How to land Bullhead Catfish

[Pkfish49]

Edited the title and body to change all instances of flathead to bullhead.

 

I was targeting Yellow Perch in my favorite lake.  They were close to shore in shallow water.  I got excited as I saw schools of Bullhead Catfish swim by, but they had no interest at all in my nightcrawler worms.  If I dropped a worm anywhere near them, they got scared and literally swam faster to get away.  Even when I stealthily dropped my line in their path, they swam past the worm without any interest at all.  With my split shot setup, the worms were at the correct depth and the Bullheads were practically bumping into them.

 

Some folks who fish the lake tell me that the Bullheads only feed at night, but I recently saw an article on the internet that claimed this was a myth.  What's the scoop?  Do I need to target the Bullheads after dark, or is their some other technique or bait I should be using?

[greentrout]

MDWFP‏ @MDWFPonline Apr 23

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This flathead catfish was caught Sunday on the Mississippi River by William (Bill) Stewart. It weighed 63.5lbs. and was caught on a silvercat rod with a zebco spinning rod with 30lb test line in Vicksburg MS.

[bassh8er]

Flatheads are mean, apex predators. If you’re targeting them fish where predators would want to ambush prey and use live bait.

 

Biggest one I’ve caught so far was on about a 6.5” bluegill suspended under a float.

[Bluebasser86]

Are you sure they were flatheads? Flatheads will congregate, but don't really school like we think of. It's more just during the cold water period when they're mostly inactive until the water hits 50 again, and then during the spawn that usually happens beginning to mid summer. 

 

Still fishing with livebait near heavy cover during night time is your best bet but fresh cut bait in the same areas works well also. Some of my biggest fish have been on jigs fishing for bass though. 

[Pkfish49]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Are you sure they were flatheads? Flatheads will congregate, but don't really school like we think of. It's more just during the cold water period when they're mostly inactive until the water hits 50 again, and then during the spawn that usually happens beginning to mid summer. 

 

Still fishing with livebait near heavy cover during night time is your best bet but fresh cut bait in the same areas works well also. Some of my biggest fish have been on jigs fishing for bass though. 

Thanks for the info.  The fish that I saw were much, much smaller than the picture that Greentrout posted.  From my internet research, the fish that I saw were most likely Bullhead Catfish.  My best guess is that the ones I saw were between 10-15 inches.  I find it unlikely any were > 2 pounds.

 

I'm not experienced enough to tell the difference between congregating and schooling, but the fish were all travelling together in the same direction.  I saw "packs" of the fish; some numbering at least ten.

 

Now that I've identified the correct species, please advise of the best technique, bait, (lures?) and time to catch them.  I still find it freaky how disinterested they were in the worms.

 

I edited the first post to reflect the correct species.

 

Ty

 

 

[Pkfish49]

I forgot I took these pictures:

 

This is what I'm talking about.  Tons of em:

 

 

[Scott F]

Those look more like suckers than bullheads to me.

[All about da bass]

On 4/24/2018 at 8:55 PM, greentrout said:

MDWFP‏ @MDWFPonline Apr 23

More

This flathead catfish was caught Sunday on the Mississippi River by William (Bill) Stewart. It weighed 63.5lbs. and was caught on a silvercat rod with a zebco spinning rod with 30lb test line in Vicksburg MS.

Zebco does it again.

2 hours ago, Scott F said:

Those look more like suckers than bullheads to me.

I think I'm gonna have to agree with this guy^^.

[Bluebasser86]

4 hours ago, Pkfish49 said:

I forgot I took these pictures:

 

This is what I'm talking about.  Tons of em:

Those are for sure not bullheads, or catfish of any kind. 

 

I have to agree with the opinion that they're suckers of some kind. The white spots on the front of some of them would be their rubbery lips. They school often and are very skittish in clear water. Nightcrawlers are a great bait for them, but they'll be much easier to catch if they're in deeper holes where they're more comfortable. Suckers will often make spawning runs up creeks and rivers early in the year and are basically impossible to catch at this time. 

[ratherbfishin1]

Looks like its time to take out a big treble hook

 

Jk... maybe, I have no idea if it is legal to snag them so I wouldn't recommend it unless you check the rules.

[Hog Basser]

casting net would be fun with that bunch of fish....if legal in your area.

[Ratherbfishing]

Hmmmm...how to land bullheads....  Well, you'll want to be sure you are not exceeding your bullheads landing weight.  If it's a controlled airport, ask for and obtain clearance to land and make sure you put your gear down.  Ensure your flaps are lowered and, descending into the wind at the correct glide slope, you'll want to settle down at somewhere between 80 and 100 knots (indicated air speed).  Try to land "on the numbers" so you don't use too much runway.

 

But seriously, as has already been mentioned, those don't look anything like any bullhead I've ever seen. They are  probably suckers.  In such numbers, they are probably not feeding but staging to migrate or, possibly, to spawn.  If you still want to know how to catch them, in this "configuration" you're best luck is probably with a net.

[J Francho]

Those are definitely suckers.  They are on their spawning run right now.  As kids we used to snag them or spear them. 

[soflabasser]

I have caught suckers while fishing on the bottom for catfish. I used light mono, size 4 hook, a split shot 3 feet away from the hook, and a live worm.

[Pkfish49]

10 hours ago, ratherbfishin1 said:

Looks like its time to take out a big treble hook

 

Jk... maybe, I have no idea if it is legal to snag them so I wouldn't recommend it unless you check the rules.

Accidental foul hooking (except for trout) is OK in N.Y., but most deliberate snatching isn't. 

8 hours ago, Hog Basser said:

casting net would be fun with that bunch of fish....if legal in your area.

 

Dip netting is legal for Suckers in New York State, but only in certain bodies of water, and my lake is not one of them.