what size bullheads do you guys use…and do ya thing they would work on smaller rivers,,,thanks 
June 29, 2011 at 3:15 am
#1222346
catfish help
-
June 29, 2011 at 3:17 am #976999
well, 10″ is the legal limit, so only that big…
and if there are flats in your river, then i would use any size i could get my hands on!
June 29, 2011 at 3:21 am #977000I use em anywhere from 6-10inches, and absolutely they work on smaller rivers.
Take Care and Tight Lines!!!
KevinJune 29, 2011 at 1:11 pm #977044You’ll find there are as many opinions on bully size as there are cat guys.
None of them are wrong and the best answer is the size bully you have.
I like to use 6 to 8 inchers under normal conditions (whatever that is). This year with the higher flow on the ‘sippi, I’m finding myself using 8 to 10 incher most always. I’ll toss out a smaller on near shore if the flow allows.
Flat’s love bullies this time of year whether it’s a lake or a river.
Enjoy your time kicking back and waiting for the “big one”!
June 29, 2011 at 2:02 pm #977081Yah they work. Don’t discount bluegills. They work better for me and are easier to get on the water you are fishing most of the time.
June 29, 2011 at 2:17 pm #977099Quote:
Yah they work. Don’t discount bluegills. They work better for me and are easier to get on the water you are fishing most of the time.
Disclaimer: What Kev said if you are NOT in MN.
June 29, 2011 at 3:48 pm #977162Everts would be the closest place for you OU. I’m not a big fan of catching my own although I have in the past.
I heard something about a hardware store starting to carry them in the S Metro, but don’t know the details.
Hooking them diagonally half way between the tail and the dorsal works best for me. Your results may vary.
June 30, 2011 at 2:35 am #977361Quote:
Yah they work. Don’t discount bluegills. They work better for me and are easier to get on the water you are fishing most of the time.
Same here although the last couple outings it’s been so slow that I’ve been wishing I had a supply of bullheads too. Bullies work great in current and are almost on par with bluegills all summer long. When the water temp drops in the fall is when bullheads lose the battle – they don’t do diddly out there in cold water, unlike the gills.
Fished a couple of really sweet looking spots last night and got skunked – not even a hit. You know what that proves? That tonight they’ll really be hungry!!
June 30, 2011 at 2:39 am #977364Quote:
You’ll find there are as many opinions on bully size as there are cat guys.
None of them are wrong and the best answer is the size bully you have.
I like to use 6 to 8 inchers under normal conditions (whatever that is). This year with the higher flow on the ‘sippi, I’m finding myself using 8 to 10 incher most always. I’ll toss out a smaller on near shore if the flow allows.
Flat’s love bullies this time of year whether it’s a lake or a river.
Enjoy your time kicking back and waiting for the “big one”!
In the past couple months I have read everything about catfish that I can get my hands on. I read on a website (I don’t remember which one but I will inform when I find it again) that when fishing with bullheads it is a good idea to pull their stingers out. I would think that this would emmit some blood and more scent for the fish, but wouldn’t it kill the bullhead? My other thought is, is it even legal? What is everyones opinion on this?
Thanks,
RobJune 30, 2011 at 3:22 am #977374Quote:
it is a good idea to pull their stingers out. I would think that this would emmit some blood and more scent for the fish, but wouldn’t it kill the bullhead? My other thought is, is it even legal?
Legal? Well here in MN I think if a CO would look hard enough they could find a law that they could interpret this as being inhumane I ‘spose.
I’ve always thought the people that clipped the fins (stingers) were more afraid of getting stung than it’s effects on the fishing bite. I’m more then likely wrong on that. LOL!
Imho, it’s more about the struggle then the scent trail for flatheads. To me, it would make more sense to clip part of the tail or one of the pectoral fins to throw them off balance even though I don’t practice any of the above.
Other opinions?
June 30, 2011 at 3:23 am #977375What area of which river are you fishing Rob?
