| When it comes to fishing, there are two names that | | | | a bass or perch will. They may tend to stay or feed |
| make the sport great to me, 'bullheads' and 'catfish', no | | | | near the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers but they |
| other freshwater fish get such a bad rap as these | | | | really eat no crap or other junk. They like feeding near |
| two old friends do. If I am at work or in a store or | | | | the bottoms because that is where one of their |
| some other place, all I have to do is mention 'I caught | | | | favorite meals live, crawfish, and clippers. The |
| some bullheads or a catfish, and it's like I am talking | | | | bullheads and catfish actually push small rocks and |
| about some horrible skin disease. People frown or | | | | stones, logs and other debris on the bottom to look for |
| shake their heads in disgust, and start talking about | | | | the crawfish and clippers, along with other live water |
| how nasty they are and how they are bottom | | | | creatures, and bullheads and catfish nest and burrow |
| feeders. Let me tell you what I think about bullheads | | | | into mud and banksIt is true that large catfish may be |
| and catfish.I think they get a back rap because they | | | | muddy tasting, but that can be simply cured by not |
| are ugly to most folks, I mean they are dark, they have | | | | eating the large ones. Some catfish have a dark stripe |
| whiskers by their mouths, and they have sharp spines | | | | in the meat that goes the length of the fish, this area is |
| at the dorsal and pectoral fins. Mishandle a bullhead | | | | sometimes strong tasting, again, just avoid eating this |
| while removing a fishhook or when placing one in the | | | | part and you will be fine. I have caught and ate |
| live well, and you can get horned or pricked with one | | | | bullheads and catfish all of my life, and I love them |
| of the sharp spines. The spines contain a poison that | | | | more then any other fish, including perch and |
| often hurts worse than a bee sting, and the pain and | | | | bass.Most of the bullheads I have caught here in |
| soreness can last a week. Bullheads and Catfish can | | | | Pennsylvania in the ponds and lakes are the black |
| actually use the sharp spines to attack other fish, I | | | | bullheads, once in awhile I catch a brown one, But |
| have seen this myself here in my home. I have a | | | | there colors can vary a lot, I have caught some |
| freshwater fish aquarium, in it I once had a bluegill, | | | | bullheads that were yellow or a nice shade of green. I |
| goldfish and a small bullhead. I noticed one day that the | | | | believe it depends a lot on the amount of algae and |
| goldfish had a sore or bloody area near it's tail. I soon | | | | other plants in the water, and also the time of the year, |
| learned how the injury had happened. I saw the | | | | water temperature, and other factors.I have been told |
| bullhead literally ram the side of the goldfish and stick it | | | | by a lot of different fishermen that the best times to |
| with one of it's spines. The goldfish went nuts, | | | | catch bullheads and catfish is at night. I have found that |
| swimming around fast, later it appeared to be ok, | | | | this is not always the case, in fact most of my best |
| except for another bloodied spot or wound on it's side. | | | | bullhead catches occurred during the daylight hours. I |
| I am sure if the bullhead continued attacking and | | | | have fished at night and have not even gotten a bite, |
| pricking the goldfish in the right spot, enough times, it | | | | other times I have been at the pond at 3:00 PM, the |
| would of killed it.I once was trying to remove a hook | | | | hottest time of the day, on a clear, sunny, summer day, |
| from the tough mouth of a bullhead I had caught, when | | | | and have caught a whole stringer of bullheads. |
| I accidently got pricked by one of the spines, the area | | | | Sometimes something strange happens that seems to |
| swelled up and it hurt for days, I was always a lot | | | | awaken bullheads, making them bite a lot or to |
| more careful when it came to handling bullheads after | | | | suddenly stop biting. One time I was fishing during a |
| that. The poison contained in the bullheads sharp | | | | nice sunny afternoon, when the sky clouded over, it |
| spines, can make even a small baby bullhead very | | | | wasn't the dark clouds, just the grey ones, as soon as |
| painful if your not careful when handling it. The poison | | | | the sun was gone, the bullheads stopped biting just like |
| glands are common throughout the catfish and | | | | someone had turned off a switch. Another time, I was |
| bullhead species.Despite the appearance, there isn't a | | | | fishing on a sunny day when all of a sudden a |
| more mellow and better tasting fish than a bullhead or | | | | thunderstorm hit, it got dark and started to rain, and |
| catfish. There are numerous ways one can prepare | | | | thunder, all of a sudden the bullheads started to bite like |
| them for a meal, but all I ever do, is gut them out, | | | | crazy, then the storm passed and the sky cleared, |
| remove the dorsal and pectoral fins, spines, head and | | | | when it did, the bullheads stopped biting. So whether it's |
| the skin, leaving the tail fin intact. Then I just get me a | | | | a sunny day, cloudy day, or night, it seems there is a lot |
| large skillet and pour a good amount of cooking oil in it, | | | | of factors one must take into consideration when |
| and get it good and hot. Then I roll the bullhead or | | | | catching bullheads and catfish. I have learned that |
| catfish meat in flour, and gently place them in the hot oil | | | | either they are going to bite or they are not, whenever |
| and fry them. I eat them hot with a little salt and | | | | you go fishing, no matter what time of day or night it |
| pepper, and dip pieces of the meat into ketchup. | | | | is.There is Computer Software that is made for fishing. |
| Bullheads and catfish have the large backbones that | | | | After keeping a few past records of fishing trips, this |
| make them the easiest fish to eat without filleting.I think | | | | software will help you to easily calculate what days will |
| people just get the idea that they taste bad because | | | | be a great fishing day ! The software is called: ' Fishing |
| they are bottom feeders. This means nothing really, a | | | | Buddy ', and you can download and try the software |
| catfish and bullhead will eat or bite on a worm just like | | | | for free at this website address: Robert W. |