Channel catfish have pointy tails, bullheads rounded ends. Channels tend to have smaller mouths in relation to body size than bullheads. Bullheads, of equal size are a chunkier body shape than channels.

I used to use crappies for bait for channel catfish. I'd catch one about 8 inches or larger and cut it into thirds. That made a bait that was big enough to where fish smaller than 20 inches could get it in their mouths.

Back in Maryland I used to fish below the Conawingo dam in the slack water. My outfit was loaded with 20 lb line. I remember this one time my sinker was snagged on the bottom and I figured if I got a bite the fish might get the sinker loose. All of a sudden I got a hit that dragged my rod tip down to the water and when the tip came up, the fish had broke 20 pound line on the strike. My rod was a 9 foot Shakespeare surf rod. I used it out here for sturgeon until it met it's untimely end in a car door.