Bullheads

[mtjohn]

Does anyone know of any places to catch bullheads.  They are really good eating, and I would like to catch some without having to travel out of state.  The only place I have ever fished for them is in SD.  Any info would be greatly appreciated.
MT

[MTviking]

You'd have a tough time ever convincing me to even try eating a Bullhead.  However, I see you are in Helena so probably the closest place for you would be the Missouri river towards Greatfalls and below.  You'll likely be catching Stone Cats which are a type of Bullhead native to MT and very prolific in all of the lower elevation rivers in the state.

Plus while targeting bullheads you may luck into some channel cats which are much more sporting.

[OUTHNTN]

I THINK YOU'LL HAVE A HARD TIME CATCHING BULLHEADS IN THE WINTER.  THEY SEEM TO START BITING AROUND EARLY APRIL AROUND HERE WHEN THE WATERS WARM UP A BIT.  I'VE BEEN TOLD BY AN OL'TIMER THAT THEY BURROW INTO THE MUD AND 'HIBERNATE' FOR THE WINTER.  HIS WORDS NOT MINE, BUT THEY SURE DON'T PESTER LIVE BAIT WHEN IT'S COLD.  WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY WHEN THE WATER WARMS UP AS YOU CAN'T KEEP 'EM AWAY   GOOD FISHIN' - OH

[Cornbread]

They hibernate when it gets cold, so if the water is cold enough to have good ice I imagine they will all be asleep buried in the mud on the bottom:

The bullhead’s voracious appetite decreases with the coming of winter. The fish stop feeding, become sluggish and often bury themselves in soft, leafy ooze along the shore with only their mouths and gills exposed to the water above the surface of the mud. The ability to “hibernate” allows the bullhead to survive serious
winterkill (low oxygen and/or low temperature) conditions.

The above quote was taken from this document by the Wisconsin DNR:
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/lakemich/bullheads.pdf

[Trexzeus]

I have never caught bullheads through the ice at TRR but I agree with the other comment that you can catch as many as you want during the summer months.

[Papa John]

Ditto for Ninepipes Res. by Ronan. Lots caught off the dikes when it warms up. Run to the smallish side though........ I ate lots of them as a kids and yes, they are good.

[rezeye]

I HAVE  last year. only fish we caught that day skinned him and ate him from a stick with salt  was pretty good tastin fish and another time was sittin in the spearin shack with my toes hangin off the edge and thought my boots were untied and went to tie em and moved my foot and right at the surface smelling the bottom of my boot was a nice size bullhead i thought his whiskers were my strings   

[MTpike]

Lower Sun River in the early summer and spring at night, they're everywhere. Not sure if they'd bite in the winter though.

[maggoteater]

I heard there were bullheads in spring meadow?

[MTviking]

Good luck eating stonecats I'm sure he means yellow/black bullheads...

They are good to eat but a pain in the ass to clean...I'd try Tongue River Reservoir, you can catch them by the bucketload open water. I've only taken 2 trips out there icefishing & don't remeber anyone catching one through the ice...Anybody ever caught a bullhead through the ice on Tongue?

Yes I am sure he did.... You aren't giving me quite the credit I deserve.  Tongue is the only place in Montana that I know of that will consistently produce filletable sized bullheads.  But from Helena it is more than a 700 mile round trip, more than 10 hours of driving and depending on what you drive probably $200.00 in gas.  Jigmaster, I realize stonecats aren't a perfect alternative, I was just trying to be realistic.

[MTviking]

[DiggerNMt]

I do know that in early spring the Gallatin river and the Madison river have a high concentration of bull heads. If you are in the area in the spring, Happy Hunting

[MTviking]

I do know that in early spring the Gallatin river and the Madison river have a high concentration of bull heads. If you are in the area in the spring, Happy Hunting

Do they really?  I've never heard that and would not expect them in a cold swift moving trout stream.  Are you sure you are not thinking Sculpins which are often locally referred to as bullheads?