By Denis Gardner
Bullheads love muddy bottoms and mud flats; bottoms that are covered with the rich decaying remains of plant life and where many larvae of water insects abound, bottoms that are near shore vegetation or deep-water weed beds. Depth does not seem to play a very important part if the bottom is of mud and muck, with cover near at hand where the fish may hide during the hours of daylight; for these fish, are most active at night. However, if the water has sufficient depth to filter out the daylight, excellent catches can be made fishing for bullheads throughout the day - we have taken nice ones at mid-day while fishing in from thirty to forty feet of water. But for the best bullhead fishing, I would recommend sundown on into the early evening hours. At such times, these fish wander over the mud flats seeking food.
There are many methods of catching bullheads, beginning with the ordinary pole and line and ending with the trot or set-line. But in doing this fishing it's best to keep in mind that bullheads are bottom feeders, they prefer to find their food lying upon the bottom of the lake or pond rather than suspended a few inches or feet above the bottom. A bait just resting upon the bottom will attract them more quickly and will yield greater returns for time spent fishing.
Bullheads may be taken from the shore or bank as easily as from a boat and by means of the same tackle; only here the hand-line becomes a throw or set-line and may well carry several hooks instead of one (where this type of fishing is permitted under your fishing-laws.) Fasten one end to a stout stake or tree root and to the other a weight of iron, stone or lead sufficient to carry it out well into the feeding grounds. Attach the hooks by means of a short line; say six inches in length, to the main or throw-line and about fourteen inches apart. Bait up and throw out-and wait. Since the fish hook themselves one may frequently secure several at one haul in this manner. Just outside the fringe of weeds along the margins of our northern lakes is perfect water for this type of fishing, and several night-lines of this kind will keep anyone supplied with choice bullheads.
It doesn't matter what fishing tackle is used as long as the bait can reach the bottom. For shallow water fishing there is nothing better than an ordinary fishing rod, either with or without a float. For deep water fishing, a hand-line is most frequently used. The only thing necessary to remember is to allow the bait to settle to the bottom and then wait for the two or three sharp tugs that tell of an interested fish.
The bullhead is very accommodating in his bait choices. Bullheads have a big mouth; hence, the angler may use a fair sized hook, one that will handle a fair amount of bait to advantage. Hooks running from No.2 to about No.1/0 will be right, depending somewhat upon the size of the fish to be taken. On the whole a No.1 will be a perfect choice for general work as it's small enough for most fish and large enough to hold a large night-crawler or two.
The earthworm and night-crawler are by far the best bait, but cut chicken livers, minnows, pieces of fish, and crayfish tails are all good baits for bullheads; but on the whole, worms and night-crawlers will be the fishermans' best bets.
Only three things need to be remembered in bullhead fishing: Seek mud flats near vegetation, fish on the bottom and at night.
D.M. Gardner has been an avid fisherman for 35 years. He has fished extensively throughout the U.S. including Alaska and Canada. Find a ton of fishing tips and techniques at his website TheFishingCabin.com.
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