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[clarki]

Nice explanation, Tim.

"Bullhead"  is both a proper name for a catfish, and a nickname for a sculpin.

And I've gotten stung/poked/stabbed by both of them!

[hammer]

The previous post is correct. The word "bullhead" refers to small member of the catfish family or a very stubborn person.  In B.C., particularly on the coast, we took that name and used it for sculpins...paricularly Pacific staghorn sculpin. This is the one we catch off docks, in estuaries etc. The only similarity that the two fish have is spines. There are numerous species of freshwater and saltwater sculpins and some people call them all bullheads. On the catfish side of things, brown bullheads are a common invasion e species around here. If I had to eat one, I would choose the catfish which I think is eaten quite commonly in the states as a panfish.

[firstlight]

So the Bullheads aren't Bullheads and the Catfish aren't Catfish and the Squawfish aren't Squawfish and the Dollies aren't Dollies .....

Did we get anything right back then?

[hammer]

First light
Bullheads aren't bullheads
Squawfish aren't Squamish
However the plural of goose is geese
But the plural of moose is not meese

[RalphH]

Bullhead is a local (BC) name for sculpin. Local names, sometimes incorrect, are common all over North America. "Bass" is applied to a number of species that are not truly bass. Both small and largemouth are members of the sunfish family. True bass includes stripers. My own favourite is the name 'trout' for weakfish which is a species of game fish on the Atlantic Seaboard & Northern Gulf of Mexico.

true bass: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7018.html

weakfish:

[clarki]

Or in the east, the confusion over pickerel (nickname for walleye) and pickerel

[arimaBOATER]

That explains when some stores sell a fish by a name & it's not.
Seller knowingly or unknowingly knows the true species.
But if Im going to eat bullhead soup it better be bullhead Fraser R soup with real celery & real white onions & real garlic & real salt & real black pepper & real BC ( BS ) water & so forth..other 50 real this & that....

[Rieber]

Or in the east, the confusion over pickerel (nickname for walleye) and pickerel

Or Sauger

[Rieber]

Bullhead is a local (BC) name for sculpin. Local names, sometimes incorrect, are common all over North America. "Bass" is applied to a number of species that are not truly bass. Both small and largemouth are members of the sunfish family. True bass includes stripers. My own favourite is the name 'trout' for weakfish which is a species of game fish on the Atlantic Seaboard & Northern Gulf of Mexico.

true bass: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7018.html

weakfish:

I never seen one of these before. Kind of a nice looking fish in my opinion. Looks like a good fighter.

[RalphH]

there is also Arripis Trutta from the South Pacific near New Zealand and Australia called 'salmon' in Australia

[clarki]

Or Sauger

But not in the context of this (way off track!) thread.

Although a sauger and a walleye are close cousins and look very similar, they are two different species with two different names.

Unless you meant something different...