OK, maybe this is a stupid question, but what is a bullhead trap and what does it look like? Can it be made from hardware cloth or something similar? Can you post a picture?
I just started catfishing and it takes quite a while to sit on the bank and catch them with hook and line. Looking for something that will do it for me 24-7.
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OK, maybe this is a stupid question, but what is a bullhead trap and what does it look like? Can it be made from hardware cloth or something similar? Can you post a picture?
I just started catfishing and it takes quite a while to sit on the bank and catch them with hook and line. Looking for something that will do it for me 24-7.
I just use the standard cylindrical traps that you can buy at Fleet Farm, WalMart, or Gander Mt. I throw a few saltine crackers into the trap and toss it out there. I’ve got a total of 4 traps that I put out. I just put out my last two a little while ago and thought I would just check my other traps again as long as I was there. Picked up 18 more bullheads in just a couple of hours. They have moved up shallow and are moving around. I should have a good stock of bullheads in just a few days.
Steve,
You make the hole any bigger than a standard minnow trap would have?
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Steve,
You make the hole any bigger than a standard minnow trap would have?
Most cylindrical minnow traps come with a standard 1″ opening. By Minnesota Fishing Regulations the largest trap opening allowed is 1 1/2″. I have enlarged the holes on all my traps to the maximum size to try to get the biggest bullheads I can. I catch a lot of 5″ – 6″ bullheads which for me are a perfect size.
What is nice about the traps is that you can replenish your bait tank very easily. I don’t feed them in the tank so every 3 weeks or so I will empty out the tank and catch a fresh batch, full of vim and vigor.
I use saltine crackers for bait but have also used cat food and dog food and they have all worked. As a matter of fact I have caught a lot of minnows without using any bait at all.
What are you fishing for with that big of a bullhead ?
Walleyes, of course.
Steve,
What do you need on your traps for ID? And also how do you anchor them so you can get them later, but the don’t end up at someone elses garage?
Brent
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They’re kidding you Bob… Catfish eat 5-6″ Bullheads like candy
Other fish do as well 
Hush hush 
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They’re kidding you Bob.
Yup…they are kidding you Bob.
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Steve, What do you need on your traps for ID? And also how do you anchor them so you can get them later, but the don’t end up at someone elses garage?
The Minnesota Fishing Regulations say traps must have a waterproof tag bearing the name and address of the owner. I bought some self sealing luggage tags and just laminated my name and address and attached them to my traps with a cable tie. They work good – I lose one once in a while but they are easy to replace.
I anchor my traps out in the water so that you can’t reach them from shore. I just wear a pair of waders and walk out about 15′ or so and put a long stake in the bottom and tie my traps off to the stake. I’ve never lost a trap but if somebody wanted one and was willing to get wet they could still get them – hasn’t happened yet. I check them every morning and usually every evening if I can.
Thanks Steve. I knew they had to be labeled, and was trying to find a easy solution, and the luggage tag seems like a great idea.
IDA, learning more here by accident, then other places by design 
Hey Brent – The bullheads are really moving around right now. My favorite pond is full of small crappie minnows and the bullheads are after them. I have 4 traps out and I picked up 47 bullheads this morning. Some were nice fat 6″ bullheads – they are full of crappie minnows – they burped them up in my tank. I’m hoping to get completely stocked up before this next cold front sweeps in and shuts them down.
If anybody is trying to catch bullheads with hook and line right now the preferred bait may be small crappie minnows. They are just full of them.
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OK, maybe this is a stupid question, but what is a bullhead trap and what does it look like? Can it be made from hardware cloth or something similar? Can you post a picture?
I just started catfishing and it takes quite a while to sit on the bank and catch them with hook and line. Looking for something that will do it for me 24-7.
if you want to build one, google search for “whistler bullhead trap” minus the quotes- the first result should be from catfish1 and is a good one.
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. . . if you want to build one, google search for “whistler bullhead trap” minus the quotes- the first result should be from catfish1 and is a good one.
I built that bullhead trap from the BOC Library but I don’t use it. It is too big and cumbersome to haul around. If you had your own pond where you could keep it in the water or store it on shore then it would be pretty good. The hardware cloth is very sharp where you cut it to shape the trap and it beats up your hands when you set and retrieve the trap. I ended up going back to my cylindrical traps because they are easier to use and to move around to different locations. If anybody would like my large hardware cloth bullhead trap that I made send me a PM. It is yours for the asking. I need to get it out of my shed.
I had a nice crayfish trap when I worked a summer up at Leech. I think it would translate pretty well to catching bullheads. The openings were reinforced with PVC as I remember. I used to put some fish guts and heads from the cleaning shack in there and when I pulled it up in the morning, it would be full to the point that you wondered how more were still getting in.
Those little suckers were tasty, too!
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I had a nice crayfish trap when I worked a summer up at Leech. I think it would translate pretty well to catching bullheads. The openings were reinforced with PVC as I remember. I used to put some fish guts and heads from the cleaning shack in there and when I pulled it up in the morning, it would be full to the point that you wondered how more were still getting in.
Those little suckers were tasty, too!
DFRESH….. Sounds like crabbing on Deadliest Catch…
Cool.
Come to think of it I did fall off the dock once, but that was a completely unrelated circumstance 
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Come to think of it I did fall off the dock once, but that was a completely unrelated circumstance
MAN OVER BOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!
It will be fun to watch these bucks to see if they turn into shooters over the next year or two.
A few more…
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WOW< Awesome.
That 8 you have looks like he’s got a little Black in him. At first I thought it was the daylight but you have more than one and he looks the same in all of them.. Very cool.
Will be fun to see what they become next year – and fun watching them run around this year.
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