullheads are delicious too.

[jentz]

blackjack around willmar foot & willmar,big kandi and the saulk chain have channels.If your gettin lots in lakes other than them its most likly bullheads the smallest member of the catfish family. which in this area are either yellow or black bullheads.Where you fishin? They are fine table fare!!

Channels have a forked tail bullies and flats have square tails.

BigKandi has given up a few 10 to 18 lbers to me from the park on the west side night fishin from shore.

[11fish1]

There's actually hundreds of species of catfish smaller than bullheads.

[pushbutton]

Tail is the big difference, more pronounced split on the channel, bullies can kind of have one, but much more subtle. Used to fish channels in the spillway on Green Mid Junish. Like jentz, had a few doozies in the upper teens for sure.....about the only time would find them though. Suppose the population is not that large....was a decent pop. of big yellow bellies in there though, but a two pounder would be on the high end. A big bully will also have way more head and squatter compared to a 2 lb channel. If the one that got away was huge, would lay money on the channel....especially with all those lakes with the crow running through them.

[tacklejunkie]

People actually eat bullheads? How do you prepare them?

[BLACKJACK]

I'd guess you're catching channel cats. Bullheads don't go completely dormant, but they will not feed aggressively during the winter (or any time the water is less than 60 degrees) according to most biologists.

Here's what the MN DNR has to say about identification. Hard to get a much better answer than that.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/catfish/biology.html

I read that before I posted, didn't seem that clear to me, especially without pictures.

From other sources on the net I realized that bullheads are just a subspecies of catfish and that the forked tail was the biggest difference.

[BLACKJACK]

blackjack around willmar foot & willmar,big kandi and the saulk chain have channels.If your gettin lots in lakes other than them its most likly bullheads the smallest member of the catfish family. which in this area are either yellow or black bullheads.Where you fishin? They are fine table fare!!

Channels have a forked tail bullies and flats have square tails.

BigKandi has given up a few 10 to 18 lbers to me from the park on the west side night fishin from shore.

Guess I should have said, it was out on Lac Qui Parle that I caught them. I see by the ice fishing contest results that they caught a lot of catfish so I'm guessing thats what they were.

[Mr Special]

Lac Qui Parle has a good amount of both

ive caught sum bullies in the 2-3lbs range. but if i had to guess channels cats

here a link with pix

http://dnr.state.mn.us/fish/catfish/index.html

bullheads are very tasty.

however, i mainly like them in the spring or colder water. in mid summer or hotter water temps they can taste like the body of water they came from. IMO

you could prep them just as u would a channel cat or another fish really.

bigger ones can be filleted, smaller ones i like to skin them, gut, chop the head off and leave it on the bone.

[mainbutter]

Tail is the big difference, more pronounced split on the channel, bullies can kind of have one, but much more subtle.

This!

Do a quick google image search for "black bullhead", one for "channel catfish", and take a look at the tail difference.

Bullheads are more squared up, channels have a bigger V shape.

Lots of little things to look for, but this is one of the bigger ways to tell the difference.

[half-dutch]

The pictures are there under the MAIN link at the upper left of the page. It is a pretty accurate set, too, although they are not all to the same scale.

Or go directly to the picture page at:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/catfish/index.html

Note that the really big specimens of all catfish have naturally put on a lot of fat and tend to look obese and ugly. The pictures of of smaller, younger fish that are more streamlined.