I have a freshwater fish aquarium, in it I once had a bluegill, goldfish and a small bullhead. The fin spines are sharp, but smooth. The only time you should worry about a catfish being harmful if you eat it is from environmental factors like water contamination. The best time of day to catch bullheads is the first 3 and last 2 hours of the night followed by the early morning and late afternoon. The sting is caused by small glands near their fins that produce a poison which causes the swelling. http://www.catfishedge.com - If you fish for catfish long enough sooner or later you are going to get finned by one. Bullheads and Catfish can actually use the sharp spines to attack other fish, I have seen this myself here in my home. They are bottom feeders and may only swim to areas close to the surface when they need to bite your lure. Catfish and bullheads spawn at about the same time every year. Although this is not accurate, it is still a common term that is used. The spines contain a poison that often hurts worse than a bee sting, and the pain and soreness can last a week. Bullhead fins are very sharp and it is easy to get stuck by one. In this video we go over the amazing defense mechanisms of the catfish. That "sting" is actually a sharp cut from contacting the sharp edges of the dorsal and pectoral fins. steve-demars. Stillwater, Minnesota. « Reply #8 on: Mar 28, 2009, 01:53 PM » right after ice off they seem to bite good right around dark and after that.. i got 25 bullheads … Bullheads are very well known for the ability to inflict a sting with their pectoral spines. Bullheads may be the worst type of catfish to sting you and taste muddy, but they’re not poisonous to eat. Most of us that fish bullheads for flatheads have been stung a few times by bullheads. (Klossner, 2005) Negative Impacts; injures humans. Bullheads to not sting, they have 2 long spines sticking out of there sides and one big one on top of there back, if you don't know how to handle bullheads you can get stuck by these spines and they are painfull, i stepped on a bullhead when i was only 8 years old it was very painfull and my dad had to pull it out of my foot. Bullheads are probably best known for the sting that can result from careless handling. February 25, 2006 at 6:57 pm #1219591. Similar Asks. The first thing that beginners need to understand is that catfish do not actually sting a person. Do bullheads sting? I was reading through a catfish forum on another site and came across a post by a guy that was recommending a product called: Sting Kill for Bees and Wasps. Their fins can cause a painful sting and sometimes swelling and infection. He swore by the product. 20. Posts: 1,934. The pain can be dulled by dabbing ammonia on the wound. Bullheads really become voracious after the sun goes down and while they’ll feed all night long, their activity seems to spike at the start and end of the night. Spawning Behavior. The bullheads are usually found hiding in the cover of murky waters. There are no restrictions on bullhead fishing, so why not do a favor to the species that has helped the advance of science. With their high reproductive rate, bullheads will quickly overpopulate small ponds and lakes, choking out other fish and stunting themselves in the process. Re: When do you start fishing for bullheads? Participant. The pain can last for a week or more. Treating those Bullhead Stings. Certain parts of their body are sharp and can puncture the skin, leading most people to believe that they have been stung. How do catfish sting you? He claimed that Sting Kill immediately relieves the sting from bullheads. However, anglers cast their fishing lines to lower depths in search of bullheads.