Select a state to find fishing and boating information:
Get A Fishing License
Get started fishing today, purchase your fishing license online, check regulations and more.
Register A Boat
Register your boat today. Learn how to register your vessel, boating laws and more.
Home > Learn to Fish & Boat > Fish Species > Yellow Bullhead
Even though the yellow bullhead is smaller in size compared to the other bullheads, it is a scrappy fighter and popular with anglers.
The yellow bullhead ranges in color from olive to brown to almost black dorsally with a yellow or white belly and yellow or brown sides that are never mottled as they often are in the brown bullheaad. Juveniles usually have dark brown to jet black bodies. It is the only bullhead in which the chin barbels are yellow, buff, or pale instead of a dark color and the upper barbels are brown. The tail is rounded which helps to distinguish the yellow bullhead from the brown bullhead and the black bullhead, which have truncate or slightly emarginate tails. An even better distinction between the yellow and black bullheads is the spine at the top of the pectoral fins. In the yellow bullhead, as in the brown, this spine has sharp, tooth-like serrations along the back edge. In the black bullhead it is either not serrated at all or only very weakly serrated.
The yellow bullhead occurs natively throughout most of the eastern and central United States (both sides of the Appalachians). In the southern portion of its range, the yellow bullhead extends further west (western Texas) than the brown bullhead (Alabama), and tends to occur in small, weedier and shallower waters. Like the other bullheads, it has also been successfully introduced outside its native range. The following list includes additional details on where to catch this fish:
The flesh of this small catfish is whiter than that of the brown bullhead, which is rather cream colored, and is of excellent quality. The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish:
The following are lures, tackle or bait that can be used to catch this fish:
National Catfish Day Is Coming - Get Ready for Good Eats!
Read More
Public Ramp Boat-Launching Tips for Beginners
Tips for Fishing Boat Rentals
Do you like this content? Subscribe to our Newsletter and get all the information you need to learn, plan, and equip for your next fishing and boating adventure.
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
Sign-up to receive our monthly newsletter with interesting blogs about fishing and boating. Get fishing tips and tricks and read personal stories from anglers who live and breathe fishing and boating. Learn new fishing skills, boating resources, fishing etiquette, conservation and more.
Please complete the following fields to subscribe to our newsletter.
SUBSCRIBERS PREFERENCES
What information would you like?