The Bullhead, or Millers Thumb.

[BARRYBLOKE]

When was the last time you saw one of these? Do you old fogies remember the Brooke Bond tea cards with "Coarse Fish". If you do I wouldnt mind betting that was probably the last time some of you saw one of these little native British fish.
We used to go around dipping when we were kids and catch sticklebacks and newts and if on a rare occasion you caught a bullhead before it got under a stone then we would say we had caught a catfish.
I saw 8 of them today.
I went to the library and chemist this afternoon and on the way back home my knees were absolutely creasing me so I sat on the remains of what used to be a picnic bench prior to it being scummed out by the local peasant population and it was only then I noticed the kids in the stream.
I asked them what they had caught and one of them told me bullheads. He brought his bucket up to show me and there they were.
He then said I quote "His dad pays him 10p each for them to feed his Oscars".
Sometimes I feel very ,very old.[]

 

[Simon R]

I caught one from the upper River Swale near Catterick last season (typical rocky upland river - ideal for them) but that's the first I've caught for a while - they're certainly not as numerous as they used to be.
I can remember fishing the same river 20-odd years ago and every time you turned a stone over one would dart out - that doesn't happen now.

Stone loach are another 'mini' species that seem to be increasingly rare too

Simon

 

[The Runner]

Had one from the Thames at Donnington last winter, and my local R Colne still produces a few, as does the Cherwell.
Incidentally, has anyone ever caught one on a day when they caught anything else at all? As far as I can recall every one I've ever had has been my only fish of the day, generally when it's flooded or freezing or both.

Must be at least fifteen years since I last saw a stone loach.

 

[phil-k]

Plenty in the river croal, Darcy Lever,Bolton.[][]

Jet black and about the size of a thumb.[][][]

 

[Jen]

Yes Blokey, this old fogey remembers the Brooke Bond tea cards []My dad used to save them for us when we were kids and stick them in the little albums you could get.

We used to take our swaps to school to exchange with our mates. Ahh those were the days [][][]

 

[davefish]

used to get them in the grand union as the runner says usually when the cut was gin and it was very hard to catch the regular species last time i saw a stoney was at clavenhanbury fishery about 4 weeks ago one guy had two stuck in the mesh of his keepnet (trying to get in not out)

 

[Bill G]

we used to catch bullheads and stone loach when we were kids also what we called nine eyes they were lamprys happy days

 

[stymie]

I can still find them on my local river (Nidd), although I dont look for them as much I used to I know of a few spots where they thrive, although not as plentiful from 20 or so years ago. Don't see so many sticklebacks these days.

 

[Zebedee]

LOl it must be 45 years since I've seen them....

Wading in the River Eau at Scotter with a jam jar and a butterfly net..

stand downstream of the rock, holding the net upstream.
flick the rock over and lunge at the dark shadow shooting off.

Remember the wellies in them days had a little hole at the back,near the top.Where they were tied together with a bit of string when you bought them.
I dont think I ever had a day where I managed to keep both feet dry.

 

[tallboyjim]

Over 20 years ago, river hipper (i think) derbyshire. Caught by hand under rock on a small shallow stream, which also held the odd trout (harder to catch by hand) plus indiginous crayfish which looked far to scary so we all ran off, cowards we were. But they had claws !

Some of the bullyheads were a fair size if memory serves. Mind you I was only ickle !

 

[chewy49]

a neighbour of mine is a dedicated fluff chucker.
he knocked on my door last summer, and asked if I would like a bit of trout for tea.
he handed over a brownie.. and I found a bullhead inside it.

I used to collect tea cards (can't remember who did them).
I had the golden age of flying, steam trains and animals of the world (all complete sets).

never knew what happened to them

[]

 

[Hatman]

Plenty in the Wharfe. I've caught several on maggot feeder from the Bradford stretch of the wharfe at Addingham. The poor little things can swallow a double maggot with barely a touch showing on the quiver and can then be difficult to unhook. It would be easier if they just got inside the feeder!

 

[Maesknoll]

There always used to be plenty of them in the Frome at Snuff Mills, if you walked into the shallows you'd see them darting away from you.

 

[pegasus]

i caught a big brownie last week and it`s guts were full of stone loach and what looked like sand eels maybe they were bull heads??

 

[Bluey]

Yeh I too remember the Brooke Bond tea cards, I never did get a complete collection of them but that's life.

On the the bullheads theme, I remember coming 5th in my section on the GEC National fished on the GUC between Stoke Bruerne and Yardley Gobian and all I had to weigh in were 3 of the little buggers and a couple of daddy ruffe. Jeez was that match tough, gale force winds, rain, and white horses up the canal that day.[xx(][][] At one time you had two choices fish and loose your brolly and kit or pack in fishing, hang on to your brolly and keep chasing any kit that wasn't pegged down.

I was never so happy as when the "all out" call came that day I cn tell you.

 

[drynet]

saw a friend catch one out the rocket pool about 20 years ago.

 

[nico12]

we used to catch em by hand in the river leen in notts. there were some monster bullheads in there.

also a few trout from memory, the river is half its size now - shame