Bullhead Catching

[Hookset]

Here is my personal best bullhead, caught spring 2003 in the upper Hudson River, NY.  Using a nightcrawler on a steel snelled 3/0 hook.  Hooked at about 7:15 pm in May.  Weighed out at 5 lbs 8 oz.  Here it is :

[cold as ice]

Im glad to have found a forum like this. Here in New Hampshire we call them hornpout. I just started useing a floating jig with a 1/3 of a night crawler attached to it with 12"s of line before the sinker which is just heavy enough to get a good cast and hold the bait were I want it.I caught 2, 15 inches long.  also I go to my local bait shop and buy thier dead minnows for 1/2 the price of the live ones works well for me so far!

[Mackdaddy21]

I don't target bullheads, but catch a lot when fishing Channel Cats in the Colorado or Gunnison Rivers. I find they tend to be more oriented in very slow eddies and waters off the main channel, wherareas channel cats are found in deep, mainchannel holes with a little bit of current. I think worms are by far the best bullhead bait, but chicken liver also will catch them.

Tyler

[seaweed01]

Hookset,
A nice fish. With that forked tail it looks like a channel cat to me. are
you sure it was a bullhead?

[Pasquatch]

Thats an obese channel cat!
Why such big hooks!? I use #8s for pike, size #12 for little fish like bullheads Can somebody explain to me why we need such big hooks?
Just my .02 

[Hookset]

Why such big hooks!?

For me, when I'm on the river fishing for cats, the hook size serves two purposes.  First, I predominantly rely on chicken liver for bait.  The larger hook seems to hold the bait a bit better, I don't lose many during the cast as I did using smaller hooks.  If I run out of livers, I generally take small suckers or whatever else we catch that's bait-worthy.  Cut the bait into 2 inch steaks and have at it.  It takes a rather large hook to get through a 2 inch steak.  Second, I have had no gut hooks since upsizing.  These cats in the Hudson get up to and above the 40 inch mark, and can take a 3/0 without even knowing it's there.  The stell snell is in case the toothies find your offering.  I have a bunch of photos from cat outings last year on then site somewhere, it's too much fun to put a hog on 10lb line and let them burn the drag. 

Let me know if you ever have the itch to come up an give it a shot!

[Pasquatch]

I agree with you there, cats take and often need a large hook. Those big river cats I would fish for with less than a 2/0. I'm talking about 8-16" bullheads, they're small fish, and a #1 hook seems big to me...

[big big rdg]

Anyone know of anywhere in MA that is a good spot for Bullheads?Just wondering i want to catch some soon..

[Coldfeet]

For Bullheads my best bait by far is big bullfrog tadpoles (without any legs). Read your Regs for your area before trying them. They seem to out fish any worm or minnow at least 2 to 1. Hook them thru the lip with as littleweight as possible to get them to bottom and let them do there own thing it won't be long before they become supper for Ol'bullhead. Worms, Minnows, Shrimp Crayfish, do work but this bait is like candy to a kid. In NY the tadpole must not have legs on it to be legal to use as bait so be sure to check out the regs. for your area. The best size tadpole must be close to a quarter to half dollar size without tail and if you have a area with cattails to fish near this is one of the best areas for this bait. I get my bait off ponds with a smelt dipping net on a handle in no time you will have plenty of bait for a night of fishing.
Cold Feet

[Somers]

In NY the tadpole must not have legs on it to be legal to use as bait so be sure to check out the regs. for your area.

Coldfeet, can you point out where to get this info.  I can't seem to find it on the DEC site.  Not that I'm planning on using legged pollywogs, but I've never seen this info before.  Thanks.

[Coldfeet]

Sommers
I am trying to get a hold of DEC for the explanation of it. I too looked thru the booket and read thru the site Bobberstop put up here with no luck. All I can say is I've heard of the rule years ago and have stuck with it all these years. I will still keep trying to get more info from the DEC office and get back to you here.
Cold Feet

[reubenpa]

do you get the tadpoles during the day in the ponds or at night I want to get some
thanks

[Pasquatch]

do you get the tadpoles during the day in the ponds or at night I want to get some
thanks

Net them in the shallows near weeds, in seasonal pools is where I see them.

You can use tadpoles, and  you can use frogs, why not tadfrogs?

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If your in New York STate here is a link to the regional offices http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/about/abtrull3.html
If your not check with your local state regualatory peopel and they should know the regs on tadpoles.   

[Coldfeet]

We get them during the day when they are shallow  the moss and weeds using a long handled net Just use the bigger pollywog's they work the best If I remember right having the legs made them amphibians and it wasn't legal to use them but I will still try to find this info out so no one gets into trouble.
Cold Feet