sucker fishing

[kevin07]

So in the begging of the month i was catching lots of suckers on egg paterns woolys and small brown nymphs like copper johns and phesent tails. One day my buddy and i got around 15 a piece. But now i cant catch any! there are alot of them, id say around 200 schooled up. I know they are eating something on the bottom but i cant fiure out what. Any ideas what i should use. Or mabe they are just on to me, they are only 20 feet or so away when i fish for them. They are hanging out in some slower moving water after some riffles.

 

[Fishidiot]

Kevin,
Welcome to PaFlyFish forum. To be honest, fly fishers rarely target suckers although, as you've discovered, they can be caught on flies. Personally, I don't target them and only catch 'em incidentally when nymphing for trout. This usually happens in colder water in the springtime. It may very well be that these fish have been hit hard by you guys and have become more careful but if there's 200 of 'em you should be able to catch some. I'd back off and rest 'em for a couple weeks and return with the same flies you used before. Slightly rising water levels might help and put them on the feed. If that doesn't work, I'd say to heck with 'em and go fish for some other species that are more reliable fly rod fish.

 

[kevin07]

Ive tried to fish them right after a rain but as soon as the levels rise they move and i have not figured out where they go yet. I like the spot because there are some wild rainbows there that think they are trout and you never know when your gonna hook into one of them instead. I think i will try laying off the spot for a wile see if that works im looking for another spot on the creek with another school of suckers so i can see if they go for the same thing.

 

[JeffK]

My best summer sucker fly (I though I would never write these words) is a size 14 chamois fly. Cut a thin strip of real chamois. Tie in with a shank tail for a tail, wrap forward, tie in strip near eye so that strip follows line of the shank. Whip knot at eye - cut length ahead of eye the same length as the tail. Deadly trout fly too.

In summer when the water is low and clear I only have luck targeting suckers that are actively foraging - never can get one just sitting there to bite. Need to feed the fly right to them, so it is a great way to polish up your mending skills. I have one spot where the suckers will rise to midges occassionally in the summer. Dry fly fishing for rising suckers isn't all that easy - you need to be right on target and time it right - but it is something different.

It's not unusual to see a trout or two mixed in with suckers.

 

[kevin07]

JeffK So its almost like a san juan worm? Do you use any wieght and what color Just the normal yellow color? i see the suckers flash alot does this mean they are feeding or is it just something they do when they school up?

I have heard of people catching them on dry flies but i have never seen one rise before.

 

[JeffK]

You got it - pretty much a San Juan worm with a softer material. I just leave it natural, but can use red leather strips to make smaller red midge worms. Any attempts I have made coloring chamios haven't worked too well.

As far as weight, try as little weight as possible. If it is slow sometimes no weight is needed. I used to tie them up with bigger and heavier hooks for fishing with no weight. Suckers don't move far for a nymph and I have my best luck drifting to visibly feeding fish.

I know of just one spring hole that fills with suckers in hot weather where they rise for midges. I wouldn't worry about midges - but watch out because it can happen.

The suckers will flash as they turn to take a swimming nymph. That is a sign that something is going on. Streams have what is called "behavioral drift" where all the nymphs that want to find a new home drift downstream at the same time to take advantage of safety in numbers. Generally there are two big drift periods a day at dusk and dawn. In the evening I know when the drift starts because all of a sudden the suckers are all flashing. That's a good time to nymph fish because every fish in the stream will start feeding. In hatch season the suckers flashing will signal the nymphs are coming out from under the rocks and the hatch will come soon.