bullhead’s

Any one out there trap bullheads what kinda trap and were? Ya I know in the water

CVA, most of the cat guys are still sleeping.

There’s a number of folks here that trap their bullies. Steve DeMars comes to mind.

Hang in there. Someone will answer your question.

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CVA, most of the cat guys are still sleeping.
Ya I know what U mean. Thats why I sleep in my boat
There’s a number of folks here that trap their bullies. Steve DeMars comes to mind.

Hang in there. Someone will answer your question.

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Hook and line isn’t working for you?

The traps that I use are your standard cylindrical bait traps that they sell at Fleet Farm or Walmart. You can increase the hole size legally to 1 1/2 inches. You should become familiar with the regulations on page 70 of the 2011 Minnesota Fishing Regulations if you want to trap minnows. Also I would recommend reviewing the regs on Invasive Species.

I’ve had good luck fishing my bully traps. I noticed that I would bait them with cut fatheads and then when I would check them the next morning the bait would be gone but there were no bullies in the trap. The bullies were getting in, eating the bait and swimming right back out.
One day I baited the traps and set them out one after the other. I let them soak about 10 minutes then I ran the line – checking the traps and lo and behold I caught about 3 to 4 bullies in each trap. After that I would check a trap, empty it, rebait it and put it right back out. I would then move to the next one, check it, empty it, rebait it and put it right back in again. I just kept doing this for about an hour or so and always caught bullies.
It proved to be faster then sitting there with a hook and line and trying to catch them one at a time. The trouble I had with this method is that the bullheads ran on the small side and I like big bullheads.
I haven’t tried my traps yet this year because most of my bullie ponds froze out last year and I haven’t been able to catch any bullies there. The pond I am fishing now is weed choked and my traps wouldn’t work very well.

I may have to go back to my other ponds and try my traps to see if I can catch any bullies there, some must have survived the winter kill and are back in there again – I hope anyway.

Sounds like Spiniest Catch on Discovery.

Are you laying the bait open in the traps or putting them in some sort of pouch or bag similar to crab fishing style?

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Are you laying the bait open in the traps or putting them in some sort of pouch or bag similar to crab fishing style?

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I just take a scissors and cut the fatheads in half – normally just use 3 to 6 fatheads per trap. Just toss the pieces in the trap – they don’t fall through. They leave a nice scent trail. I normally fish 4 traps – I don’t let them soak that long, maybe 10 minutes. If I find one trap catching more than the others I will move my other traps close to that one. They don’t seem to scare off with the activity. It seems like the scent in the water will gather them in over time.

I bought one of those larger crab traps from Catfish Connection thinking that I might catch bigger bullheads. Here’s a pic of the Crab Trap. The first time I used it I left it out overnight and the next morning I was greeted by a big snapping turtle that wanted to fight me over possession of the trap. He ripped it all to heck so I gave up on crab traps. At least with the metal ones the turtles can’t hurt them.

Here is a Bullhead Trap Tip that might help you save some money.

The cylindrical bait traps hinge in the middle and are held together with a pain in the butt clip on one side of the trap. I lost one of my traps when it came open when I was retrieving it with a rope from some deep water. I had the rope tied to the clip and the clip slipped open and one side of the trap came off. It opened up and the side that wasn’t attached to the clip fell off and I couldn’t find it in the deep, stained water of the pond. I was left holding half a trap which is useless now.
I took some zip ties and zip tied all my traps on the side opposite the clip loop on the trap. Now if the trap opens up when you are retrieving it you won’t lose half the trap. The trap is a little more cumbersome to empty but it still works fine and you will always have a complete trap when you are done.

I also stop tying my traps to the clip that holds the trap closed. I tie my retrieve ropes directly to the trap.

Steve
Thanks for the post on the bullhead trap last Aug. I set out a standard minnow trap last evening. Mine has an extension in the middle that makes it longer. I baited with dry dog food and a gob of secret 7. I ran the trap this morning and had 28 bullhead between 6 and 7 inches long.I put the bait in a fine mesh bag and hung it inside the trap.
I hope that small bullhead are still a good bait for fall flathead.
We went out last night fished until 10 PM had a few good bites but did not hook up on anything.
Dave

Hot dogs make good bait too. Diced up nice and fine!