04-16-2008, 12:45 PM
[cool][#0000ff]The bullhead cats are small but tasty. Many people look down on them because of their ugliness and smaller size...and because of their nickname...MUDCATS. But, if you fillet them and fry them up crispy they are as good as it gets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bullheads are not nearly as numerous now as they used to be. During the drought years of 2003 and 2004 the white bass were overharvested and did not get a good spawn, so their numbers dropped drastically. Since they are a primary forage for walleyes and big catfish, there was a hole in the food chain. The predators switched to eating small bullheads and whole year classes of the tiny tykes went down the gullets of bigger fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]During the years when bullheads were so thick that you couldn't catch anything else on your baited hook, it didn't seem possible that they could ever be reduced to a "SCARCE" status. But, that is what they are now, by comparison. Catching a hundred a day used to be commonplace. Now it is rare for us to catch more than a few on any given trip. There are many trips we do not even catch ONE bullhead.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You made reference to the "belly strip" of catfish. Many seasoned "cataholics" prefer that bit of fish flesh to any other. In larger cats (over about 4 pounds) that tidbit is large enough and thick enough to justify the extra care and cutting to properly remove and skin it for cooking. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The belly strip on channel cats is good, but there is no finer eating in the world than the belly strip from a hefty flathead cat. Fights break out at fish frys over who gets the belly strip from those flatheads. Of course, some of those goobers actually "noodle" for those fish too, so some of them ain't wrapped too tight.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bullheads are not nearly as numerous now as they used to be. During the drought years of 2003 and 2004 the white bass were overharvested and did not get a good spawn, so their numbers dropped drastically. Since they are a primary forage for walleyes and big catfish, there was a hole in the food chain. The predators switched to eating small bullheads and whole year classes of the tiny tykes went down the gullets of bigger fish. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]During the years when bullheads were so thick that you couldn't catch anything else on your baited hook, it didn't seem possible that they could ever be reduced to a "SCARCE" status. But, that is what they are now, by comparison. Catching a hundred a day used to be commonplace. Now it is rare for us to catch more than a few on any given trip. There are many trips we do not even catch ONE bullhead.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You made reference to the "belly strip" of catfish. Many seasoned "cataholics" prefer that bit of fish flesh to any other. In larger cats (over about 4 pounds) that tidbit is large enough and thick enough to justify the extra care and cutting to properly remove and skin it for cooking. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The belly strip on channel cats is good, but there is no finer eating in the world than the belly strip from a hefty flathead cat. Fights break out at fish frys over who gets the belly strip from those flatheads. Of course, some of those goobers actually "noodle" for those fish too, so some of them ain't wrapped too tight.[/#0000ff]
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