Post by yihunt on Jun 28, 2009 18:40:06 GMT -4
Anglers missing the boat on bullhead catfish
Buzz up!By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Overlooked and underappreciated, that's the bullhead in Pennsylvania.
One of 13 kinds of catfish to be found in the state — and one of just three considered a gamefish — the bullhead is widespread and abundant. It is widely considered the best tasting catfish, too.
Yet you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who identifies himself as strictly a bullhead fisherman.
"I would probably say, as far as actually targeting bullheads, it's more common that people just go 'catfishing,' " said Emil Svetahor, manager of the Fish and Boat Commission's southwest regional office in Somerset.
"Usually, if you have bullheads, you have channel cats, too, or if it's a river, flatheads. So, they're all just catfish."
When it comes to bullheads in particular, though, there's neither a shortage of fish nor a lack of places to catch them. They exist in good numbers in lakes and rivers throughout the region.
In fact, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission records indicate that eight of the 20 largest bullheads recorded over the last five years have been caught in the western third of the state. They've come from places like the Allegheny and Beaver rivers, Loyalhanna Creek, Bridgeport Dam and Lake Wilhelm.
The biggest of those bullheads caught over the last five years is a mystery fish, though.
Last October, Stanley Pawlak of the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh was fishing the Allegheny River with his nephew when he caught a catfish, "an old, dirty one," he said.
Unsure what they had, they took pictures of the fish and sent them to the Fish and Boat Commission. Someone there identified the fish as a bullhead, and Pawlak was presented with an Angler Award.
The fish has since been listed by the commission as the biggest bullhead caught last year. It was 24-inches long and weighed 5 pounds.
Just how big is that?
If those numbers are accurate, and the fish was indeed a bullhead, it would be a new state record. The existing mark is a 4-pound, 4-ounce bullhead caught in 1983 in Chester County.
No record will be forthcoming for Pawlak, though.
For starters, Pawlak never applied for the record. His fish was never weighed on a certified scale or examined and identified in person by a waterways conservation officer either, two more requirements for record consideration, said Carl Richardson, who administers the Fish and Boat Commission's records program.
Just as importantly, Pawlak himself isn't convinced the fish was a bullhead, though he's not sure what else it might have been either.
"From the beginning, my nephew and I didn't think it was a bullhead," Pawlak said of the fish, which he caught on a bit of hot dog. "It wasn't a channel cat, but we didn't think it was a bullhead either. That's what the Fish and Boat Commission called it, though, so that's the story."
"It's possible the fish was misidentified and was really a flathead," agreed Richardson.
Records aside, though, spending an evening fishing for bullheads, or even catfish at large, can be very enjoyable, as a lot of people know. Some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service statistics show that catfish annually are one of the top five most popular fish species among anglers in the state.
"It's relaxing," Svetahor said. "Generally, you toss out your chicken liver or stinkbait, set your rod down, rigging it some way to make sure it doesn't get dragged in, and have a seat and relax. It's a lot of fun."
Quite the catch
From mid-June through early September, is prime time for catching catfish in Pennsylvania. Fish and Boat Commission research indicates catch rates peak at that time.
Bullheads — which come in two varieties, brown and yellow — in particular can be found in a lot of area waters. High Point Lake in Somerset County holds a large population of them, as does North Park Lake, Pymatuning Lake, Lake Rowena, Laurel Hill Lake, Lake Arthur, Yellow Creek Lake and Raccoon Lake. Bullheads can get as large as 18 inches, but a 10- to 12-inch fish is considered a quality fish and the perfect size for filleting.
To catch them, try fishing at dusk or after dark using chicken or beef livers, commercial stinkbaits or cut bait fished on the bottom on a size 4 hook.
Buzz up!By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Overlooked and underappreciated, that's the bullhead in Pennsylvania.
One of 13 kinds of catfish to be found in the state — and one of just three considered a gamefish — the bullhead is widespread and abundant. It is widely considered the best tasting catfish, too.
Yet you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who identifies himself as strictly a bullhead fisherman.
"I would probably say, as far as actually targeting bullheads, it's more common that people just go 'catfishing,' " said Emil Svetahor, manager of the Fish and Boat Commission's southwest regional office in Somerset.
"Usually, if you have bullheads, you have channel cats, too, or if it's a river, flatheads. So, they're all just catfish."
When it comes to bullheads in particular, though, there's neither a shortage of fish nor a lack of places to catch them. They exist in good numbers in lakes and rivers throughout the region.
In fact, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission records indicate that eight of the 20 largest bullheads recorded over the last five years have been caught in the western third of the state. They've come from places like the Allegheny and Beaver rivers, Loyalhanna Creek, Bridgeport Dam and Lake Wilhelm.
The biggest of those bullheads caught over the last five years is a mystery fish, though.
Last October, Stanley Pawlak of the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh was fishing the Allegheny River with his nephew when he caught a catfish, "an old, dirty one," he said.
Unsure what they had, they took pictures of the fish and sent them to the Fish and Boat Commission. Someone there identified the fish as a bullhead, and Pawlak was presented with an Angler Award.
The fish has since been listed by the commission as the biggest bullhead caught last year. It was 24-inches long and weighed 5 pounds.
Just how big is that?
If those numbers are accurate, and the fish was indeed a bullhead, it would be a new state record. The existing mark is a 4-pound, 4-ounce bullhead caught in 1983 in Chester County.
No record will be forthcoming for Pawlak, though.
For starters, Pawlak never applied for the record. His fish was never weighed on a certified scale or examined and identified in person by a waterways conservation officer either, two more requirements for record consideration, said Carl Richardson, who administers the Fish and Boat Commission's records program.
Just as importantly, Pawlak himself isn't convinced the fish was a bullhead, though he's not sure what else it might have been either.
"From the beginning, my nephew and I didn't think it was a bullhead," Pawlak said of the fish, which he caught on a bit of hot dog. "It wasn't a channel cat, but we didn't think it was a bullhead either. That's what the Fish and Boat Commission called it, though, so that's the story."
"It's possible the fish was misidentified and was really a flathead," agreed Richardson.
Records aside, though, spending an evening fishing for bullheads, or even catfish at large, can be very enjoyable, as a lot of people know. Some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service statistics show that catfish annually are one of the top five most popular fish species among anglers in the state.
"It's relaxing," Svetahor said. "Generally, you toss out your chicken liver or stinkbait, set your rod down, rigging it some way to make sure it doesn't get dragged in, and have a seat and relax. It's a lot of fun."
Quite the catch
From mid-June through early September, is prime time for catching catfish in Pennsylvania. Fish and Boat Commission research indicates catch rates peak at that time.
Bullheads — which come in two varieties, brown and yellow — in particular can be found in a lot of area waters. High Point Lake in Somerset County holds a large population of them, as does North Park Lake, Pymatuning Lake, Lake Rowena, Laurel Hill Lake, Lake Arthur, Yellow Creek Lake and Raccoon Lake. Bullheads can get as large as 18 inches, but a 10- to 12-inch fish is considered a quality fish and the perfect size for filleting.
To catch them, try fishing at dusk or after dark using chicken or beef livers, commercial stinkbaits or cut bait fished on the bottom on a size 4 hook.