Brown Bullhead Fishing Guide

Catfish & BullheadDocumented in 886 graded lakes across 2 states

A mottled, hardy catfish of weedy lakes and ponds, slightly more clarity-tolerant than the black bullhead.

Brown Bullhead fits the catfish niche: tolerant of warm, turbid water, often present in productive (eutrophic) lakes. 886 lakes in our dataset have a record. Brown Bullhead is widely distributed: 837 lakes in Minnesota and 49 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Brown Bullhead lake within a reasonable drive.

Catfish-bearing lakes are often productive systems — the kind where the fish do well even when clarity does not. Cross-reference the Brown Bullhead lake list below against the letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Brown Bullhead documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Where they live

Weedy, soft-bottom shallows and bays.

Water quality they need

Tolerant of warm, fertile water but does best in somewhat cleaner, vegetated lakes than the black bullhead.

When to catch them

Warm months, feeding on the bottom by scent.

886

Total Lakes

837

Minnesota lakes →

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

46 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Brown Bullhead Lakes

345

39%

143

16%

10%

Best Brown Bullhead Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with brown bullhead ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	MN	A	65 ft	18
2	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
3	Clearwater Lake	Wright	MN	A	73 ft	17
4	Clearwater Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
5	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
6	Little Birch Lake	Todd	MN	A	89 ft	20
7	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
8	Mud Lake	Becker	MN	A	34 ft	16
9	Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	35 ft	17
10	Big Lake	Carlton	MN	A	25 ft	9
11	Big Lake	Sherburne	MN	A	48 ft	14
12	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
13	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
14	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	104 ft	17
15	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
16	Birch Lake	Cass	MN	A	45 ft	14
17	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	125 ft	18
18	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	51 ft	20
19	Round Lake	Becker	MN	A	69 ft	18
20	Ada Lake	Cass	MN	A	60 ft	16
21	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
22	Whitefish Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	30 ft	12
23	Horseshoe Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	56 ft	11
24	Farm Lake	Lake	MN	A	56 ft	12
25	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	A	111 ft	21
26	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	46 ft	15
27	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
28	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
29	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
30	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	128 ft	16
31	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
32	Long Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	135 ft	14
33	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	73 ft	17
34	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
35	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
36	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	65 ft	18
37	Maple Lake	Douglas	MN	A	78 ft	17
38	West Twin Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	12
39	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	10 ft	13
40	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	A	89 ft	19
41	Sallie Lake	Becker	MN	A	50 ft	16
42	Deer Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	42 ft	14
43	Deer Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	26 ft	16
44	Deer Lake	Itasca	MN	A	50 ft	15
45	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	A	95 ft	19
46	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	58 ft	20
47	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
48	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	MN	A	38 ft	19
49	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
50	Florida Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	40 ft	18

Showing top 50 of 886 lakes with brown bullhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What water quality do brown bullhead need?

Tolerant of warm, fertile water but does best in somewhat cleaner, vegetated lakes than the black bullhead.

How many lakes have brown bullhead?

Brown Bullhead are found in 886 graded lakes: 837 in Minnesota, 49 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with brown bullhead is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for brown bullhead?

The best brown bullhead lakes by water quality are Lobster Lake, East Fox Lake, Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake, Lower Hay Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where brown bullhead have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with brown bullhead?

Brown Bullhead are most commonly found alongside brown bullhead, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Brown Bullhead Lakes

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 827 lakes · 2,487 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 824 lakes · 1,428 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 822 lakes · 1,601 total

Largemouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 808 lakes · 2,593 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 799 lakes · 1,370 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 798 lakes · 1,631 total

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Species profiles are general reference; always check current state regulations before fishing.