They are present in many cool Adirondack lakes and often abundant in warm water ponds, lakes, and larger, slow moving streams. They occur in areas with or without aquatic vegetation and can be found over both muddy and gravelly bottoms. Spawning takes place in May or June when the water temperature approaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The entire process can take as much as several weeks, with one or both parents remaining for the whole time. Bullhead nests are usually found in a shaded spot near a log, but sometimes they will nest inside objects such as an auto tire nailed to a boat dock.
Brown bullheads are delicious to eat and a favorite of many.
During the spring, anglers can catch them by the bucketful and large bullhead feeds are popular especially in New York State's Great Lakes counties. Yellow Bullhead New York State's yellow bullhead is much less common than the brown bullhead. It can be found in the extreme western tributaries of Lake Erie, the Genesee River system, bays and tributaries along Lake Ontario, in Oneida Lake, the Mohawk and Mid-Hudson River system, lower Hudson river tributaries, and the St. Lawrence River. While it is most often mistaken for the brown bullhead, a yellow bullhead can be distinguished by its white chin barbels. Yellow bullheads prefer the waters of ponds, streams, and small brooks, with some vegetation and clear water.