Illustration and accompanying text by Jonathan Newdick. Taken from his book, ‘The Complete Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles’, published by A & C Black in 1979. The book is a particular favourite of ours and we thank Jonathan for allowing us to publish the work on Caught by the River.
Bullhead.
The Bullhead is indigenous but is more or less confined to England and Wales where it is common. It is absent from Ireland and scarce in Scotland.
Habitat.
The Bullhead lives on the bottom of fast flowing stony streams and rivers and to some extent on the margins of stony lakes. It is a sedentary fish and is largely nocturnal, spending the daylight hours concealed beneath stones and other cover.
Size.
The Bullhead is a small fish and rarely exceeds 16cm in length. The normal adult length is between 9 and 14cm.