Chances are good that if you grew up in Iowa, the first fish you ever caught was a bullhead. It's a flip of the coin as to whether my first bite was a bluegill or a bullhead, since my memory only goes back so far. But when I was a youngster, catching bullheads filled a lot of my angling hours.

Like my younger self, thousands of other anglers in the Hawkeye State also enjoy an evening of bullhead fishing now and then -- and for some, it's closer to an obsession. Only recently has the bluegill displaced the bullhead as the state's most sought-after fish.

By late June, bullheads have finished their spawning activities and started moving into their summer haunts. Anglers who were catching them regularly are now starting to have their doubts and, more often than not, begin thinking it's time to move on to other species.

There isn't any reason to put up your cane pole or casting rod just because the action slows down. Just follow the bullheads out into deeper water.

"Historically, anglers used to follow bullheads out into deeper water as the summer progressed," said Ed Thelen, fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "Guys would fish for bullheads from boats, similar to the way they fish for yellow perch today. It seems today's anglers would rather target other species."

In the spring, a split shot or two to keep the bait on the bottom in shallow water is about all you need to bring up a bucketful of bullheads. A bobber that allows the bait to sit on the lake or river bottom will begin to walk across the water when a bullhead starts moving off with its newfound prize. If you're fishing without a bobber, a tight line with more weight on the line will do the trick.

As the water warms and bullheads begin moving into deeper water, they can be taken on the same baits. They become more nocturnal, although you can still take them during the day. Look for shallow bays and river eddies or backwash areas behind bridge abutments or other structures. Bullheads tend to school up and bottom-feed, so where you find one, keep looking for more.

According to Thelen, bullheads will move into shallower areas at night, and this is probably your best bet for finding them.

"Look for them in shallow water at night where there is incoming water from tiles, creeks and sloughs," said Thelen. "These current areas can be very good even in the daytime, especially after a heavy rain. Another thing to remember when bullhead fishing is to look for them on the windy side of the lake. Since bullheads are bottom feeders, the increased wave action here stirs up the bottom and helps bulls to locate food."

They can also be found in shallow embayments, river eddies or backwash areas behind bridge abutments or other structures. Bullheads tend to school up and bottom-feed, so where you find one, keep looking for more.