Youth Fisheries Sciences
  • Home
  • Our Work
    • The Buddy Program
    • Aqua-Edu
    • School Chapters
    • Stream Share
    • Educational Derbies
  • Join Our Cause
  • Articles
    • Ian's Column
    • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact

Catching a Lot of Bullheads for Bait

6/25/2016

0 Comments

 
By Ian

  This year's summer is quite mild. The breezes are pleasant, and the temperature, not too incessant. It's perfect for flathead cat fishing,  which involving sitting on the shore for long periods of time. And there's few better baits for flatheads than bullhead catfishes, those small catfishes that you often catch on nightcrawlers and bobbers. 

  Flatheads inhale these things. Bullheads are apparently very tasty to them, because I'm not the only one with my sentiment. I've also caught bass, channels, and even turtles on bullheads before.

  Bullheads are better bait than panfishes in that they are very hardy. I left them in the garage overnight in an inch of water, and they have survived, and were back to normal pretty soon (and tasted just as good as fresh ones in the frying pan). In your bait bucket, panfish die pretty soon, but there are days when I go without an aerator in my bucket,  and these things were all nice and frisky. They also live very long on your hook, unlike panfishes. 
Picture
Above: Officer "Ved" Shah shows a student how to catch a bullhead 

 
Catching bullheads is simple. Bullheads are like bluegill. They will readily take a worm on a hook on a hook, split shot, and bobber rig. If it's a live bait rig and catches panfish, it will catch bullheads. Remember, I said live bait. Bullheads aren't much for lures. Live bait has the scent and taste that they can detect. Also, do not get bug spray, sunscreen, or any manmade chemicals on your hands or bait. Nothing scares off bullheads as unnatural scents do.

  Bullheads like the dark. If you're fishing by day, consider fishing in the shadows of trees. Or, better yet, fish at night. Keep in mind that you will send the bullheads scurrying off to their little hiding places if you shine down white light (most flashlights). Use red light to rebait your hook, because bullheads can't see red light, apparently.

  Small bullheads are a great bait. Catching them is a lot of fun. Try them!

Tight Lines,

​Ian
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Me

      Hi. I am Ian, an extremely avid bass fisherman living in Howard County, MD. I like to bank fish and fish at local ponds and small creeks. I will explore budget friendly options for people to use in this blog. I hope I can teach you something.

      In addition to fishing ponds, I fish in Lakes Kittamaqundi, Elkhorn, Centennial, Wilde, and a few reservoirs.

    Categories

    All
    Creek Fishing
    Events
    Fishing Rigs
    Fly Fishing
    Gear Talk
    Lake Fishing
    Live Bait
    Locations
    On A Budget
    Other
    Panfish
    Pond Fishing
    Safety
    Technique

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Our Work
    • The Buddy Program
    • Aqua-Edu
    • School Chapters
    • Stream Share
    • Educational Derbies
  • Join Our Cause
  • Articles
    • Ian's Column
    • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact