Author Topic: Bullheads thru the ice? (Read 14558 times)

Woodsman · « **on:** Dec 14, 2005, 04:50 PM »

Has anyone had luck for bullheads thru the ice? My local lake has plenty of them but I have never seen one come up thru the ice. Any tips like bait, locations or fishing methods?

Best Wishes

Pasquatch · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 14, 2005, 07:24 PM »

If I remember correctly, they get really random in the winter, they start to suspend and stuff....some guys catch them by accident fishing for gills and stuff. Hard to pattern I believe...

big big rdg · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 14, 2005, 09:01 PM »

I got one last year by accident while goin fo bass. Hit a large shiner. Was about 12" long. I think they would be fairly hard to target also. Good luck.

bigredonice · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 14, 2005, 10:01 PM »

When I've see them on the aqua-vu, I lay my jig on the bottom and sometimes they pick it up, usually in shallow soft bottomed areas. I've seen fishingking catch suspended bullheads over the shallow basin of this one pond...

Woodsman · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 16, 2005, 02:59 PM »

Thanks for the replies.

fishingking · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 16, 2005, 08:11 PM »

Bigred is right I caught 2 in one day it was about mid march. I was perch fishing is 13 fow and all of a sudden I read a fish 4 ft under the ice. Reeled up to it and it slammed the jig did this twice same water same day they were 14" and 16" and they tasted awesome better than spring time bullhead.
I have also caught them suspended in another place i fish, weirdist thing im jigging in 20 fow all of a sudden my fish finder is going nuts theres a mark going up and down at a pretty good speed so i reel up to it and try getting the jig in from of it and with no hesitation a bullhead would bite it. I did this a few times untill i got annoyed with them they were only 10-12" and skinny. This was in January.
Bigred and I were fishing a shallow lake one day. we were fishing in 3 fow at night for crappie and every once in awhile we would lay our jig on the bottom and a small bullhead would come along and grab it. THis was in Late December.

I have no clue how to target them and catch enough biggens for a meal but it would be really neat to figure them out. If you know your lake/pond has alot of decent ones in it then I would try taking some dead minnows on tipups and placing the bait about an inch off the bottom and dont be afraid to try an hour or 2 into the dark eventually tou will figure them out.

good luck and tight lines

FK

bigdave1018 · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 20, 2005, 05:04 AM »

i got into them on tully near the swamp over a muddy bottom. they were coming out of the mud and didnt fight until into the hole then they went nuts!!!!!! i caught at least 12 lakers around a pound and they tasted great.it was last ice and awhile ago.

BASSandICE65 · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 25, 2005, 07:51 PM »

I catch them once in awhile on shiners. Don't fish for them but don't mind catching them

Keith

crappie_attitude · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 26, 2005, 09:02 AM »

We have been catching cats at my local lake thru the ice....in two days I have seen a large bullhead and two channel cats (~24-26") caught (one by me

) and lost another. All have been caught while jigging for perch with Kastmasters/waxies.

kwiky364 · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 26, 2005, 09:22 AM »

Quote from: crappie_attitude on Dec 26, 2005, 09:02 AM

We have been catching cats at my local lake thru the ice....in two days I have seen a large bullhead and two channel cats (~24-26") caught (one by me ) and lost another. All have been caught while jigging for perch with Kastmasters/waxies.

wheres youre lokal lake diyin for some cats.

crappie_attitude · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 26, 2005, 09:40 AM »

That's classified

Central PA..I'm going out this afternoon and will ttry to get some pics.

ChenBassHead · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 04, 2006, 05:17 AM »

Last year I was crappie fishing at night, in 28 FOW, and had a nice school of decent crappies about 12 feet down. A blip came in a little above the school, at maybe 7-8 feet. Thinking it was maybe larger crappies, I reeled up and WAM! My rod tip dove to the hole...."Big crappie!", I'm thinking. After a short fight, I get it through the hole only to realize it's a monster 18" bullhead...when they start suspending, you know they're going to be hard to target.

-Zach

coldbum · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 07, 2006, 08:04 AM »

I usually end up with one or two bullies on the ice per season... usually fishin for pannies

actually Iced a 14 incher during the caroga lake tourney this year

adkRoy · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 07, 2006, 09:09 AM »

We've caught them jigging shallow weedy lakes with hali-jigs or tear drops tipped with spikes. We've also caught them on tip-ups with shiners and icicles anywheres from just below the ice to near the bottom.

Woodsman · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 18, 2006, 06:05 AM »

No chance to try for them yet this year. Ice has not been safe on my local lake. Water level is controlled by a flood control dam & we have had lots of rain. What ice there is is floating in the middle with no way to get to it. My 2 trips this year have required long drives.

Best Wishes

FishermanJay · « **Reply #15 on:** Nov 12, 2006, 10:21 PM »

I've caught them with a bread ball on a slip bobber rig 1 or 2 inches off bottom.

zamboni · « **Reply #16 on:** Nov 12, 2006, 10:33 PM »

Here in southern MN, no offense to anyone, but we consider them a junk fish. They are fun to catch though. And, when waters cold, they do taste alright soaked overnight in saltwater.

donmac · « **Reply #17 on:** Nov 13, 2006, 04:47 AM »

Quote from: Woodsman on Dec 14, 2005, 04:50 PM

Has anyone had luck for bullheads thru the ice? My local lake has plenty of them but I have never seen one come up thru the ice.

Only by accident!

Last year (or the year before?) my son caught this hornnpout - which I believe is also called a bullhead.

bigdave1018 · « **Reply #18 on:** Nov 13, 2006, 05:28 AM »

only 1 time years back fishing over mud at tully lake. they fight like an old boot until you get them near the hole then they fight like crazy!!!!!!! they are great tasting outta spring fed lakes thru the ice. it was last ice too and they bit like bulldogs, very hungary.

vipercat64 · « **Reply #19 on:** Nov 13, 2006, 12:08 PM »

I got to the point last year on one local pond, that I caught at least one every time I was out on it. But just like everyone else, I was jigging for panfish and perch. They hit jigs with spikes or mousies. Fought good, and good sized too...12-14 inches most of the time. Not sure how to target them though.

spoonfed · « **Reply #20 on:** Nov 13, 2006, 12:50 PM »

i get them quite often on a certain pond i fish for gills. always hit on waxies and a small jig. good fighters.

CrappieBuster · « **Reply #21 on:** Nov 13, 2006, 01:08 PM »

The few random ones I have caught were in late feb or early march..........Always catch them on a jigging rap bouncing bottom.......
However I hate bullheads with a passion and each of them dirty bass-turds died horrible senseless deaths................ All rough fish die we have an extreme problem with them in the lakes and rivers around here....

Pasquatch · « **Reply #22 on:** Nov 13, 2006, 03:25 PM »

Please tell me you ate those bullheads! Some of the best eating fish out there!

Pssstt....bullheads aren't rough fish... $:-\$

ChenBassHead · « **Reply #23 on:** Nov 16, 2006, 11:50 PM »

I've caught a few bullheads through the ice, and usually it's been when perch fishing. One time, though, I was crappie fishing well after dark, in 28 FOW. I was marking and catching crappies at 12 Feet down...Had a hit, set the hook...Wow, this is a BIG crappie...Get it up to the hole, and it's a bullhead that I swear was close to 18"...It was so weird, because it was mixed right in with the crappies I had been catching consistently for probably 1/2 hour. Even after that I continued to catch more crappies...Weird...

-Zach

Little Brown Dog · « **Reply #24 on:** Nov 29, 2006, 06:34 PM »

One lake around here I get them right in with the perch and crappies. Both jigging and on tipups with small minnows.

Fishbio824 · « **Reply #25 on:** Feb 04, 2007, 05:36 PM »

Caught my first one the other day bluegill fishing in 8 ft. Put up a great fight. Made a few good runs. I assumed it was another one of those big pickeral. Tasted great too. Best bullhead I have ever eaten.

raider111 · « **Reply #26 on:** Feb 10, 2007, 07:01 PM »

i got my first one throught the ice the other day.

jimmyclaude · « **Reply #27 on:** Mar 31, 2008, 06:24 PM »

We hang on our dead bait and set tip-ups after dark with the bait on the bottom. Also catch them targeting browns.

brokenline · « **Reply #28 on:** Nov 18, 2008, 07:01 PM »

Quote from: zamboni on Nov 12, 2006, 10:33 PM

Here in southern MN, no offense to anyone, but we consider them a junk fish. They are fun to catch though. And, when waters cold, they do taste alright soaked overnight in saltwater.

ya they are especiallt annoying to catch while trolling

jimmyclaude · « **Reply #29 on:** Feb 05, 2009, 05:24 PM »

you can soak them in Jack Daniels too

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Author Topic: Bullheads thru the ice? (Read 14558 times)

bigdave1018

bigdave1018