Bullhead Fishing

[JeffreyKrow]

That is the way I clean mine too. If the skin tears, I have a set of fish skinning pliers handy to finish the job. Clean, fast and easy this way.
                                           JK

[HOSS]

exactly, if you know this method, you know you could drop the jaw of anybody that doesn't! I know mine hit the dirt when I seen it done the first time.

[kirkwooders]

I've been fishing bullheads out of the West River every spring for the last 20 years. The bite usually starts before the ice is all gone and continues until well into June, although I generally give up on it before that.  I don't eat them myself but the next door neighbor's absolutely love them.  We rarely catch any that go much over a foot long and when we do we throw them back.

 I've seen bulls cleaned the way Hoss describes, and it will make your head spin to see how easy it really is. The trouble is every time I've seen it done the beer factor has prevented me from remembering just how it goes.    The more beer you drink the better the bulls taste too! 

Any of you guy's ever eat the roe?  The neighbor's like it better than the meat.  That might tell you a little about the neighbor's too.

[Rangerclay]

People do love to fish for them but the couple times I tried to eat one I thought it was about the WORST tasting thing I've eaten next to the carp or a Lake Ontario smallmouth bass I tried a few years back.  It's something I'll never understand but lots of guys target them and actually eat them too. 

Funny you mentioned this.  When I first moved up here to northern NY I went to the Black River and caught bullheads for dinner.   The lake Ontario bullheads were the most fowl thing I ever tasted.  They were totally different than the FARM POND bullheads I grew on.

Ranger

[percheyes42]

The way Hoss cleans bullheads is the only way to do it. I will give you a little shorter description of the way I do it. If you're right-handed, grab it's head with your left hand with the tail pointing out. Cut a hard angle cut perpindicular with it's head behind the dorsal fin, towards it's head until  you hit the backbone. Then, from that cut, make another cut straight down the middle of it's back to the tail. You will have made a T with those two cuts. Then, like Hoss says, snap it's neck. What I do then is work the meat out enough to grab it with my thumb and my knife. Then just simply pull the meat out of the skin. Hoss' way is a little safer than mine because he doesn't use his knife to pull the meat out, but you know how slippery those darn things can be. Once you learn it you can get a few beers with a friendly bet. Happy fishing.

[hali-man]

Once you learn it you can get a few beers with a friendly bet.

Does that mean it's dangerous? 

[percheyes42]

only if you drink the beers first. 

[GAMBELL]

I filet them with an electric knife like a perch.  You lose a little meat but it is way easier.  I will hit Braddocks bay when the weather decides to make up it's mind.

[lcrep2000]

The best way to eat a bull head is to fillet it and then  batter it with flour and then dip it in egg/milk mixture than in bread crumbs, italian ones work best and then fry them.  Thay are goood that way.

 

[Jack Hunter]

Went bullhead fishing at my favorite spot Friday night.  You guys may remember how perfect the conditions were with the warm weather, drizzle, and SW wind.  We beat 'em up.  I've never caught that many in my life.  We found it hard keeping the poles in the water.

Anyone else have a decent outing?