Oneida Lake Bullhead/Catfish?

[Bussman]

Got this 28" 8+ pounder sunday. I was fishing for perch with 3# test and a Forage Minnow Jig'n Spoon tipped with maggots for perch. NYSDEC wants to see the fish because they think it could be a Brown or Black Bullhead. If so it would have been a new state record but I didn't think to take it in for a official weight. I figured it must have been a catfish but my fishingbuddy (fishingking) made me second guess it once we got it home so for the heck of it I sent a picture to some of my buddies in fisheries and they want to see it.

They said there not sure but from the pictures it looks like it could be a bullhead. The tail is the reason they are not sure due to it being some what forked but not as much as they would expect in a catfish. The anal fin count will also help answer this question but it was frozen when we got it home and I put it right in the freezer so we will need to defrost it to know for sure. Honestly my wife wanted me to have it mounted or it would have gotten filleted.  I will take it down to the office in the next few weeks to find out what it is for sure.

[billditrite]

wow G that is a monster!      really cool   keep us posted you got my curiosity up.dang that must have been a good fight look at the tail on that baby!!!

[chuckt]

Keep us updated on this. Nice fish and by looking at the tail, I'd say it's a bullhead.

[bigredonice]

the mouth looks kinda narrow, and almost pointy - is it?

here's a pic of a bullhead from fishingking's pond as a reference

here's a pic of a white catfish for reference

[camo_fish]

I'd say some kind of cat, but not channel, it would have a narrow mouth.  But that is a big fatty. WTG. 
Maybe a cross breed. 

[grumpymoe]

IMHO....its not a bullhead...the tail is not forked on them.....its a catfish judging by the forked tail....but which family, i am not sure.....either way.....Great hardwater catch...Grump 8)

[Deposit]

Definitely looks like a catfish..although I have caught big black bullhead like that in cazenovia lake when I was doing a fish study there years ago.

[seaweed01]

Nice catch George, keep us posted on what you find out.

[Pasquatch]

Beautiful Fish!
Channel Cat, most definately.
Its too big to be a bullhead... that's closing in on a world record, if not topping it. Bullhead have squared off tails.

[JiggerMan]

Definatley 100% sure that that fish is a channel catfish.......  Bullheads have squared tails while that fish has a forked tail.  It would be nice to see the anal fin of the fish because the number of rays and shape of the fin would be the decision maker. 

Bullheads are also catfish to,  I do not know why NY'rs do not commonly call them catfish. 

JiggerMan   

[big walleye]

Well I also think it is a member of the channel cat family but you never know.

[kingfshr16]

 Whatever it is, its a nice fish, way to go.

[crappie66]

Definatley 100% sure that that fish is a channel catfish.......  Bullheads have squared tails while that fish has a forked tail.  It would be nice to see the anal fin of the fish because the number of rays and shape of the fin would be the decision maker. 

Bullheads are also catfish to,  I do not know why NY'rs do not commonly call them catfish. 

JiggerMan   
[/quote

Definate Channel Cat, agree with JiggerMan, channel cats have forked tails, bullheads have squared tails.

[Carp1]

I agree with the channel cat comments, due to the tail, but it is a Dark Channel cat, ecspecially for this time of year.  Either way, It's a danndy fish.  Thanks for the Pic's

[Thriller]

Up here we see a lot of variability in the colour depending on lake vs. river fish, possibly substrate, feed, etc.  Except for things like spots on trout, colour is not a good identifier.

If you look at http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/fish/images/fishkey1.pdf, it has ways to identify the sport fish in Manitoba, including bullhead and channel cats.

[TackleTester]

I say it's a channel cat...but I could be wrong.

Catch em up
Brian

[ChenBassHead]

After looking at a better picture of the fish laying on Bussmans counter this morning, we determined that it is indeed a channel cat.

-Zach

[Thriller]

I spent some time this afternoon looking at a channel cat in an aquarium - it is a pretty big one and didn't have much of a fork to it's tail.  Obviously it will vary a bit.

[shrub]

Nice fish dude

[Bussman]

I am now thinking catfish but I just don't know what it is for sure so I will leave it to the experts. I am not going down that way for a few weeks but when I know for sure I will let you all know.

Thanks

Bussman

[baginwal]

Nice catch George!

[ice boy19]

nice fish huge

[missfishylicious]

It's a nice one george .but my hubby beat ya sat. with a fifteen pounder .were you just off sylvan beach thats were he got his.there nice fish but typical channel cats for oneida the lake is full of them.one summer they seemed to be the only thing I could catch while walleye fishing.I;d use the same lure reel it the same as my hubby he'd get big fat walleye and I'd fight a cat for tenty minutes.

[fishman247]

That without a doubt a channel cat.  Here in PA we catch them in the Delaware River look just like that.  Nice fish though. Tight Lines

[icewagon]

I  caught one that looked vary similar in the Susquehanna river a number of years ago ,was not a bullhead or a channel cat but it had the same kind of tail as yours it was only 18' though.
               
                              Icewagon

[Bussman]

SO what was it??

[JiggerMan]

I would think that Icewagons catfish that he caught (if it was not a channel and not a bullhead) would most likely be a white catfish.  they are closely related to the channel cat and look alot alike but the white catfish is generally always smaller in size.

JiggerMan