Has anyone had a good experience with bullheads in their pond? All I ever read about is how bad they are and how they should be avoided. When I was a kid, I lived on a lake that provided great bullhead fishing – up to 3 lb, and lots of them. There was also some pretty good WE fishing and some NP. I wonder if there isn't some good way to make use of yellow bellied BH?

There have been some reports that bh eat FA. Maybe it was Sunil's post. Check archives, others have posed similar questions. Can't think right off if anyone has them and is happy with that. But maybe they are shamed into keeping quiet, sort of like the gsf lovers used to be. Lol.

Cmm

Years ago, when a 200+ acre local lake was first built (small river fed), it soon became full of bullheads. You could catch them by the dozens. After two or three more years, when LMB and BC and FHC began to become common, the bullheads all but disappeared. Same with a family pond. Someone must have bucket stocked a few bullheads, thinking they were small CC. There were balls of small bullheads swimming around. After the introduction of several adult bass, the bullheads were soon gone. Others experiences may differ, but that is mine. In my opinion, white crappie and GSF are worse than bullheads in a pond.

Turtle,

FWIW I don't see anything wrong with stocking BH if you like them. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Cons I have read are:

1)They tend to stir up the bottom and increase turbidity
2) They will over populate and stunt in the absence of sufficient predators like LMB.
3)Every pond has a carrying capacity. BH take up capacity that could be used by a possibly more desirable species.

i had never heard of bullheads before joining this forum years ago. we used to trotline for catfish. we caught catfish that my dad called mud cats, speckled cats and sand cats. are those bullheads? only saw them in large reservoirs here and never caught any in a pond.

Good summary, Bill.

BH can serve as a nice occasional catch in the presence of dense predator populations. In my pond, BH average 2-2.5# but are only caught occasionally. I'd prefer they were not present, but at least the fish caught make a good meal for the coons. I use a 8' handle net to collect YOY BH when they are schooling and also trap them heavily. I probably removed 1,000 YOY fish this Summer and Fall. As Bill mentioned, those BH are tying up resources I'd prefer to be meant for my preferred species.

To each his own I guess. I consider bullheads to be excellent table fare. I'd rank them right along with CC, which I also consider excellent. On the other hand, I don't cae a whole lot for trout, and a lot of people do.

IMHO that's one of the things that keeps this forum interesting and fun. Be pretty boring if we all stocked exactly the same thing, managed exactly the same way, etc.

If you want BH then I say go for it Turtle! IMO I would make sure I had a predator to help keep the numbers down though.

P.S. I grew up eating BH, we called them mudcats back then. When I catch a nice one in a local BOW now, years later, I still consider him worthy of a free hot oil bath and a place of honor at my dinner table!

Years ago, we conducted a substantial bullhead culling at my pond, which I had felt was a bit too heavy on the bullhead side.

And, I had all kinds of predator fish in my pond.

When catmandoo & Co. cleaned the bullies, a lot of their guts were filled with FA. We surmised that the bullies may be eating something that was living in the FA, and the FA ingestion was a side effect.

Bullhead are often called Mudcats.

Like Bill D and TJ say, you only have so much biomass potential in your pond, so use it as you see fit.

Once a bullhead gets over 2 lbs., there's not may pond predators that can eat them.

For me, I don't care for bullheads.

The thread about the FA in the bullhead stomachs is here: Bullhead culling at Sunils

You have to get to the 3rd or 4th page before you find pictures of what I found in their stomachs, and for a discussion of bullheads and ingesting FA.

As for Sunil not caring for bullhead -- he sure likes to eat them!

I just re-read that thread, and I can't believe I was considering bringing some bullies to my neighborhood pond!!!

Again, love your bullies, if you will. They're just not for me!!