# Bullhead fishing



## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

Are there any members on here who enjoy catching bullheads in the early spring out of the creeks and ditches?


----------



## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

im up for just about any kind of fishing, but havent caught the most bullheads. usually when i get bullheads im bottom fishing the sandusky river in tiffin for catfish in a slower section with either worms, dead minnows from a different trip (i freeze any of my dead minnows since i have great luck for catfish with them), or chicken livers. ive also gotten a few while catfishing findlay reservoir, but i honestly couldn't tell you any good creeks around my place to go after them.


----------



## fish24-7 (Jan 21, 2009)

me and my buddys love to bullhead fish the best place to go is turtle creek you can catch tons of good sized ones....


----------



## luckylure69 (Sep 20, 2007)

sure do! love catchin the occassional carp while doing so to! you eat yer bullheads?


----------



## Bono Joe (Mar 2, 2009)

I also go after bullheads early in the spring. Catch and clean a couple of messes for myself and then a few more for friends that can no longer fish that also like to eat them. Turtle Creek is good as are many other creeks in the early spring.


----------



## See Oh (Dec 23, 2009)

You can catch them till you're blue in the face at the library in Defiance right where the the Maumee and Auglaize come together. You catch them all the time while catfishing.


----------



## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

anyone have a secret to get bullheads without them swallowing the hook 2/3 of the way down their body? regular sized hook no questions asked down it goes and had one at findlay reservoir this summer swallow a shad nearly half its size with a circle hook that ALWAYS gets catfish right in the corner of the mouth, yet the talented bullhead managed to get even a circle hook in the back of its throat rather than in the corner. of course the bullhead was so small that it barely rang my fishing bell so i thought it was just wind bouncing my rod. any ideas?


----------



## Tailchaser (Feb 5, 2009)

For some reason bullheads will swallow a hook more so then any other fish. Perch will too when they inhale a minnow. When i fished with my dad, many years ago we would use # 2 & # 4 long shank hooks. & just use our index finger, follow the line till you feel the cure in the hook & push to the back. It was not uncommon to catch 50 to 100 yellow belly's in the spring. Any feeder creeks & rivers off Lake Erie. We would put electrical tape on our index finger to guard our finger from there jaws when they would clamp down on your finger from trying to push out that hook. I'm sure you know that cats & bullheads have grinder teeth like rough sand paper. Oh yes , bank fishing at it's finest. Great eating, fried with flour & kept whole. I stopped fishing for them to eat, when crappie fishing , & would catch some here & there. In some of the marinas i fished the bullheads had red sores on them. Being bottom feeders & in the mud they might be picking up something from the gas & oils that I'm sure settle to the bottom in high boating areas. Good luck, Don


----------



## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

I've got a few spots of my own, but I rarely meet anybody who enjoys to fish for them. LuckyLure69, I love to eat bullheads. They taste pretty good in the spring time when the water is cold.


----------



## 1mecheng (Jul 28, 2009)

Keep in mind that the Ohio EPA has issued advisories against eating too much of certain species based on the body of water they are taken from:
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/fishadvisory/limitmeals.aspx#table
The general recommendation for catfish is no more than 1x per week, due to mercury levels.
I personally tend to stay away from bottom feeders as they are more susceptible to the buildup of undesirable contaminants in their systems.

With that advisory in mind, I like catching bullheads for fun using tightline techniques. For me, this helps to keep them from swallowing the hooks so often. I grew up fishing the Rocky River (NE Ohio) and they were very prevalent from the marina to the mouth of the river. Worms, corn, chicken livers, cheese balls were the baits of choice.


----------



## luckylure69 (Sep 20, 2007)

i dont eat bullheads enough to worry about mercury. at least i think they also make good **** bait for trappin season!


----------



## creekrock (Oct 28, 2008)

I also like to catch bullheads. I fish a small creek that is full of Yellow Bullheads but they do swallow the hook nearly every time. I do not remember the last time I caught a Brown or Black Bullhead.


----------



## star5328 (Sep 6, 2009)

you mean people like to catch bullheads?


----------



## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

ufaquaoiler said:


> anyone have a secret to get bullheads without them swallowing the hook 2/3 of the way down their body? regular sized hook no questions asked down it goes and had one at findlay reservoir this summer swallow a shad nearly half its size with a circle hook that ALWAYS gets catfish right in the corner of the mouth, yet the talented bullhead managed to get even a circle hook in the back of its throat rather than in the corner. of course the bullhead was so small that it barely rang my fishing bell so i thought it was just wind bouncing my rod. any ideas?


use a hook that has a gap about the same width as their mouth, or slightly smaller. best size i used was a 7/0 flathead hook. all you need to do is cover half the hook with a 'crawler, that bullhead will manage to get it in his mouth but wont be able to swallow it. those little dudes are pretty aggressive when it comes to eating!


----------



## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

I catch them alot in my pond going for channels and have never had one swallow my 6/0 circle hooks..always right in the corner of the mouth


----------



## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

judging by the picture that looks to be about the same size of hook i use for cats at findlay reservoir and the fish that swallowed a hook that big was about the same size too or maybe even a bit smaller. no question theyre aggressive on their eating...that was a bigger dead shad i used and i still wonder how it fit through the things mouth, let alone how it thought it was gonna swallow the whole thing given how small the fish was! doesnt help it was kinda a windy night so my fishin bell was ringin really lightly all night and a bit louder when the fish hit but just quiet enough to keep me from setting the hook for about 5 minutes, which gave him lots of time 2 down it!


----------

