Brown Bullhead: ID, Size, Bait, Spines and Eating

• Barbels (whiskers): Brown bullhead can be distinguished by dark-colored chin barbels, the key trait separating it from the yellow bullhead.
• Barbels (whiskers): More precisely, the chin barbels are dusky or black, never uniformly white — this is what separates it from the yellow bullhead.
• Barbels (whiskers): The barbel at the corner of the mouth is longer, reaching well behind the base of the pectoral fin in adults, which can be used to distinguish it from other catfishes.
• Anal fin ray count: The anal fin usually has 22-23 rays (Minnesota DNR also gives a range of 21-24).
• Tail shape: The caudal (tail) fin is squared along the edge rather than rounded, one of the traits separating it from the round-tailed yellow bullhead.
• Body markings: The back and sides are dark yellowish brown, usually strongly mottled with darker brown or black; the belly is yellowish or white. The mottling is noticeably stronger than the nearly uniform coloring of the yellow bullhead.

The most reliable distinguishing trait is chin-barbel color: the yellow bullhead has whitish or pale lower barbels while the brown bullhead has dark barbels; the yellow bullhead also has a longer anal fin and a rounded tail, while the brown bullhead has a squared tail. See the Yellow Bullhead page for its full mark list.

Barbel color cannot separate the two, since the black bullhead also has dark barbels like the brown bullhead; look instead at body pattern — the black bullhead is more uniformly dark rather than showing the brown bullhead's strong mottling.

A freshwater bottom-dwelling fish found in pools and sluggish runs over soft substrate in creeks and small to large rivers; also found in impoundments, lakes, and ponds, tolerating a wide range of water clarity from clear to turbid. Native to Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages of North America from Nova Scotia/New Brunswick to Mobile Bay, Alabama, and to the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins from Quebec west to southeastern Saskatchewan and south to Louisiana; widely introduced outside its native range.

Lay the fish flat on its side in even light and photograph the whole body first, then the details below. Spread the tail fin so its shape (forked, rounded or square) is clear. Get a close, sharp frame of the head: mouth, jaw length and any barbels. Raise the dorsal and anal fins fully; ray counts and fin edges only read when the fin is spread. Shoot the side of the body before the fish dries; spots and stripes fade fast out of water. The app reads the photo and names the likely species; use the marks on this page to confirm it.

Size and daily limits for this species differ by state and by water, and some waters are catch-and-release only. Check the current regulations for where you are fishing before keeping any fish; if you are unsure of the species, release it.

Most brown bullheads are small. The Chesapeake Bay Program gives an average of about one foot and a maximum of 20 in, and Wikipedia notes most stay under 2 lb. Records:

• World record (IGFA): 7 lb 6 oz (Wikipedia)
• Vermont state record: 3 lb 6 oz, Hubbardton Pond, 1976, caught by Frank Barker (Vermont Fish and Wildlife)

Sources differ on the upper length: the 18 in maximum in the size field above comes from state field guides, while the Chesapeake Bay Program gives 20 in. They usually live 6 to 8 years (Wikipedia; the Chesapeake Bay Program says up to 7), and captive fish have reached 15.

Yes, mildly. The dorsal and pectoral fins each carry a sharp, stout spine, and when threatened the fish locks the spines upright and releases venom at the same time (Wikipedia). A jab hurts, and like any puncture wound it can become infected.

Keep your hands clear of the three spines when you unhook one; our guide to handling and releasing fish shows grips that avoid spines. If you are stuck, wash the wound with soap and water. Seek medical care if pain, swelling or redness keep increasing, if part of a spine may be left in the wound, or if the person has trouble breathing; in the US, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222.

Brown bullheads feed on the bottom at night and find food by smell and touch with their barbels, so scented baits on the bottom after dark work best. Vermont Fish and Wildlife recommends:

• Weighted nightcrawlers, minnows or cut bait fished at night
• Chopped chicken livers
• Dough or bread balls
• Small jigs worked slowly along the bottom

The classic method is still-fishing with the rod propped on a stick. Vermont names Lake Champlain, Lake Memphremagog, Lake Carmi, Lake Hortonia, the Poultney River, Cogman Creek, the Connecticut River and Curtis Pond as good bullhead waters. Their diet in the wild runs from algae, leeches and worms to molluscs, insects, crayfish, small fish and fish eggs (Wikipedia).

Many people eat them. The Chesapeake Bay Program calls the brown bullhead a delicious fish, and Wikipedia notes that fish from very clear water, with firm, reddish to pinkish flesh, are the ones prized as good eating. That same point is the caution: brown bullheads tolerate heavy pollution and oxygen as low as 0.2 ppm (Wikipedia), so they live in water other fish avoid.

This page does not say any bullhead is safe to eat. The US EPA says contamination cannot be seen or smelled; check posted signs and your state's fish consumption advisory for the exact water before keeping fish to eat.

Brown bullheads spawn from April to June, laying 50 to 10,000 eggs in a sheltered spot (Wikipedia) such as under a rock or inside a hollow submerged log (Chesapeake Bay Program). Both parents guard the eggs for about six days and the young for about five days more (Wikipedia). Their tolerance for low oxygen makes them resistant to winterkill in shallow ponds.

Local names include horned pout, hornpout, bullpout, mud pout and mud cat (Vermont Fish and Wildlife). The species has been introduced to Europe, New Zealand, Chile and Hawaii (Wikipedia). For all three bullheads side by side, see our bullhead catfish look-alikes guide and the yellow bullhead page.