Bullhead catfish in the area?

[Bullheadhunter]

Hello,

So I've been wanting to catch some bullhead catfish, preferably brown bullheads, if possible, but I've been having the hardest time finding them! I haven't lived in the area for very long so I've just been trying as many places as possible, but with no luck. Does anyone know of a good place? Thanks!

Kyle

 

[bullshot]

Try farm ponds that have lots of rip-rap and near creeks that occasionally flood into the pond.

 

[gaspergou]

Ha! Good luck. Browns are difficult to come by in Tennessee, and are mostly restricted to either lowland swamps (think Reelfoot) or a couple small lakes in middle/east TN where they've been introduced. The native browns in the western half of the state are usually strongly mottled/marbled -- beautiful fish, and unlike the more drab Atlantic Slope fish that have been stocked elsewhere. If it tells you anything about how difficult it is to get "good" browns, the photo in Etnier & Starnes The Fishes of Tennessee is of a fish from Maryland!

Yellows and blacks can be moderately common in some places, particularly in small- to medium-sized, slow rivers.