Creek Chub Thread

So how many guys eat the White Suckers in springtime? Or is Chub Club catch and release only?
 
caddisflyer said:
So how many guys eat the White Suckers in springtime? Or is Chub Club catch and release only?
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We tried eating some that we caught when I was a kid, but they had a muddy taste, probably because they lived in muddy waters.

And we loved bluegills and ate lots of them, but the suckers didn't taste nearly as good as bluegills.

But not many years ago (1990s) there used to be quite a few people who fished for suckers in the spring in Bald Eagle Creek and Penns Creek, and I'm pretty sure they were eating them. I haven't seen this much in recent years. The tradition may be fading away.
 
White suckers caught in winter and spring are very good. I filleted one caught through the ice. I would keep another if I happened to get one through the ice again. I didn’t keep any from the Tully when I nymphed some from the Tully DH Area mainly because it wasn’t convenient at the time. Some people say they are too bony, but they’re nothing in comparison to fish with Y-bones, especially American shad. Most people I’ve met who mentioned eating suckers revealed it in conversations about fish cakes.
 
troutbert said:
We tried eating some that we caught when I was a kid, but they had a muddy taste, probably because they lived in muddy waters.

And we loved bluegills and ate lots of them, but the suckers didn't taste nearly as good as bluegills.

But not many years ago (1990s) there used to be quite a few people who fished for suckers in the spring in Bald Eagle Creek and Penns Creek, and I'm pretty sure they were eating them. I haven't seen this much in recent years. The tradition may be fading away.
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Sounds like my childhood.
I tried eating one from a muddy creek in summer which was probably a bad move, Flesh was very soft when cooked. Flavor not good. My grandfather talked often of making springtime trips specifically for White Suckers in upper Conestoga Creek, I know they kept them.
Sunfish are very tasty.
Suckers were the first fish of spring for me as a kid. I loved digging worms for bait and catching them in early March many years. Occasionally we would get a stray Rainbow from many miles upstream where they stocked that had made its way down.
 
If I had know they were such good eating may have kept a fee for the last LOC cookout. Might have to rollem with a dough roller to get bones out and see if the cakes work. There is actually alot of people trying to establish sustainable fisheries for these under pursued native fish by anglers without a high conservation need to ,ironically seeming, get them protection in the form of more active management and decrease reliance on stocked non native fish. Apparently there are some really good red horse recipes and fish nuggets with all these dipping sauces.
 
falcon said:
Suckers caught in the cold water season were ground to make fish cakes.
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What do you grind them with? And are the bones ground up too, or must the bones be removed?

I had cod fish cakes made Portuguese style and that was truly delicious.
 
caddisflyer said:
Sounds like my childhood.
I tried eating one from a muddy creek in summer which was probably a bad move, Flesh was very soft when cooked. Flavor not good. My grandfather talked often of making springtime trips specifically for White Suckers in upper Conestoga Creek, I know they kept them.
Sunfish are very tasty.
Suckers were the first fish of spring for me as a kid. I loved digging worms for bait and catching them in early March many years. Occasionally we would get a stray Rainbow from many miles upstream where they stocked that had made its way down.
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This is the one ai was thinking of could iot remember it
www.mprnews.org

Time for more respect, protection for ‘rough’ fish?

Advocates for native species currently designated as rough fish — from redhorse suckers to bigmouth buffalo — say they provide many ecological benefits. Some also face threats and may need additional regulations.
www.mprnews.org www.mprnews.org
 
Fish Sticks said:
This is the one ai was thinking of could iot remember it
www.mprnews.org

Time for more respect, protection for ‘rough’ fish?

Advocates for native species currently designated as rough fish — from redhorse suckers to bigmouth buffalo — say they provide many ecological benefits. Some also face threats and may need additional regulations.
www.mprnews.org www.mprnews.org
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They want people to eat these things within a harvest level that will not decrease pooulations so that they are valued more
 
Mike said:
White suckers caught in winter and spring are very good. I filleted one caught through the ice. I would keep another if I happened to get one through the ice again. I didn’t keep any from the Tully when I nymphed some from the Tully DH Area mainly because it wasn’t convenient at the time. Some people say they are too bony, but they’re nothing in comparison to fish with Y-bones, especially American shad. Most people I’ve met who mentioned eating suckers revealed it in conversations about fish cakes.
Click to expand...
Good story in Vanishing Trout about this.
 
I saw sooooo many ginormous suckers on our float yesterday with the other LOC members. I am going to try to increase the amount i get nymphing this winter. Gonna drop shot and put an egg on a tag like 4” above the split shot on the point. We saw a 16” northern hog sucker that was Ginormous, have caught plenty of white suckers on fly but never a northern hog sucker thats a bucket list one.
 
troutbert said:
What do you grind them with? And are the bones ground up too, or must the bones be removed?

I had cod fish cakes made Portuguese style and that was truly delicious.
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I never tried them or prepared them. Probably had ground bones. I know people cooked them in cakes. When streams froze over they would have "sucker drives". They would beat on the ice and spear gig them in the open water areas. They would get hundreds back in the day. I recall as late as the 60s maybe later.
I have had cod cakes as my father would mix flaked cod with mashed potatos and brown them in a cast iron frying pan. Serve with dash of hot sauce or whatever. Serve with a cold beer. Very good.
Smelt are rolled in corn meal and fried bones and all. One of my favorites.
 
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They were all over on the float the other day. and yeas, that was the biggest Hogsucker ive ever seen. FishSticks just about jumped out of the boat when he saw it.

Id like to try the fishcakes. Definitely something to try to fit into the next DCLOC cookout. Do you know if Betty can man a Blackstone?
 
The Rodfather said:
They were all over on the float the other day. and yeas, that was the biggest Hogsucker ive ever seen. FishSticks just about jumped out of the boat when he saw it.

Id like to try the fishcakes. Definitely something to try to fit into the next DCLOC cookout. Do you know if Betty can man a Blackstone?
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Bettys hands are all messed up from arthritis
 
The only time I go after chubs is with a trap and then they are called bait.
 
Solitariolupo said:
The only time I go after chubs is with a trap and then they are called bait.
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Rainbows work better for bait for l
Flatheads and musky. Its getting popular down at the baitshops in lancaster that service the invasive flathead guys
 
You don’t have to tell me that as Muskie love them trout. 😀 I just wasn’t brave enough to say it.

Trout imitation flies work great.
 
Muskie escapees from Marsh Creek love the PFBC stocking program!
 
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