Over two decades ago, I started writing articles about the then disrespected, now popular burbot (Freshwater Cod). Bullheads are another example of a Michigan fish that is relatively common, good eating, and also often disrespected by some anglers. However, some anglers do target bullheads. As a DNR fisheries biologist, I maintained a popular handout for our “District Better Fishing waters by Species”. Most anglers only think about UP fisheries for walleye, pike, brook and lake trout, and perch, but some anglers requested information on our better bullhead lakes.
Catfish Family
Bullhead are in the catfish family. Michigan has a viable catfish fishery, especially in Southern Michigan, although that is the topic for another article. Native Michigan bullhead species include brown, black and yellow bullhead. Bullhead are relatively medium-sized members of the catfish family, although if you choose the right water, some Brown or Yellow bullhead can grow to a decent size (10 to 14 inches or larger in length). Recent DNR Master Angler bullhead (MI DNR Fishing Website) have been up to 17 inches in length.
How To Handle A Bullhead
This fish does not have scales and some consider them “slimy”. Inexperienced bullhead anglers are sometimes afraid to touch bullheads as they have heard they have spines. As a very young angler, that was the case for me. Once I got more educated about handling bullhead, I discovered it was not anything to worry about. Bullhead do not have big sharp teeth. One good way to handle the bullhead is with your hand direct toward the fish’s head. Bullhead have 3 spines, one dorsal (on the back) and one on the front of each pectoral fin (front side). It is only the tip of the relatively long spine you want to avoid; the sides of the spine will not hurt you. If you spread your index finger and middle finger, you can grab the bullhead with the dorsal fin spine between those two fingers and those fingers wrapped around the harmless side of both pectoral spines. During fish surveys, I had to measure thousands of bullheads; using that method, I could quickly pick up each bullhead without feeling the sharp end of any of their 3 spines.
Another thing that some people are nervous about on the bullhead is their barbells (whiskers) on the bottom and top of their mouths. Their barbells are harmless sensory organs they use to find food. The appearance of those barbells is what earned them the catfish name.
Cleaning Bullhead
Bullheads are a mild tasting pink flesh fish and are not hard to clean. Many anglers have heard that you skin the bullheads, which is one method, especially if you want to cook them whole (similar to the southern style of serving catfish). To skin bullhead, most anglers put a longer nail through a 2 x 4 and use the nail to puncture the bullhead’s head from the bottom to hold the fish in place. They use a sharp knife to cut skin around the entire fish’s head. Then they use pliers to pull the skin off.
I learned another method that I prefer as a low-income fisheries seasonal survey technician. Back then bullhead were not considered desirable to be protected by Michigan. Of course, all game and panfish sampled in the survey were returned to the water after length and weight data were recorded for them. Back then, some suckers and bullheads were not always returned to the waters. They could be given to anglers if they wanted them, or in a few cases kept. I learned that, provided the bullhead was at least about 9 inches or greater, they could be filleted similar to a walleye or a larger trout and I enjoyed them as much as other targeted angling game fish.
Bullhead Biology
Michigan’s bullhead species typically start to spawn in late May or June, when water temperatures reach about 70 F. The mud or sand spawning habitat is usually not limited in most waters. They also like to associate their spawning nests with stumps, rocks or deadfall trees and wood. Bullheads are “true omnivores,” utilizing a number of food items near the bottom of the waters, primarily lakes, ponds, and impoundments. Bullheads are known for feeding at night and in lower light hours. They may feed earlier in the evening in turbid (cloudy) or tannic-stained waters. Bullheads use their barbells to locate, smell and taste their food. Natural food items include: aquatic insects, invertebrates, terrestrial insects, crayfish, vulnerable fish (wounded or dead), leeches, worms and some algae and aquatic plant material.
Bullhead are more tolerant of lower dissolved oxygen in the water. As a result, they often thrive in shallower lakes and ponds where some other gamefish would not survive the winter.
Bullhead Are Easy To Catch
Among Michigan’s wide array of Michigan’s fish species, bullhead are generally considered to be easier to catch, similar to sunfish/bluegill in that respect. Bullhead anglers use relatively lighter tackle. You should keep your bait close to the lake bottom with either a bobber and sinkers or free line and sinkers. Bullheads are not finicky eaters; exposed hook points are not a problem and may help set the hook with their bony mouths. Either fish evening and/or night, or if you want to fish more daylight hours, target turbid (poor water clarity) or tannic-stained waters.
Floyd Dropps of Crystal Falls fished bullheads back when he grew up in Northern Minnesota. Dropps said they caught quite a few bullheads during the day, although they were fishing in somewhat cloudier water and it was probably during the bullhead spawning activity period. Bullheads are very scent oriented, so an angler can boost their odds by using strong scented baits like prepared catfish bait, dough balls or dead minnows. Although most lake states anglers just use night crawlers, worms, leaches or crickets.
There is no closed season, minimum size limit or bag limit on bullhead. Without strong predation, bullheads, especially black bullhead, are known to become overabundant and stunted. Some lakes with strong bass, walleye or pike populations can lead to a good balanced fish population with fishable numbers of bullhead surviving and growing larger.
The 3 best bullhead lakes I managed during my career in the Western U.P. were all relatively shallow. One was a larger lake with a strong pike and walleye population that resulted in larger bullhead. The second was a moderate-sized shallow lake where a strong pike population occasionally suffered a limited winter kill, although the pike always recovered to keep some predation and balanced fishery for the numerous bullheads. Lastly, a flooded timber reservoir with ample ideal bullhead spawning habitat. Initially, the bullheads were stunted, although we all but eliminated the overwhelming population of stunted bullhead and crappie with registered fish toxicant. We stocked largemouth bass that flourished, and now keep the bullhead and panfish in a fairly balanced fishery.
Summary
Fairly early in my career, I did a relatively short stint working on the Mississippi River south of St. Louis, Missouri. I was a fisheries biologist working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service with the Missouri and Illinois Departments of Conservation Fisheries. The state fisheries biologists thought I might have what they considered an elitist Northern attitude about some more Southern fish, like catfish, and traditionally commercial Southern members of the sucker family. They trained me to be more open-minded about fish species.
I found out there are a number of fish species Northerners don’t take seriously that are good eating and provide lots of fishing sport. Although bullheads are well represented all over Michigan, they often fall into that category of overlooked and underappreciated fish species. They are a great species to take beginner anglers for since they are easy to catch. If you contact your local Michigan DNR fisheries biologist, they can direct you to their area’s best bullhead fishing waters.
