Pics of unusal cat

[dsmith]

Ok, here are some pics of those strange cats. Big head, small body. Really dark and gray colored. Look how dark they are compared to another channel. These fish just don't look like any channels we have been catching.

[mastercatter]

Sorta looks like a young blue cat from what I can tell from the pics. Next time try counting the annal rays on the bottom and maybe a good pic of the tail fins...

[daveedka]

From the little I can see of the anal fin in the first pic it probably isn't a blue. I've seen channels that looked like that, even caught a couple this year, don't know what makes them that way. I often wonder if they aren't crossed with a flattie, but if that sort of thing happened in the wild we would have a seperate species by now. I think it's probably just an ugly channel cat.
Dave

[mastercatter]

Dave you a probally correct. Have never of a cross between channels and shovelheads

[olhillbilly]

Thats what I was told was a "Chuckle head". There have been rumors around here bout Blues and Channels crossing. And then the old timers say there are two different kinds of Blues. one is the old river Blue and the other is what is more common now and called a lake blue. They say the old river blues have them fat lips like that one ya got there. Normally, the common blues are more white when they're that size. The Mo conservation says we dont have whites here. That blues are white till they get older and bigger. But then they say we dont have cougars either.

I say if they're a fish and they're tasty, then its all good.

[dsmith]

Thanks guys. You do want to "chuckle" when you see these ugly things. We kinda wondered if it was a cross between bullheads and channels since they have such a big head. There are a lot of bullheads in the lake.

[mastercatter]

Bullheads live in a variety of habitats, including brackish and/or low oxygen ponds, rivers and lakes, although they are seldom stocked intentionally. They are bottom feeders and eat virtually anything edible, including dead fish, insects, other fish, grain, fruit, crayfish and more. Because of their limited use as food or sport, they are usually caught while trying to catch other fish, and few anglers pursue them specifically. Persons looking to catch bullheads will use the same baits as they would for channel catfish, including cut bait, chicken livers, blood soaked meal, or other pungent baits. Like all catfish, bullheads have a sense of smell that is more developed than the best canine.

Description and identification
Bullheads do not get as large as the other US native catfishes, with averages sizes in the 1 to 2 pound range and world record sizes well under 10 pounds.

Black Bullhead - Black bullhead have dark chin barbels and are not mottled along the sides.

Brown Bullhead - Brown bullhead have mottled sides like spotted bullhead, but brown bullhead do not have dark margins on their fins.

Snail Bullhead - Snail bullhead are more slendar and have a flattened head, when viewed from the side.

Spotted Bullhead - Spotted bullhead have mottled sides like brown bullhead, but spotted bullhead have dark margins on their fins.

Yellow Bullhead - The common yellow bullhead are distinguished from black bullhead by the white or yellow chin barbels.


All three major bullheads can be confused with other catfishes by novice anglers. Because they have a non-forked tail, many people mistakenly think that small flathead catfish are bullheads. Both have the squared tail, and can have a mottled, brown appearance (in the case of the brown bullhead) but the flathead has a lower lip that protrudes farther than its upper lip and a flat or "shovel" head. They also have very different habits and habitat.

Flatheads generally eat only live things, while bullheads will freely eat dead fish or other small animals. The flathead is more likely to be found at the bottom of dams or in gravel pits, while bullheads are found more often in the most brackish areas. Additionally, flatheads can reach weights well in excess of 100 pounds, while the current world's record for any bullhead is a Black Bullhead, recorded at 8 lb even (3.63 kg),[4] while the average adult is perhaps 2 pounds. Brown and yellow bullheads are significantly smaller.

[dsmith]

Thanks for that. We Hate those little boogers. We do call them pollies here in Texas. Short for pollywog. And yes, I know, many people use that word for little frogs. But for some reason, thats what we call bullheads. Dennis and I have what we call the "polly dance". When our cork is in the water, we can ALWAYs tell when one is playing with our bait. The cork will go under, come up, go under, come up. Kinda dance around. Yes, we always know it's one of them. Will ask Dennis if he is getting any bites, and he will say nope, just polly dances. We love to kid each other when one catches them. It's kinda like a "shame" thing with us when we catch one. We'll try to hide it from the other when we catch one,

[mastercatter]

That is funny!!!

[SmithSchee]

I have been catching a brownish/gold little fish (looks like a small catfish) that is coated with this slimy clear gulk all over it. I have been told that they were pollywogs. But when I look up pollywogs online the photos are of what we here in Southern Arkansas call tadpoles.
I would love for someone to show me or tell me where to g to find a photo of a pollywog.......

Have a great one......
Becky

[dsmith]

You might look up Bullheads. We also call them pollies as in pollywog. And as a pollywog is actually a tadpole, for some reason, us southerners call bull heads pollies. I'll see if there is a post somewhere on here with a pic of one.

[SmithSchee]

Ok, thanks for the info.