Both sexes guard and aerate the nests to keep them free of sediments. Brown bullheads can grow to 18 inches and three to four pounds. They reach maturity in three years or older and may live for 10 years or more. Yellow bullheads lay between 1,650 and 7,000 eggs in shallow, saucer-shaped nests in shallow water, often beneath a bank, log or tree root. Juveniles are .68 to .84 inches.
Juveniles have black speckles.
Channel catfish usually spawn once a year in summer and lay between 2,000 and 20,000 eggs in turbid tributaries. They select nest sites in dark cavities or undercut stream banks, or inside crevices, hollow logs or in man-made containers. Channel catfish fry sometimes collect in small schools after leaving the nest until they find suitable cover. Fingerlings shelter during the day and disperse to find food at night. The size and age of channel catfish at maturity varies, depending on their sex and location.