It is about this time of year that schools of bullhead fry may be seen swimming around in near shore areas of North Dakota lakes and streams. It might surprise you, but there are three species of bullheads native to our state, the black, yellow, and brown bullhead. It is the black bullhead that is the most common.
Bullheads and catfish are occasionally confused. They are in the same fish family, but an easy way to tell them apart is that bullheads have squared tails while catfish have forked tails. And I think most people would agree that catfish are better eating. You may see catfish on the menu in some restaurants, but not bullhead!
Bullheads are native to North America basically east of the Rockies where they prefer slow moving streams and shallow lakes with soft muddy bottoms. They are widely known to tolerate very warm water with very low oxygen levels. They can tolerate low oxygen levels in part by coming to the water surface to gulp air. They also can absorb some oxygen through their skin.
As most anglers know, bullheads are bottom feeders that will eat most anything. Their diet consists of a wide range of plants and animals ranging from algae to worms, mollusks, insects, dead fish, and crayfish. They have a well-developed sense of smell. So do catfish, thus the common use of smelly bait. They have thousands of “taste buds” scattered all over their bodies, particularly on their barbells. These sensors are thought to help find food in muddy water.
Bullheads spawn in the late spring and early summer; roughly April through June. Each female may lay between 2,000-6,000 eggs in a small depression she has excavated at the bottom of the body of water. The male then watches and cares for the eggs by fanning them to keep them oxygenated until they hatch. Once hatched, the female also joins in parental care until the young grow to around two inches long. It is these young fish, or fry, that we may see in schools this time of year. Schooling serves to help protect fish from predators such as northerns and walleyes, as well as cormorants, herons, and pelicans.
And of course, most people probably know that bullheads have sharp spines on their dorsal fins and pectoral fins. So if you ever have to handle them be careful not to get jabbed. That is an experience not soon forgotten!
~Chuck Lura
