Is it Cows? or Bulls?

[DZ]

Every now and then I look into my old books and magazines that I've collected that deal with striped bass fishing. Just love to read the old and sometimes forgotten methods of catching bass. One thing that has always amazed me was that many old timers described large bass as "Bull Bass" back in the 1960s. Even noted authors Woolner and Lyman called them bulls. Nowadays most female bass are referred to as cows. Bulls are generally regarded as males and never achive the size of a cow.
So - what do you call them? Anyone have any history on this change from "bull" to "cow"? My best guess was it happend in the 1970s?

DZ