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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Catfish => Topic started by: The Ice Man on Jan 01, 2012, 08:29 PM

Title: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: The Ice Man on Jan 01, 2012, 08:29 PM
i was wondering if any one had any tips on how to catch some bullheads through the ice
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: addicted to ice fishing on Jan 02, 2012, 08:16 AM
I have never fished for them, however I know some people who would target them on a lake at night using chunks of beef for bait. They caught quite a lot of them.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: stripernut on Jan 02, 2012, 08:21 AM
I have gotten then with night crawlers, shiners, jigs, but they seem to love glow in the dark stuff.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: IM-POUNDING- R -U on Jan 02, 2012, 05:09 PM
There is a lake here in Pa that has Alot of bullheads. we targeted them one year and found that they hit great through the ice. we caught them two ways 1st way....cut bluegill on tip-ups. Tuna inside spawnee  sacks on tip-ups.
2nd way cut suckers on jigging rods
we also caught big channels this way but they were suspended  down 10'
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Townie on Jan 03, 2012, 03:45 PM
Bacon on #6 baitholder
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Van_Cleaver on Nov 08, 2012, 05:23 PM
Stumbled into this picture of a nice bullhead which was released. Hit a shiner on a tip up.
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq14/van_cleaver/Monroe2011026.jpg)
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Skipper on Nov 08, 2012, 05:30 PM
They will eat anything a bluegill will. Right on the bottom, right after dark. They like mud and vegetation.

Unlike channels, they bite just as well in the winter.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: HUNTnFISHSD on Feb 07, 2013, 07:47 AM
 I dislike bullheads because of their slime.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: jackcraps on Feb 10, 2013, 05:47 PM
So you must dislike all fish then, bc all fish have slime.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: HUNTnFISHSD on Feb 10, 2013, 06:30 PM
 But bullheads smell the worst.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: jackcraps on Feb 10, 2013, 06:55 PM
No worse than anything else. 
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: HUNTnFISHSD on Feb 10, 2013, 07:01 PM
 People have different opinions.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: vt-jig on Feb 13, 2013, 11:40 AM
sure theyre a little slimy but the taste pretty good! never caught a good one while ice fishing though. caught a 5-6"er jigging once, but thats about it...
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: HUNTnFISHSD on Feb 13, 2013, 01:45 PM
 never caught a bullhead through the ice.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Oldfart on Feb 14, 2013, 12:45 PM
Living in SD, I don't think you ever got to kick a hole in coastal Atlantic sea water and jig up a bucket full of herring.  You would smell them for weeks after. :o
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Whopper Stopper on Feb 15, 2013, 08:21 PM
I have never caught one through the ice either. I would have to bet they would be fantastic eating out of the cold water. Basically, I grew up eating them, and often they had a muddy taste, especially if they were caught mid summer in a shallow lake. I would love to try and target some.

                  WS
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Ironeagle on Feb 21, 2013, 09:06 PM
Be neat to get into some. I hear best time for bullheads is march, April  a worm and hook and a guy can do really well. I never ate them. But channels are very good. They sure are fun on light tackle at nite by lantern light!
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Ice Scratcher on Mar 06, 2013, 05:03 PM
These were taken last weekend, at 3 feet deep, in 9FOW, on a glow tear drop with a few waxies, I was looking for Crappy...

(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp207/Squareneck/0303132228_zpsc29bc029.jpg)

(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp207/Squareneck/0303132230_zps76671d6e.jpg)

The second biggest was taken on 1lb test..

(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp207/Squareneck/IMG-20130305-00257_zps43ccbf09.jpg)

And another I caught eariler this season...

