Bullhead Fishing Tips

Would you like to catch more bullheads? Do you want to be more successful fishing for bullheads? Bullheads are abundant, tasty, and a favorite for anglers. Bullheads are one of the most popular “small” game fish in the United States. If you would like to learn how to catch more bullheads, then these bullhead fishing tips will help you take more bullheads home.

How To Catch Bullheads

1.  Casting

Casting is a fishing method that anglers use to catch bullheads.  Fish close to the bottom using a sinker to take the bait to the bottom or a bobber to float the bait just above the bottom.

2. Night Fishing

Night fishing has gradually become very popular with many anglers as fish are less wary during the night and are actively feeding during the night. Most of their predators are not present at night and this allows them to be more active and less cautious during the night.

3. Chumming

Chumming is another fishing technique used by anglers to attract fish closer to their location. When chumming, anglers will drop tiny bits of bait into the water to attract fish. When the odor of the cut bait reaches fish, they will come and eat the bait.

After dropping tiny bits of bait at intervals, you then want to drop your line with bait attached to get fish hooked onto it. Chumming may not be allowed where you fish, therefore be aware of the fishing rules in your area concerning chumming before you use it.

4. Still Fishing

Still fishing is another fishing method used to catch bullheads. it is a simple but effective way of fishing. When still fishing, you simply drop the bait into the water and wait for a strike. You don’t move the line. Just sit still and wait for the fish to get the odor of the bait and come get the bait. This is a fishing method that is often used to introduce beginners to fishing.

Bullhead Fishing Tackle

A light to medium action spinning rod with a 6 to 10-pound braided line will do the job for bullhead fishing. Some anglers also use a bait-casting fishing rod. A monofilament line can also be used in place of a braided one.

Types Of Bullheads

There are three types of bullheads. They are yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, and black bullhead.

1. Yellow Bullhead

The yellow bullhead is a medium-sized catfish with a yellowish coloration on its side. It is the biggest of the bullheads in the United States and weighs about 1 to 2 pounds. It features a more rounded tail fin than the other types of bullheads.

2. Brown Bullhead

The brown bullhead is also a medium-sized catfish that features a brown back, a tan-to-light brown side, and a white belly. It weighs between a half pound to 2 pounds. It also features a rounded tail fin.

3. Black Bullhead

The black bullhead is the most aggressive bullhead and is more apt to attack lures and live minnows. It can weigh up to 2 pounds.

How To Catch Bullhead In A Pond

Bullheads don’t like to be in the sun and will hide themselves in the mud. When fishing for bullheads in a pond, look for structures that they use as cover. Look for fallen trees, logs, wrecks, weeds, grass mats, bridges, and docks when fishing for bullheads.

Look for bullheads deep in the water column or shallow areas that have a lot of cover. Bullheads will be around any structure that can shield them from sunlight. Additionally, you can fish for bullheads during the night when there is a full moon.

Bullheads are not ambush predators; they like to chase and hunt baitfish. When fishing for bullheads, look for areas that have baitfish such as shad, bluegill, minnows, or panfish. If you find these baitfish, you will be closer to finding bullheads as they hunt their food.

Use natural baits and use these baitfish as bait to catch bullheads in a pond. These are bullhead fishing tips that can greatly increase your chances of catching bullheads.

Bullhead Fishing Tips

1. Blueheads live along the bottoms of lakes, slow-moving streams, and quiet backwaters and travel in schools.

2. On a windy day, bobbers will lift the bait off the bottom and away from the bullhead. Therefore, bobbers are not the best choice for bullheads.

3. Use a 6-pound test line and small hooks for bullheads.

4. You can use nightcrawlers, angel worms, leeches, and minnows for bait.

5. When fishing for bullheads, fish near or on the bottom. Use a small sinker to take your bait to the bottom.

6. A light tackle with a 4- to 8-pound line will work for bullheads.

7. Hook sizes ranging from 4 to 1/0 will do the job when fishing for bullheads.

8. Use very sharp hooks with the points exposed. It will result in more hookups.

9. When you are fishing directly on the bottom without a float, always let the bullhead start moving away before you strike. Bullheads like to hold on to the bait, letting the angler reel them in, and then at the last second, they spit out the bait.