June 30, 2011 at 3:26 am #977376
Quote:
Fished a couple of really sweet looking spots last night and got skunked – not even a hit. You know what that proves? That tonight they’ll really be hungry!!
Exactly!
June 30, 2011 at 5:31 am #977385Quote:
What area of which river are you fishing Rob?
We have been fishing pools 2 and 3 of the Mighty Mississippi lately and for some entertainment we have been playing in the two ponds of downtown Hastings.
June 30, 2011 at 5:58 am #977386Quote:
Legal? Well here in MN I think if a CO would look hard enough they could find a law that they could interpret this as being inhumane I ‘spose.
Quote:
I think I will scratch the idea of cutting, clipping, or trying to improve a bullhead and let it do what it does best, swim and get eaten. After all I wouldn’t want to get nailed for animal cruelty June 30, 2011 at 6:17 am #977388Admittedly, that would be a stretch as how does impaling a bully on a hook any different?
Well, if we see you out there some night at least wave. I have a green Lund. When anchored my Nav light is in the front of the boat…and many times there’s a flatbottom with a mud motor a couple blocks behind me.
June 30, 2011 at 12:18 pm #977421Plus you start clipping fins and all of the sudden that bullhead is bleeding all over, which will can them lethargic and even make them bleed to death. I want the healthiest struggling ornery bullhead possible.
JordanJune 30, 2011 at 12:33 pm #9774296 flats in the past two trips, all on cut creek chub. Just sayin.
Its easy to get bullhead tunnel vision, which is fine in may and june, but don’t be afraid to experiment with other baits.
June 30, 2011 at 4:22 pm #977515Quote:
…and many times there’s a flatbottom with a mud motor a couple blocks behind me.
You mean the “Silent Killer”?
June 30, 2011 at 4:51 pm #977529Quote:
6 flats in the past two trips, all on cut creek chub. Just sayin.
Its easy to get bullhead tunnel vision, which is fine in may and june, but don’t be afraid to experiment with other baits.
Nice. I had cut mooneye out but only on one pole – it’s hard for me to dedicate more than one pole to cutbait when I’ve got a cooler full of gills. Didn’t have any cats trying to convince me otherwise, either, lol.
As for bulls bleeding out or some such thing when you clip their fins, they don’t. We used to do that for a few years then sort of tested the alternatives and figured that it didn’t really make a difference. I can say that I’ve caught three flatheads with the same bullhead though – with clipped fins. That’s another advantage of lip-hooking them – they stay on the hook forever. I’ve pulled them up out of the stomachs of flats (way easier with no spines) and casted them out and caught cats again. But even on those with perfect hooksets in the corner of the mouth, the bully stays on, sometimes traveling up the line, but most times just hangin’ on the outside of the flat’s mouth.
If you lip hook most fish, they’ll stay put and barely move, but bullheads will do that thing that big cats also do: they’ll try to back up by curling their tail forward. They sit there and tug like that for hours – it’s beautiful.
JordanJune 30, 2011 at 5:12 pm #977539Try dedicating your ONLY pole to cutbait…
Usually I will put one out before dark and if it keeps getting hit, I won’t switch over.June 30, 2011 at 6:50 pm #977592Quote:
If you lip hook most fish, they’ll stay put and barely move, but bullheads will do that thing that big cats also do: they’ll try to back up by curling their tail forward. They sit there and tug like that for hours – it’s beautiful.
I’ve noticed most our lip hooked bullheads do stay on the line when we catch fish. I also think they do that with their tail when you grab them in an attempt to drive their stingers into your hand.June 30, 2011 at 10:05 pm #977623Quote:
…and many times there’s a flatbottom with a mud motor a couple blocks behind me.
I dont know BK…….The way I hear it, it is the other way around.
July 1, 2011 at 12:56 am #977674Quote:
and many times there’s a flatbottom with a mud motor a couple blocks behind me.
July 1, 2011 at 8:38 am #970803Took you long enough.
July 1, 2011 at 2:08 pm #977768Quote:
Took you long enough.
sorry, i was out on the river, mapping all of your spots the last couple days…
Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.