(http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp207/Squareneck/252_zpsc2f3a2b2.jpg)

<*)))>{

Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Oldfart on Mar 07, 2013, 05:50 AM
I'll eat those cats if you dont want them! ;)
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: masoneddie on Mar 07, 2013, 06:12 AM
Never really targeted them, but like stripernut said, the ones I did catch were on glow jigs with waxies after dark while targeting crappies.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: massNtrash on Jan 26, 2014, 07:42 PM
I caught this one by accident while jigging for perch today with an ultra light rod and 2 pound test. Measured in at 24" and 4.9 pounds. My first ever.
(http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/u635/massNtrash/Mobile%20Uploads/F4468B51-DE99-4F21-92E3-57464C25B5D1_zpsed3eq4ts.jpg) (http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/massNtrash/media/Mobile%20Uploads/F4468B51-DE99-4F21-92E3-57464C25B5D1_zpsed3eq4ts.jpg.html)
(http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/u635/massNtrash/Mobile%20Uploads/4351F3A5-8C12-4E6C-8C7E-B62F8B47B325_zpsfwamoqkm.jpg) (http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/massNtrash/media/Mobile%20Uploads/4351F3A5-8C12-4E6C-8C7E-B62F8B47B325_zpsfwamoqkm.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: massNtrash on Jan 26, 2014, 08:01 PM
I was just informed that this is in fact a channel cat not a bull head my mistake
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: panfishman13 on Jan 27, 2014, 11:32 AM
i caught this one around 11:00 pm on a chartreuse/glow frostee jigging spoon packed with waxworms

(http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii54/panfishman/2014-01-10192607.jpg)

i need to try eating them sometime, a guy told me that if you soak the fillets in milk overnight they lose the muddy flavor.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Townie on Feb 06, 2014, 03:45 AM
Nice catch iS-- 3 brown & 1 yellow bullhead
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Ice Scratcher on Feb 05, 2015, 02:09 AM
 Thanks man!

They tasted great, the meat was different, very bright pink..

<°)))>{
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: CastmasterGold on Feb 16, 2015, 06:22 AM
okay I know I am leaving myself open on this question but here it goes... but does anyone ever chum or drop bait down the hole overnight for bulls/cats and come back in the following days?

Josh
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: JiggerDan on Feb 16, 2015, 06:30 AM
Nice size one. Tasty too. :P ;D
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Ice Scratcher on Feb 16, 2015, 12:20 PM
okay I know I am leaving myself open on this question but here it goes... but does anyone ever chum or drop bait down the hole overnight for bulls/cats and come back in the following days?

Josh

Not me because I don't target them..

But!

I'm positive it would work though..

But I would chum the intended area around 4:00pm, so by night time they would be there same day...

<*)))>{
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Feb 16, 2015, 12:26 PM
I catch quite a few at night fishing for specks with emerald shiners.ive caught them at different depths too not just on the bottom.tipups  rigged with shiners at night catches them also.i learned on here that they are good eating out of cold water..and they are delicious.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: greensider on Feb 16, 2015, 12:28 PM
massntrash that is a channel cat
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: stripernut on Feb 16, 2015, 12:38 PM
When I was a kid I got to go with a bunch of old timers that fished at night for hornpout. They had not done it this time, but what they said they would often do is sink a cows head to the bottom (open and hard water) and that would make for good fishing for a while... I never wanted to get hornpout enough to go to the trouble...
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Oldfart on Dec 27, 2016, 05:36 AM
okay I know I am leaving myself open on this question but here it goes... but does anyone ever chum or drop bait down the hole overnight for bulls/cats and come back in the following days?

Josh
[/quote

Yes I have.
 Go get yourself a bag of "Sow Chow" from the local feed store. Drop a few handfuls down each hole. It swells, then sinks to the bottom.
 Just check local and state regulations first.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Seus on Apr 07, 2022, 12:40 PM
some nice pic's of Channel Cats, very few bullheads though. Still nice to see them being caught through the ice, I live in Canada and I have never caught one through the ice.
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: Rebelss on Apr 07, 2022, 12:51 PM
Used to get a plastic container of chicken gizzards from the butcher shop, and let it sit out at room temp or in the sun a few days. Hook a gob of that on a #4 baithold hook, or larger, and drop to bottom. Let lay with a few jigs now and then. You'll get a kitty.  ;)
Title: Re: Bullheads through the ice
Post by: fatty crusher on Apr 07, 2022, 01:19 PM
I have had luck? Catching them unintentionally while camping. 6 to 9 fow, edge of weeds, it may just be a honey hole but I've caught them on waxies, shiners, fat heads, even on a 2 inch rattle bait 2' under the ice that was sitting still since I mostly use that for calling in fish. My guess would be location is most important.