Challenge a group of 12 anglers to describe the best way to eradicate bullheads from your pond and you’ll get at least 14 answers. Bullheads rate very high on the survivability scale and eat pretty much anything they can fit into their mouths, so they can quickly dominate a pond and resist energetic efforts at purging them. Bullheads prefer to eat mostly at night, so most other fish don’t usually prey on them, with flathead catfish as a notable exception. In fact, many anglers will tell you about ponds they’ve encountered where nothing but bullheads live. Nonetheless, there are a variety of approaches to control or eliminate the bullhead population in your pond. You may want to choose one or even multiple strategies based on how rapidly you want to see results or on how much effort you’re willing to devote to the project. Keep in mind, though, that complete eradication may take several years and/or a coordinated attack on several fronts.
The first, fairly obvious strategy is to simply fish a LOT and remove every single bullhead you catch, every time. However, unless you’re ok with spending a few years at this, you’ll probably need to broaden your attack. Both largemouth bass and flathead catfish are excellent predators for bullheads and can potentially bring your population under control fairly quickly. However, it’s a good idea to consider your pond conditions first. An overpopulation of bullheads usually corresponds to high turbidity and low visibility, which presents a severe disadvantage to sight feeders like largemouth bass. While flathead catfish also hunt by sight, they rely on barbels and olfactory organs as well. Moreover, they hunt at night when bullheads are active. Researchers reported impressive results in one study when they stocked a ratio of four mature flatheads per acre in a pond completely overrun by bullheads. Within a year, the bullhead population was undetectable. To supplement your predatory action, you can also employ traps - there are plenty of options to purchase online or you can build your own. If you have bass or flatheads feasting on the smaller bullheads, your traps can focus on the big guys. Another interesting approach might be to use the same tools employed in population surveys: gill nets, electro-fishing, and seines, picking out and discarding every bullhead that turns up. A coordinated combination of frequent, aggressive purges, installation of a healthy predator population, and optimizing the environment for the predators (correct turbidity issues, limit underwater vegetation along the shore, etc.) are most likely to succeed in the long run. On the other hand, if you must have an immediate and complete turnaround, you may need to resort to using a broad spectrum poison like rotenone. You’ll need to drain down the pond, apply poison, and then complete the drain, allowing the area to dry completely. You might even add quicklime or bleach to any remaining puddles to ensure 100% kill. Finally, unless you already have a favorite strategy in mind, it may also be helpful to consult with your state’s Department of Natural Resources: They have years of experience managing lakes statewide as well as guiding people with their private farm ponds.
