Syracuse.com - Bullhead anglers lining the shorelines at night is a sure sign that spring is here in CNY

[HuntingNY-News]

These humble fish, an afterthought most of the time, are important now because they are concentrated, fun to catch, and most delicious to eat.

Jim Commentucci/The Post-StandardA party of anglers fishes for bullheads Friday evening at the mouth of the Little Salmon River at Mexico Point on Lake Ontario.

By Jim Commentucci

Staff writer

Each year they show up, just as the robins do, to usher in springtime.

It’s the annual spawning of bullheads. Anglers flock to the shores of local waterways during the late evening and nighttime, gathering at certain hot spots.

These humble fish, an afterthought most of the time, are important now because they are concentrated, fun to catch, and most delicious to eat.

You’ve seen the roadside-stand advertisements for bullhead dinners. There’s a reason for that.

When caught from cold water, bullheads are a light, mild-tasting treat. You can buy them or you can get your own free. Getting you own is more satisfying.

Bullheads gather at shorelines at night in spring to spawn, particularly at the mouths of tributary streams on large lakes. That’s why they are easy to target on Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake.

In fact, at places like Mexico Point on Ontario and Cleveland or Oneida Creek on Oneida Lake, bullhead fishing can be fast and furious.

There’s not much to rigging for bullheads. They will eat just about anything from chicken liver, prepared (dough) bait, corn or worms. But night crawlers will outfish all other bait by far. It’s simply a matter of threading a ’crawler on a No. 1-size hook and chucking it out.

There are, however, a couple of points to consider.

First: Bullheads almost always swallow the hook. Try using a snelled hook leader with a snap swivel and slip-sinker rig. Packaged snelled hook leaders (like those made by Eagle Claw) are inexpensive and allow the angler to simply remove and replace. You can retrieve the hooks later at home when you’re cleaning the fish, rather than mess with the task in the dark.

Second: There are lots of other fish that like to eat night crawlers at night. I’m talking big fish like carp, catfish, sheepshead — and even an occasional sturgeon.

Propping your fishing rod on a Y-shaped stake or stick is the way to go. Be sure to leave your bail open on your reel or your drag loose, though. I’ve seen more than a few poor anglers’ rigs violently yanked into the water for good by some unseen lake monster.

Cleaning bullheads has traditionally been a matter of separating the head and innards from the body. I prefer simply to fillet and skin. You just roll them in some seasoned flour and lightly fry in bacon fat or butter.

A simple fishing rig, a chair, a lantern, a snack and maybe some company. It’s all you need to enjoy some springtime bullhead fishing.

Enjoy the robins. Eat the bullheads.

Jim Commentucci/The Post-StandardBrown bullheads caught by Ben McDonald of Parish are shown in a bucket Tuesday night. McDonald was fishing in an inlet to Toad Harbor on the north shore of Oneida Lake in West Monroe.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog