# Bulkhead Bite



## Ducktracker

Has the shad started to come in yet? I'm ready for this rain to stop and I can start fishing again. Thanks


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## KevBow

I think it's gonna start this coming week. And I'm ready


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## whsalum

X2


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## Mr. Whiskers

Went yesterday. Not there yet but getting close. Caught 12 in 3 hours.


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## Ducktracker

Thanks guys


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## KevBow

Come on warm sunny days


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## ikeephardheads

The only place i fish is the highway 190 on those steps along the side and a park right before the highway. Are there any better spots? I catch lots at both spot but barely keeeprs, never got the chance to catch a mess of 5Lbs.


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## NitroNX898

I usually say the first of April is when it gets started. But with all the rain, who knows


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## Ducktracker

I'm with you Nitro I always take vacation the second week of April and enjoy the bite but with the rain it might not work out this year. But have plenty of work to do at lake house.


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## Jimmy Blue

I agree with Duck and Nitro, the cold and rain probably have pushed everything back at least a week if not a few.

On the plus side we should get pleasant weather all the way through May and (maybe) into early June.

Jim


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## Sunbeam

They start in the first week of April.
Not sure if this year will be the same but that is what they have done for the last 47 years.


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## Ducktracker

Thanks Sunbeam if anyone knows it would be you. Thanks


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## whsalum

Everything is running late this year, The good news is I'm retiring April 1st so I can wait em out


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## Ducktracker

Great whsalum, you can keep us posted. I still got about 10 years to retire. Already worked 35 years for this company hope I can make 10 more.


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## Tall1

My friend that has a house just south of 190 in Kickapoo said there were lots of shad this weekend, just not on the bulkhead just yet. Getting close!


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## tpool

Caught 2 cats on wacky worms (bass fishing) in 2ft of water on Conroe Saturday morning. Seeing some shad up shallow but not wide open yet. I suspect in the next 7-12 days it will be on!

T-BONE


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## SwampRat

We hit Conroe bulkheads on Sunday and didn't see a single shad. We were using cut bait and found one little hungry channel.....Hopefully this warmer weather will get them moving.


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## Beaux

Fished Conroe Sunday and came home with a mixed bag of cats, smallest at 14", 17 fish total. Released a 40+ flathead in the timber across from Cagle.


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## shadslinger

I went back to LL in the river where it intersects WRC today. It started slow, but as the morning went on the bite picked up. The first ones were small, a lot of throw backs, but by noon I had nice 3 to 10 pounders biting. I had one break me off he slammed it so hard.
Ended up 17 very nice blues, most 3 pounds, I let the 10 pounder go, but kept a couple of 6 pounders.
Shad were thick under the bridge, and starting to get fat with eggs.
The cat fish were biting very light, I missed a lot of bites. I kept re rigging until I found the ticket. A small Octopus hook and a very light weight, and let them pull until they hook themselves.
I fished the very edge of the river in 7 FOW.


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## KevBow

Good report SS glad you got on them again. I'll be down this weekend at a friends house. I'm sure I'll find a few too and I'll post a report


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## Ducktracker

Thanks Loy


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## SwampRat

getting close now


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## chemdawg

I have never heard of bulk head what are they? is that just on other same for channel cats or box fish know diffent places have the diffent names for them like high top blue fin i just learned that was just a blue and yellow cats are flat head. i should no this stuff as i only fish for cats and i make and sell a Catfish cheese bait just never know what a bulk head was or is sorry for the dumb question and sorry for the horrible grammar and spelling I suffered a serious head injury while in Iraq and lost most of my memory prior to the explosion and i have no short term memory my be 12% of a day i had to relean how to read write and spell all over agin and i have trouble with the writing and spelling thanks Chemdawg


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## fishin_envy

bulkheads refer to the wooden structure that lines the shorelines, kind of a retaining wall to hold back the earth from the erosion of the lake. In the spring, when the shad spawn, they come in early in the morning to lay their eggs on a firm surface, such as a bulkhead.


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## chemdawg

fishin_envy said:


> bulkheads refer to the wooden structure that lines the shorelines, kind of a retaining wall to hold back the earth from the erosion of the lake. In the spring, when the shad spawn, they come in early in the morning to lay their eggs on a firm surface, such as a bulkhead.


oh that bulk head I thought it was a name for a catfish so the trees and wood along the shore are freerd to as the bulkhead bit. just so i am not confused it kind of refers to the cats moving the the stumps along the shore in shallower water. so I have never heard to this reference when it comes to fishing so you guys are talking about the shallow water Bit in the stumps and structure in the shallows thanks i felt dumb asking but of a long time i had no idea what a high fin blue was i never heard blues called that or flat head as yellow cats. till i moved to texas. like in Ny they call Crappie Calico for some reason so am i correct about what you guys are talking about the shallow water bite in the trees and stumps and rocks thanks Chemdawg


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## fishin_envy

not exactly. The bulkheads are retaining walls along the shoreline. Most often made out of wood, but sometimes out of metal or concrete, but it doesn't have to be a bulkhead to draw in the shad. Could be rocks or other hard surfaces along the shoreline.


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## big D.

The bulkhead bite is when the shad are spawning. This generally occurs late march/april through may on our local lakes. The shad use bulkheads and other hard surfaces to spawn up against. The shad are usually at these locations in large numbers and the fish are right there behind them. I've caught catfish in as little as 6" of water up against a wind blown hard bank. The best bait for me is fresh caught shad cut in half. I use the head end of the shad and fish it just under a cork or without free-lined up against a bulkhead. If you hit the bulkhead and let it fall, you are in the perfect spot. If the wind is strong add some weight.


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## big D.

Here's a picture of a bulkhead.

Hopefully it starts soon!


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## Ducktracker

I wasn't sure how to explain but big D hit it on the head.


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## whsalum

Thanks for your service chemdawg, you owe us no apologies. Welcome to the board !!!


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## smithnwesson

Was on south end of Conroe today and no shad yet. Main lake 63 degrees in the coves 68 degrees


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## chemdawg

big D. said:


> The bulkhead bite is when the shad are spawning. This generally occurs late march/april through may on our local lakes. The shad use bulkheads and other hard surfaces to spawn up against. The shad are usually at these locations in large numbers and the fish are right there behind them. I've caught catfish in as little as 6" of water up against a wind blown hard bank. The best bait for me is fresh caught shad cut in half. I use the head end of the shad and fish it just under a cork or without free-lined up against a bulkhead. If you hit the bulkhead and let it fall, you are in the perfect spot. If the wind is strong add some weight.


ok i understand now thank


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## Stackinbills

Going out in the morning on Conroe, any reports?


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## golffisherbob

*Last Saturday in the Rain*

My daughter and caught these in the downpour on 
Conroe canal in about 2.5 hrs. They were delicious!


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## 7th9thplace

Wow super nice haul what did you use for bait.......


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## Stackinbills

*Conroe*

Caught a few today under some boat slips around conroe


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## Ducktracker

Very nice


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## Ronborsk

*Conroe 3 28*

Caught I guess it was 15 on bulkheads this afternoon say from 4 to 5:30. Shrimp.


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## golffisherbob

7th9thplace said:


> Wow super nice haul what did you use for bait.......


Just worms, fishing on the bottom with light weight. They were biting soft.


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## whsalum

Good mess of eating fish. Just an observation from watching post, usually when the bulkhead bite starts on Livingston 99% of the fish I catch are hi fin blues. When I'm catching channels the bite is what I consider off. What ya'll think?


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## dbullard

whsalum said:


> Good mess of eating fish. Just an observation from watching post, usually when the bulkhead bite starts on Livingston 99% of the fish I catch are hi fin blues. When I'm catching channels the bite is what I consider off. What ya'll think?


That is good observation , I also catch very few channels on Livingston during the Shad run.


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## Ducktracker

Went out this morning and caught a few shad at ramp and fished for 2 hours and ended with 6 so it's a start. Should be on in a couple of weeks


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## shadslinger

There are not many big channels caught on LL on any regular basis that I know of, compared to the number and size of the blue cats caught.
During the BHB (bulkheadbite) it seems to me the pattern goes that the little channel cats( 8" t0 10" ) bite in the dark first, before the shad show up, then right as the shad swarm on the bulk head they start to get a little bigger (12" to 15") but not many of them, then they are replaced by blue cats as the shad get thick.
That's how it goes at the best spot I know of when the BHB gets rolling good.
It's on the west side facing south and shallow water.
There are some rocks and wood along the bulkhead there and that seems to draw a few more channels than just metal bulkhead.


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## KevBow

I agree with you SS. It's been the same exact way for me over the past 5 or 6 years.


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## Andy_Holland_25

whsalum said:


> Good mess of eating fish. Just an observation from watching post, usually when the bulkhead bite starts on Livingston 99% of the fish I catch are hi fin blues. When I'm catching channels the bite is what I consider off. What ya'll think?


On Conroe you will catch pretty much all channels. They are usually in the 2 to 5 lb range..

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## dbullard

Andy_Holland_25 said:


> On Conroe you will catch pretty much all channels. They are usually in the 2 to 5 lb range..
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hard to figure that out , I have jug fished on Conroe and caught plenty of Blues. Never rod and reel fished but that is what most people say.


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## Bankin' On It

Didn't he use dead shrimp? I catch 5:1 channels over blues using shrimp for some reason.


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## ikeephardheads

Drive through 190 bridge today trash everywhere flat. Nobody out there except one old man cast netting shad off the ramp. He was catvhing 4-8 shad every cast.


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## Mjhartz87

looks like im going to head out tonight after work to conroe and see if i can find anything.. the weather seems to be a ****-chute funneled onto our little fishing parade. if anything it will be nice to give it a shot and still have a three day weekend left afterwards.


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## FishingCrappie

Headed out to Kickapoo after work I hope we catch some crappie.


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## Mr. Whiskers

Fished Conroe a couple of times this week. Caught 25 and back on trailer in a couple of hours on Tuesday. Caught 14 yesterday afternoon.


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## Mjhartz87

Ended up going out Thursday night. Before we even got started on the bulkheads, big D landed on some hybrids so we headed south and fished down there til the sun went down, then we hit the lights for hybrids as well.


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