I went out on Wednesday evening last week to visit a small stream on the south side of Edinburgh to try and catch a bullhead. Also known as Miller's Thumb it is the only UK goby species found in freshwater. Hiding under rocks during the day they come out when it's dark. A simple running ledger and a small chunks of raw prawn on a #10 Sabpolo Wormer hook were the chosen tactics but after a while fishing a pool with a few rocks in it and no bites I spotted some small fish in a shallow area at the edge of the stream and decided to see if the were juvenile bullheads. A quick change soon saw a #26 Gamakatsu hook baited with a minuscule piece of raw prawn being lowered amongst them and they immediately started fighting over it. One was soon hooked and quickly hoisted up.
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| A tiny three spined stickleback. Not the fish I was after. |
It was quite amusing watching them all assualt my hookbait so I had a bit of fun and caught a few more. They are quite cool little fish. When I got home I spoke to my mate Lee and it's now obvious that he is a bit of an expert when it comes to freshwater mini species and their diets so a trip to his boyhood stream some where down in England next year at some point is now on the cards. Scottish bullheads can sleep safe under their rocks again.
Tight lines, Scott.
Fished for and caught loads of bullheads as a lad (30 years ago). My favoured bait was a wee bit rubber band! Just jig it close to any likely looking bullbead lies - generally stones but any hidehole can hold them. They would dart out and grab the rubber band, generally I didn't use a hook as they hold on.... Unfortunately I generally caught them as bait to use for pike and perch - not something I'm particullarly proud of. Good places to catch them in Edinburgh - The Braid Burn, The Gogar Burn (it's got some big ones), The Water of Leith below Slateford and the Union Canal. I'd imagine an LRF rig and a bit isome might do the trick!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for this very useful info! The Gogar Burn is a very interesting prospect as it may involve another covert operation onto the corporate headquarters of a large financial institution. As a stakeholder though I can probably argue I do not require permission to fish there! Lol.
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