10. Always take many hooks on your bullhead fishing trips. Bullheads have a habit of swallowing hooks. It will be easier to retrieve the hook when you are cleaning the fish at home. You can also use small circle hooks that hook the bullhead in the corner of the mouth which can easily be removed.

11. Bullheads are more active at night when they feed. Fishing them at night can be very productive. Target the deep holes in creeks, backwater areas on rivers, weed bed edges, boat docks, humps, and long points.

12. If it is legal to use chum in your area, you can use it to attract bullheads.

13. Bullheads can’t resist a wiggly blown-up worm. Use a “worm blower” to inflate the worm with air. This lifts the worm up and makes it more visible to the bullheads. The sinker will rest at the bottom while the worms are wriggling high resulting in more strikes from the fish.

14. Soak your worms in pickled beet juice for some hours. This gives the worms a red color that makes them more attractive. Additionally, it toughens the worms which makes them harder to get them off the hook.

15. Bullheads have a very good sense of smell and taste. This ability works both in favor of the angler and against him. You can use the great sense of smell to your advantage by allowing the bullhead to find your scented bait. However, it can work against the angler if bullheads detect any amount of gas, oil, insect repellant, or sunscreen that made contact with the bait. Use latex gloves before working with the bait.

16. Bullheads will move away and hide when a shadow crosses the water. They conclude that the shadow is made by a predator that is close by. Anglers who fish in muddy waters don’t take this seriously as fish don’t see well in muddy waters. However, if you fish in clear water during the day, you will have a tough time catching bullheads when fishing beneath your boat.

17. Bullheads can also be caught in the winter. They will move to deeper water when the water temperature drops. Use a rig baited with chicken liver and drop it into the hole. Let it reach the bottom and then crank the reel handle so the bait is a foot above the bottom. This will attract bullheads.

18. The best times to fish for bullheads are just before sunset and before sunrise. Low-light hours have proven to be the best conditions for bullhead fishing.

19. Bullheads like stationary water; therefore areas with water currents will not have bullheads. You can usually find bullheads in water that is less than 10 feet deep. On the hottest days, you can still find bullheads in shallow water as they can withstand warmer water temperatures and lower oxygen levels than other species of fish.

20. When bullhead fishing, you don’t have to constantly be moving the bait to entice a strike like with bass fishing or crappie fishing. Still fishing is the way to fish for bullheads.

21. Bullheads have very sharp pectoral and dorsal fin spines. Be careful when you handle bullheads. Always grip the bullhead around the pectoral spines and position your hand to avoid the dorsal spine. Always have a towel to use as a barrier between your hand and the bullhead.

22. Small bullheads will be found up to 10 feet in water supplied by storm drains. To fish for these small bullheads, cast as far into the drain as you possibly can.

Live Bait For Bullheads

1. Nightcrawlers

Nightcrawlers are one of the best baits for fishing as they can easily be found and most fish like them, including bullheads.

2. Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers, like crickets, are very effective as bait for bullheads.

3. Crickets

Crickets work well as bait for bullhead fishing.

4. Crayfish

Crayfish is a good bait for bullhead as they are attracted to crayfish.

5. Minnows

Minnows are one of the best baits for fish as they are a schooling fish and most fish are attracted to them.

The Bottom Line

Bullheads are one of the most popular targets for anglers. They are abundant, easy to catch, and tasty. They will eat almost anything they come across. In this article, we share bullhead fishing tips acquired over a long career of bullhead fishing to help you take more home whether you are a beginner or an experienced angler.

Bank fishing tips will help you catch more fish from the shore if you fish from the banks of rivers, creeks, and ponds. Similarly, if you catch crappie, then this article about crappie fishing tips will help you become more successful in fishing for crappies.