Brown Bullhead

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Fish image provided under agreement from Windsor Nature Discovery, LLC. Fish image created by Ron Pittard.

Common Name: Brown Bullhead

Scientific Name: Ameirus Nebulosus

Fish Family: Ictaluridae

Other Names: bullpout, horned pout, brown catfish, mudcat, common bullhead, marbled bullhead, squaretail, minister; French: barbotte brune

Brown Bullhead Photos:

For more Brown Bullhead photos visit Lake-Link's Photo Gallery.

Identification:

Dorsal region of head, back, and upper sides yel- lowish brown to almost black; lower sides mottled with lighter yellowish brown to gray; ventral region of head and belly pale yellow to white. Barbels dark brown to nearly black, except sometimes barbels on chin yellow to white. All fins dark colored, similar to body; interradial membranes slightly darker, but not black.

Distribution:

In Wisconsin,the brown bullhead occurs in the Mississippi River, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior drainage basins. Its major distribution is in the Rock and Fox-Wolf River systems of eastern Wisconsin, and the Chippewa River system of northwestern Wisconsin. It is present in the shallows of Lake Su- perior, Lake Michigan, and Green Bay, and in the lower courses of tributary streams. Although the brown bullhead has been reported frequently from a number of sources, some of these reports may be in error since this species is easily confused with other species of bullheads.

Spawning:

The spawning of the black bullhead usually occurs from April through June, but ripe females have been taken at Wisconsin's latitude as late as early August (Forney 1955). When the water temperature reaches 21øC (69.8øF), saucer-shaped nests 15-36 cm (6-14 in) diam are constructed in the mud or sand in water 0.6-1.2 m (2-4 ft) deep. The nests are built beneath matted vegetation, woody debris, or overhanging banks, or in muskrat burrows. The female constructs the nest

State Brown Bullhead Records:

Illinois State Record:
2 lbs 10 ozs caught by Shane Richardson caught on Weldon Springs on April 25, 1993.
Michigan State Record:
3 lbs 9 ozs caught by Michael Kent caught on Coldbrook Lake on January 1, 1989.
Minnesota State Record:
7 lbs 1 ozs caught on Shallow Lake, Itasca County on May 21, 1974.
Wisconsin State Record:
3 lbs 12 ozs caught on Nelson Lake (Totagatic Flow), Sawyer County on July 31, 1972.

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