Eliminating Mud Cats

[BadMagik]

So like most, when I am cat fishing I am plagued with those pesky mud cats. Have you guys found any techniques on how to reduce catching them?
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[wiperhunter2]

I'm moving your post to the main utah board, you will get a better response there.
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[Therapist]

Mudcats or Bullheads have been introduced to many waters in the state, illegally. I would recommend that when you catch one, you keep it, keep all that you catch up to 24 per day which is the legal limit. By removing them from the water you are fishing, you will help reduce the population. Somebody put them in Deer Creek and I have not caught a bunch, but I have removed over a dozen up there in the last few years.

[americanforkdude]

I seem to catch a lot more channel cats when I suspend bait under a bomber than putting it on the bottom. When I use sinkers I almost always catch muds.
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[jsimmy]

I've heard all kinds of catfish referred to as "Mudcats" but I'm guessing you're talking about flat heads. I'm not sure why you don't like them. Sure they can be a pain to drag out of the bottom layer of a lake but they're just as good to eat IMO as channel cats. You just have to make sure you brine them for at least 24 hours before you cook them.

I know they don't fight like channel cats, but I still don't mind catching and eating them.

Simmy

[morcey2]

[quote jsimmy]I've heard all kinds of catfish referred to as "Mudcats" but I'm guessing you're talking about flat heads. I'm not sure why you don't like them. Sure they can be a pain to drag out of the bottom layer of a lake but they're just as good to eat IMO as channel cats. You just have to make sure you brine them for at least 24 hours before you cook them.

I know they don't fight like channel cats, but I still don't mind catching and eating them.

Simmy[/quote]

Not flatheads, but bullheads. We don't have any flathead catfish in Utah. One thing I've found is that bullheads don't like chicken livers but love beef liver.

Matt
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[Fishrmn]

[quote Therapist]Mudcats or Bullheads have been introduced to many waters in the state, illegally. I would recommend that when you catch one, you keep it, keep all that you catch up to 24 per day which is the legal limit. By removing them from the water you are fishing, you will help reduce the population. Somebody put them in Deer Creek and I have not caught a bunch, but I have removed over a dozen up there in the last few years.[/quote]

Don't stop at 24.... at least not at Deer Creek.

Deer Creek Reservoir, Wasatch County
• No limit on white bass or black bullhead catfish. Anglers must not release any white bass or black bullhead catfish they catch. All white bass or black bullhead catfish must be immediately killed.

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[SkunkedAgain]

Bigger baits, carp minnows and cutbait help, but don't cure the problem. Good luck. J
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[lavaman]

Two things already mentioned are deterrents for eliminating mud cats:

1. Bigger Baits.

2. Floating your bait with a bobber.

Using these techniques will reduce your mud cat 'catching rate'.
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[Flyfishinglover]

Ya last year those mud cats were 10-13" with tons of eggs in them fishing on the north side of the island.
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[one8sevenn]

I call them Yella Bellies. I found that they hold in different areas than the channel cats in the Jordan and Bear(Cutler) rivers. They are usually shallower.

I also found that they have an infinity for swallowing the hook. Even if the hook is just barely big enough to fit in their mouth.
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[ice_sled]

Well fellow BFTers I have some interesting news for you mudder fans! The fish hatchery have just released the hybrid Muscat. A cross between a channel cat and a mudcat. They have been released in Jackson Flats Reservoir; a new water shed near Kanab. From what I understand is that it will be a little bigger then the run of the mill mudder. We will see!
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[RockyRaab]

Don't forget that black bullheads are tasty, too. They are better when taken from cooler waters, but they are eagerly sought for their food value in most places.

It's odd that this is not the case in Utah, but it is probably due to word of mouth. If you are told that a certain fish isn't good, you aren't likely to try one.
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[HD7000]

Also, this year its legal to use "setlines" in certain bodies of water. You have to get an extra permit, but if you are havin a problem with bullheads, might be worth soaking a few setlines overnight and pulling in 15 kitties at a time!
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[FishMcFisherson]

Are you being serious, or just pulling our leg? If true, are they sterile? Also, it sounds like a terrible idea.

To the OP: I hate mudcats more than I hate carp. At least carp are fun to catch, and rarely steal your bait. The only thing that I've found that has substantially cut down the number of mudders that I've caught has been TD's patented "bait drag". I don't know if that would be a possibility for you, but if I'm dragging bait on my tube I RARELY catch a mud cat... as soon as I decide to stop and rest my legs... the tiny bites begin.
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[ice_sled]

No I am not pulling any legs! A friend is a biologist at the Fountain Green fish hatchery and he invited me to see the ugly creatures. The look like mudders but seem to be a little darker. He said that should get to larger size. He did not say if they are sterile. I hope that they are!
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[FishMcFisherson]

Hmm. It'll be interesting how big they can get. If you take the average size of a large mudder and the average size of a large channel, they may be able to push 10lbs. How big were the ones that you saw?
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[ice_sled]

They were about 9-10 inches.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I wish there really was a simple solution to avoid catching bullheads when you are fishing for more desirable species. But the truth is that they will hit anything. I have caught them on flies and many kinds of lures...as well as every kind of bait you can imagine. And big baits do not keep them off. There have been times when I caught bullheads on my largest minnows or biggest piece of carp meat.

And fishing shallower...below a bobber...is no guarantee of keeping them off either. I have caught mudders fishing jigs and bait under a bobber...2 to 3 feed down in 7 to 8 feet of water.

Whenever I find I am in mudder country...and losing bait to them or having to deal with removing a lot of them from hooks...I move off a ways to try to find an area where they are not so plentiful. Harder to do when you are fishing from shore but about your only option sometimes when afloat in a tube, toon or boat. They will group up wherever there is warmer water, more food or something else that attracts them.
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[BadMagik]

Thanks for the help guys I will give them a try. Unfortunately I am stuck on the bank, wish I had a kayak or a boat.
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