Bullhead fishing

[crappie todd]

I know about crappies. What I don't know about is where and how to get bullheads in a lake. I have caught a few really nice brown bullheads by accident that were 12 to 14 inches long. Very good fighters and meaty as well.

So, any one give some tips on spring bullheads as well as summer fish. Where do I find em in the lake.?

[Bobb-o]

I have always caught them on the inside edges of weedbeds with a crawler that i just sit on the bottom.

[Matt Johnson]

One of the important things to keep in mind is to target a body of water that has a large number of bullheads in it. I know that sounds awkward, as many people assume most lakes hold a large number of bullheads, but that's not always the case.

I prefer stained waters that have a solid concentration of mud as a bottom content. These particular bodies of water do not have to be deep, as bullheads will thrive in shallow water where little oxygen is present. A lot of ponds come to mind as well.

I usually find bullheads relating to those shallow "sticky" bottom areas where they can devour a wide-assortment of forage. And yes, bullheads eat minnows on a regular basis, they are not always bottom feeders like a lot of people assume I've caught a fair share of bullheads on minnows while shorefishing in the past.

Some of my better days for bullheads have been on the hottest days of the summer. These are the times when I target carp as well.

One of the best things about bullheads is that you can literally catch one after another. They can provide non-stop action, and they do taste well on the dinner table.

I know of a few people who target yellow bullheads right after ice out. They can be found in the shallow areas as well, right where you find you pannies the following weeks.

My biggest bullhead from last summer came from about 30 feet of water though, and on a jig and 3-inch Power Minnow combo...

[basssmasher*]

I caught 1 thru the ice sunday!!

[riverrat56]

Finding a lake with a lot of them in it is key, on lakes that aren't as densly populated with bullheads you tend to find bigger ones on average, Lake Washington has produced my 2 biggest bullies, one was a touch over 14 in and the other was 20 1/2, might have been pushing the state record for a bullhead, but I wasn't thinking that at the time, and yes I know it was a bullhead, I've caught enough of them and of cats to know the differnce.

I would target them with a crawler or a leech on a bottom rig with either a few split shots or a small egg sinker depending on the water depth and current.

Matt covered a few good places, another one of my favorite is at culverts exiting lakes, the bullheads will stack up so thick that the water is black with them, also dam outlets from lakes can give the same effect, basically anything that can stop fish from advancing further.

Caught one on a black spinner bait with a twister tail trailer once.........that was odd......

[eyepatrol]

Matt and riverrat have pretty well summed it up. My folks live on a large, shallow, muddy bottom lake and it holds probably literally tons of bullheads. And catching the bullhead (and carp) was how I first got into the love of fishing.

Muddy bottoms, dam outlets, edges of weeds, they can be found in all those places. The lake my folks live on is only about 5' deep, and the bullies can be caught in water around 2'-3' deep, or if we have a wet spring and the lake is up a foot or so, I've caught them in 1' - 1.5' of water, right up by shore. The bottom in front of my folks' shoreline has some "structure" to it though....it's gravel rocks that have washed and eroded into the lake from years of shoring up the riprap on their shore, plus LOTS of golf balls!!!

One thing I've found, is the bullheads bite very well towards dusk and extremely well at night. Just put a split shot on with a hook and a chunk of crawler and you'll do just fine. Like Matt, I've caught them on minnows too, mostly crappie minnows left over from an unsucsessful outing.

We love to eat them in the spring when the water is cold, but when that shallow lake heats up and becomes algae choked, the fish tend to taste bad and are a bit on the mushy side.

Can't wait for open water to sit on my folks' shoreline and catch some bullheads and carp! I love to sit there and wait for that bite while watching and listening to ducks and geese in the springtime.

[basssmasher*]

i can also remember when we had a cabin on Big Sauk.. i fished them at night w/pieces of beefsteak. you could catch 4-5 fish w/out having to rebait .. But then again that was more time to swat skeeters!!

[crappie todd]

Interesting. Good replies and I do thank you guys. I did catch one last year suspended over 25 feet of water in the summer. It was mixed with the crappies and hit a plain jig. When I brought it in to the dock, the wife nearly pushed me in the lake grabbing that fish. she skinned it, soaked it and cooked. And she ate it.

I think based on your information, I now might know of a great spot where I can fish off shore in the next few weeks. This is going to be a blast I think.

MY wife will eat bull heads but won't eat crappies. But the wife also loves fish sticks. Look in my freezer; Next to a frozen bag of crappies fillets will be fish sticks...

whats up with that yah suppose.?

[eyepatrol]

Wwwwwhhhhaaaattt????? You better get her to the doctor right now!

[buddha]

A fish without scales, not much better this time of the year! Bullheads are great in the spring! The above posts pretty much spelled it all out. Makes me a little excited to go get a mess of them and fry 'em up. Not that there is anyting wrong with walleye and crappie!

[The_Duckslayer]

Springtime bullheads are GREAT! I like a nice crunchy piece O' tail in the spring! The biggest one that I have ever caught was in a gravel pit in St Peter and I was probably about 12. Had to go home and clean the dang thing so that I could get my hook back! I only had one hook at the time and it was deep in the belly of that bullhead! Waterville has bullhead days and I never miss it! Have a good one and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo