How to Identify a Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis)

• Barbels (whiskers): The most distinctive identifying trait of the yellow bullhead is that the chin barbels are white or pale yellow — the most reliable way to separate it from the brown bullhead, which has dark barbels.
• Anal fin ray count: The anal fin has more rays, usually 24-27 (never fewer than 24), slightly more than the brown bullhead's 22-23.
• Pectoral spine: Five to eight sawlike teeth are present on the back of the pectoral spine, which can be identified by feel.
• Tail shape: The rear edge of the tail fin is rounded or straight, unlike the squared tail of the brown bullhead.
• Body markings: The back and sides are usually uniformly yellowish brown, sometimes faintly mottled with darker brown in adults from clear, weedy water, but the mottling is noticeably weaker than the brown bullhead's strong pattern; the belly is yellowish or white.

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

The black bullhead has black barbels rather than white ones, so barbel color is the most direct way to separate it from the yellow bullhead.

A freshwater fish that prefers pools and backwaters with sluggish or still current over soft substrate in creeks and small to large rivers, as well as oxbows, ponds, and shallow impoundments, often associating with aquatic vegetation; it prefers clearer water than the other two North American bullhead species. Native to Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages of North America from New York to northern Mexico, and to the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec west to central North Dakota and south to the Gulf; 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.