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Best brown bullhead lakes in California

14 California waters hold brown bullhead. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Night-feeding catfish of weedy, mud-bottomed lakes — the classic after-dark shoreline bite across the east and Canada.

1. Lake Almanor — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow TroutWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
2. Lake Davis — 105 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
3. Butt Valley Reservoir — 70 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown TroutWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
4. Frenchman Lake — 120 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
5. Antelope Lake — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow TroutWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
6. Round Valley Reservoir — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
7. Meadow Lake — 34 ft max · Brown BullheadWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
8. Cascade Lakes, Upper — 35 ft max · Brook Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
9. Weaver Lake — 18 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
10. Culbertson Lake — 16 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
11. Blue Lake — 21 ft max · Brown BullheadWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
12. Lindsey Lakes — 13 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
13. Snowflower — 22 ft max · Bluegill, Brown BullheadWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
14. Carr Lake — 19 ft max · Brook Trout, Brown BullheadWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached

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When to fish brown bullhead in California

• Spring 2–8 ft — First warm rains pull bullheads into black-bottomed bays and creek mouths — the classic spring shore bite.
• Summer 3–12 ft — Day fish hold on deeper mud and weed edges; after dark they spread across the shallows to feed by smell.
• Fall 5–15 ft — Fish slide toward deeper soft bottoms as the shallows cool — the evening bite shortens with the days.
• Winter 10–25 ft — Bullheads pod up half-dormant in the deepest mud basins; a long soak with bait on bottom is the lone play.

Also in California: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best spotted bass lakes · best california halibut lakes · best surfperch lakes · best barred sand bass lakes · best spotted sand bass lakes · best kelp bass lakes · best california scorpionfish lakes · best lingcod lakes · best black rockfish lakes · best cabezon lakes · best copper rockfish lakes

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