Scientific name:
Ameiurus Melas
Identification:
Dorsal region of head, back, and upper sides olive to black; sides lighter; belly whitish to yellowish, with color usually extending up to base of caudal fin as a pale bar. Barbels black or gray. All fins dusk]½ with dark edges and black interradial membranes. Breeding male black with bright yellow or white belly.
Distribution:
It is also the most tolerant of agricultural siltation, industrial and domestic polutants, and warm water
Spawning:
The spawning of the black bullhead usually occurs from April through June, but ripe females have been taken at Wisconsin's latitude as late as early August (Forney 1955). When the water temperature reaches 21øC (69.8øF), saucer-shaped nests 15-36 cm (6-14 in) diam are constructed in the mud or sand in water 0.6-1.2 m (2-4 ft) deep. The nests are built beneath matted vegetation, woody debris, or overhanging banks, or in muskrat burrows. The female constructs the nest
Angling: