Bullhead

[greg54]

A friend and I were thinking about trying for spring bullhead but neither of us has fished for them in years. We want to try some of the creeks that flow into Lake Ontario in Niagara and Orleans Counties. When do they usually start to run and what are some good baits to use? And when are the best times of day for them biting? Any tips would be appreciated!

[Pygmy]

I love bullheads out of cold water....My Mom would KILL for a good mess of bullheads !!

Sorry I can't help you as far as  times/places in your area, but as far as bait goes, I have never used anything tht works much better than nightcrawlers.. Fish  a two hook rig with a bell sinker on the end of the line and 2 hooks on droppers each baited with 1/2 a crawler....I use cheap snelled hooks as droppers and if a fish swallows the bait, I just cut off the hook and loop on another one..

Many other baits work well too..I have heard that leeches are a killer bait, but have never had the opportunity to use them..

Edited March 13, 2018 by Pygmy

[BizCT]

I’ve always done best on bullheads using cut up Sunnies. Catch a sunfish, then cut into little square pieces and cast out just off the bottom


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[philoshop]

Bullhead 'season' always coincided with the smelt run. It's the only time we intentionally fished for them and it was usually toward the end of April, if I'm not mistaken. Probably a bit earlier now. When the sun heats up the ground a bit, and the tributary creeks and ditches are warmer than the lake, go for it. Like Pygmy said, night-crawlers are the best bait, and they're readily available at that time of year. They're also free if you can hunt worms effectively.

[mowin]

One of my favorite fish.  Haven't fished for  em in yrs.  I mostly fished for them in  ponds or small lakes.  Mid April was the best time in my area.  Always used crawlers.  

[chrisw]

Water temp is key for bullheads, typically it's mid to late April when I do best, it's hard to beat worms or liver for bullheads. I do love cold water bullheads and they're a lot of fun to fish for.

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[TOMMYTOOSONS]

First warm rain was always the key.nitecrawlers right off the bottom is the ticket.dark was always best with a fire and cold beer.

 

[Larry]

My dad would say when you hear the peepers the bullheads are biting so I would wait for the peepers.

[DirtTime]

In my humble opinion, best fishing for bullheads is at night with plain old night crawlers. Thunder storms seem to rile them up. I tried using a method I read in a book a long time ago, beef liver cut up and left out all day, to fish at night. Only tried it it few times, you need a strong stomach to bait your hook, and I saw no better results then night crawlers or even worms. I will warn one thing with that rancid liver, it takes days to get the stench off your fingers and hands.

[fasteddie]

When I saw the topic , I thought it was going to be a complaint about a member . 

[REDNECK4LIFE32]

Not to go a stray my brother in law at his camp put out and onion bags with freezer burnt meat and canned dog food and we slayed'em. Just waiting for the ice to subside. Then there in trouble. My favorite fish to eat.

[Doc]

The bullheads are always biting best a week before someone tells you they are running. How many times have I heard people say, "man, you should have been here late last week". Around us it is a pretty small window of time. It's a lot like the smelt runs.....by the time you hear of it, it's over.

Bait, we used to kill them down in West River and swamp (north of Naples) using big pollywogs. I have also heard a lot about chicken livers. And of course there is the old standby of night crawlers. I think the pollywogs worked well in swampy areas because of the natural populations that they are used to feeding on. They are harder than heck to keep on the hook when you cast them so cast very gently.

[philoshop]

I remember trying pollywogs decades ago. A big fat bullhead would slurp them off the hook before you even knew what happened. We went back to night-crawlers. Free, less work, and a lot longer lasting. Chicken livers were for 'gizzards-n-greens' rather than bait, but fatty chunks of chicken skin that were going to be tossed anyway were always good.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Two best baits I have used is leeches and Pig liver. Calf liver doesn't work well since it is too soft and they get it off the hook easily. If you cut the pig liver in strips about night crawler size and ball on the hook it is killer. great scent and I have never had one strip the bait off. stuff is and tough as leather