Dick Martin: Bullhead catfish willing to bite even in cold March

They're small, they're ugly, and found almost everywhere. That's a good description for bullhead catfish, but I should add that they're willing to bite in March when there's still ice along shore, and coming out of cold water, tasty eating, indeed.

Just for the record, Ohio has three species of bullheads. There are black bullheads, very small and essentially worthless, yellow bullheads, which are larger, but still only a marginal catch, and brown bullheads which are my favorite since they averaged at least a pound or two and might reach four or better. They're also the one you're most likely to find.

I routinely seek these hungry bottom feeders in March and April when I'm bored with winter and not interested in working hard for my catch. I'll pick a sunny day, gather up a couple of rods and some nightcrawlers, and head for a favorite spot where I can loaf along shore, chew on a grass stem, and watch redwing blackbirds argue over territory while I wait for a bite. Which usually doesn't take long.

You'll find them in shallow water now, places where there are cattails and rushes,  bays and backwaters, and few or no other fishermen. One of my favorite hotspots for early bullheads is around the Lake Erie marshes from Fremont to Marblehead. These Erie run cats reach good sizes, and many a time I've taken a dozen or more nice keepers with little effort. My catch up there is usually mixed with carp (good for smoking), an occasional sheepshead, and sometimes white suckers.  But I've found them at Indian Lake too, Charles Mill Lake backwaters, in little bays off the Ohio River, and elsewhere.  Like I said, they're almost everywhere.

It doesn't take much to catch bullheads. I use two rods with No. 6 snelled hooks set about a foot apart with a half ounce sinker on lines end.  I'll bait with nightcrawlers usually, but they'll hit almost anything from fresh shrimp to garden worms to commercial baits.  These little guys aren't picky.  If there's a secret to catching them, it's to keep your offerings fresh.  Because bullheads are nearly blind and depend  on scent to find food .  Let something tasty touch one of their whiskers and it's gone almost instantly.

They like to cruise the bottom with those whiskers dragging the mud, sucking up anything edible, and not only do they have scent organs on their whiskers, but along the sides of their body, so if nothing hits the worm in 15 minutes or so, change baits. And if you're using minnows, step on them lightly to free body juices. Do remember to strike quickly when a good bite happens. They swallow the offering rapidlyy, and with the hook in their stomach you'll need a hook disgorger to retrieve it unless you're quick.

Remember too, that there are sharp spines in their dorsal and side fins, and these hurt, so handle them carefully. Otherwise, relax, fill your stringer in a good spot, and take home some prime eating. Not bad for a March outing.

Dick Martin is a retired biology teacher who has been writing outdoor columns for 30 years. You can reach him at richmart@neo.rr.com