Norwegian record Bullhead: 8 g

About Bullhead

The bullhead (Cottus gobio), or miller's thumb, is a small freshwater sculpin with a large, broad head, eyes set high up and a tapering body. Its big pectoral fins spread out like wings when it rests on the bottom. It is light brown with darker mottling, and its pelvic fins are white or clear without stripes. Those plain pelvic fins, with rays of roughly equal length, separate it from the alpine bullhead, which is more common in Norway. Most are 6 to 8 cm and rarely over 15 cm. It lives on stones and gravel in cold, clear streams and rivers. It feeds mainly at night on insect larvae and small crustaceans. It spawns in spring: the male digs a hollow under a stone where several females may lay eggs, then guards them until they hatch. In Norway it occurs naturally in only a few river systems near the Swedish border. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Ferskvann
• Best month: Juli
• Red list status: LO (2023)

See the species guide

Biggest Bullhead in FishComp

5 g (63 % of the record) by Helge Bognøy. See the catch

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.