Yellow Bullhead Facts
Yellow Catfish - Ameiurus
Common Names – butter cat, yellow cat, creek cat, white-whiskered bullhead, greaser, polliwog, chucklehead cat
Description – The yellow bullhead closely resembles the brown bullhead with a squat body and a round or square tail. It is yellow-olive to slate-black above and lighter, often yellow to yellow-olive, on its sides with little to no mottling. The belly may be white, cream or yellow. The chin barbels are yellow to buff or pale pink; the upper barbels, which are light to dark-brown, help distinguish this species from brown bullheads. The anal fin has a straight margin with 23 to 27 rays.
Subspecies – There are no known subspecies.
Habitat – The habitat is variable and includes vegetated areas of clear, shallow lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and slow-flowing streams. They are more tolerant of polluted environments than most other members of the catfish family.
Spawning Habits – Spawning occurs in May and June as a rule, with eggs deposited in a nest usually adjacent to a submerged object. One or both parents take part in building the nest, and take turns caring for the eggs, which may number 2,000 to 4,000 and hatch in five to 10 days. The male guards the eggs and fry.
Feeding Habits – Though scavengers, yellow bullheads prefer to feed on minnows, snails, shrimp and crayfish. They also will feed on insect larvae, vegetation and decaying organic matter. Scent and taste play a vital role in their feeding, most of which is done at night.
Age and Growth – Little information is available on age and growth of this species. Generally, they average less than one pound but can grow up to three pounds.
Sporting Qualities – Easy to catch on cut bait, worms, crickets, doughballs and a wide variety of natural and prepared baits. They can be caught at any time of day, but bite best at night. They are not strong fighters.
Eating Quality – They are important as a food fish in some areas and are the dominant species in some waters. The creamy flesh is quite good when taken from clean water.
Records – World Record: 4.25 pounds, caught in Mormon Lake, Arizona, in 1984.
Courtesy of floridaconservation.org
Brown Bullhead Facts
Common Names – creek cat, mud cat, horned pout, red cat, speckled cat
Description – The chin barbels on browns are pigmented, not whitish as with yellow bullheads. The sides of brown bullheads have a distinct, irregular brownish mottling over a light background. The belly is creamy white. They have square tails and 20 to 24 anal ray fins.
Subspecies – Two are recognized: the northern brown bullhead and the southern brown bullhead. Brown bullheads also are known to hybridize with black bullheads.
Habitat – Browns generally inhabit still or slowly-flowing warm waters in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, large rivers and sluggish streams. They prefer water temperatures of 78 to 82 degrees, but can survive in warmer waters. They inhabit areas with mud or deep muck as well as sand or gravel bottoms.
Spawning Habits – Browns are nest builders and often select a site next to some underwater object such as a rock or log. Both parents often care for the eggs, and guard the young up to a size of one inch. At times the parent fish have been observed picking up the eggs or fry in their mouths to clean them, depositing them back in the nest afterwards.
Feeding Habits – They are primarily bottom feeders, feeding mostly at night. Highly sensitive barbels enable them to smell a wide variety of food such as insects, plant material, carrion, small fish, snails, crayfish, worms and leeches.
Age and Growth – Browns are the largest of the bullheads and occasionally reach a weight of three pounds, although they average closer to one pound or less. The maximum age is about 12 years.
Sporting Quality – Fair fighters, they are easy to catch with baits such as worms, minnows, shrimp, chicken innards and stinkbait. They bite throughout the day, but fishing is best at night.
Eating Quality – A good food fish, only slightly inferior to the white and channel catfish, if caught from clean waters.
Records – World Record: 5.50 pounds, caught in Veal Pond, Georgia, in 1975.
Courtesy of floridaconservation.org
WANT GIANT CATFISH? No Need To Wait For Summer – The Action Starts Now
There is a great article by Lowell Washburn at Iowa Outdoors about why you should get your gear ready for those giant catfish now. He explains why this can be a very good time of year for giant catfish and even gives you a clue is to what bait should be used. Get out there and get you one!