Sucker spawn

[afishinado]

Interesting article with facts about this early spring fishing opportunity for FFers >

https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/sucker-spawn/7715199

 

[jifigz]

Sucker spawn is one of my most consistent patters for catching trout in March on my local trout streams. It just plain works. And, it is super easy and cheap to tie. What's not to love about some sucker spawn?

 

[Baron]

Never even thought of it. Nice. In Martin's Creek the Trout swim amongst the suckers all year long. They are th Stocked Trout. Find the suckers and there'll be stockies amount them.

 

[RisenFly]

jifigz wrote:
Sucker spawn is one of my most consistent patters for catching trout in March on my local trout streams. It just plain works. And, it is super easy and cheap to tie. What's not to love about some sucker spawn?

The article isn't talking about the fly pattern, but actually the spawning of the suckers in the Spring. If you hit it right it's a great opportunity to target the suckers, trout, and many other fish species that are preying on the eggs.

 

[afishinado]

Here is more info on fishing a sucker spawn pattern from FFP along with a recipe and tying instructions >

https://www.flyfishersparadise.com/fly-tying/sucker-spawn

 

[jifigz]

RisenFly wrote:

jifigz wrote:
Sucker spawn is one of my most consistent patters for catching trout in March on my local trout streams. It just plain works. And, it is super easy and cheap to tie. What's not to love about some sucker spawn?

The article isn't talking about the fly pattern, but actually the spawning of the suckers in the Spring. If you hit it right it's a great opportunity to target the suckers, trout, and many other fish species that are preying on the eggs.

Hey Ryan. Yeah, I read the article and he specifically mentions the sucker spawn pattern right in there and then states he uses the "eggstacy" pattern. I am just putting it out there for folks, the sucker spawn pattern is tremendously effective. Either way, it is more of a summary on the spawning habits of the fish. You wouldn't believe the number of people I know that throw suckers and stuff on the banks because they are a "trash fish." How absurd.

Just an FYI, I was out throwing streamers with my ITB 6 weight just yesterday that I picked up from you so many years ago at the Lancaster show. I enjoy that rod.

 

[Bamboozle]

Just make sure if you target trout during the sucker spawn, you aren't fishing in Stocked Trout Waters that are closed when the suckers are doing their thing.

BTW - Does anybody have angst about wading when the suckers are spawning...

 

[barrybarry]

I've always felt that the bait fisherman fishing with corn were unknowingly matching sucker spawn. Corn is quite effective for many opening day anglers

 

[troutbert]

Carp also feed on sucker spawn.

The suckers spawn in specific areas, not all over the stream. The same is true of trout.

I talked to a fishermen who seemed pretty experienced who said that some big brown trout move pretty far following the sucker spawning runs.

I think I may have experienced this, but I'm not certain.

 

[jifigz]

Bamboozle wrote:
Just make sure if you target trout during the sucker spawn, you aren't fishing in Stocked Trout Waters that are closed when the suckers are doing their thing.

BTW - Does anybody have angst about wading when the suckers are spawning...

No, I have no problems with anyone wading during the sucker spawn. I have no problems with people wading during the trout spawn. I have no problem with people wading and fishing during the bass spawn. It all comes down to education, being informed, and being ethical. If we were all worried about wading during fish spawning, we would have very small ethical windows of angling opportunities.

And yes, I only fish waters that aren't stocked during March.

 

[Bamboozle]

jifigz wrote:

Bamboozle wrote:
Just make sure if you target trout during the sucker spawn, you aren't fishing in Stocked Trout Waters that are closed when the suckers are doing their thing.

BTW - Does anybody have angst about wading when the suckers are spawning...

No, I have no problems with anyone wading during the sucker spawn. I have no problems with people wading during the trout spawn. I have no problem with people wading and fishing during the bass spawn. It all comes down to education, being informed, and being ethical. If we were all worried about wading during fish spawning, we would have very small ethical windows of angling opportunities...

Neither do I, however at times I feel we are in the minority here:

No fishing during the spawns(s), no fishing when it's hot, no fishing when the water is low, no fishing on the Upper Delaware in NYS in winter...

It's a wonder they fish at all... (we need a hornet's nest emoji) ;-)

 

[shakey]

Wild browns in a stream near Philadelphia really key in on sucker spawn.

You can use any fly that’s globby . It doesn’t have to be a sucker spawn pattern.

Tan marabou, cream-yellow yarn, knotted chenille. You can even use Pom poms from a craft store tied or glued to a hook.

They sometimes even take this stuff near the surface .

 

[shakey]

Oh, they’ll even hit pink or orange sometimes.

 

[Dave_W]

While prospecting for muskies at some of my favorite creek mouths today I kept an eye out for suckers. Didn't see any (no muskies either). It's still a bit early but usually by late February white suckers are staging and moving up creeks, sometimes in great numbers.

Sucker spawn is bright yellow. Here's a thread from a few years ago that's still a good read on spawning suckers and shows the egg color (please don't refresh the old thread):

Sucker Spawn

Anyone who FFs PA streams in springtime should have some sucker spawn patterns as they are very good producers of both stocked and wild trout, as others have noted.

 

[ryanh]

was never really a big fan but I tied one on out of desperation and had my best day of the year. I had fish moving to it. Made me a believer.

 

[redietz]

barrybarry wrote:
I've always felt that the bait fisherman fishing with corn were unknowingly matching sucker spawn. Corn is quite effective for many opening day anglers

I've always thought that corn and sucker spawn flies match hatchery pellets, at least for stocked fish.

 

[pcray1231]

For me its 2 fold.

1. During the sucker spawn itself, its a very match the hatch situation. Trout of all species will line up behind suckers actively spawning. Similar situation with steelhead runs. "Sucker spawn" is a pattern that belongs in the larger "egg pattern" category, which includes glo-bugs and others. Even the beads dirty pinners use! (had to get a cut in there, hehe, tongue planted firmly in cheek).

2. Year round, rainbows especially. They're just genetically programmed to eat eggs. I used to think it was just stockies, but try it on a wild bow stream in like August, you might be surprised! Any time of year, any place. I have used the term "cheat code", and it fits. Thousands of spinning rod guys with jars of Mike's are onto something, lol, but they often fish stocked streams with rainbows. Browns though, seem to only take egg patterns when natural eggs are on the menu. Brookies are in between. They'll take, but not necessarily better than other stuff, they just take anything. Egg patterns are primarily rainbow candy outside of an egg "hatch"!

I have always believed the venerable green weenie, while can at times represent any number of things, one of those things is to serve as an egg fly.

 

[foxfire]

Do the purists refer to Sucker Spawn patterns as a "junk fly"??

Also thought i once heard Suckers referred to as Fresh Water Bonefish.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Pcray, I believe your right re: rainbows and eggs. I ran onto a bunch of newly stocked rainbows in a creek in Georgia. I grabbed a yellow egg and tied it on. It was game on and i caught and released quite a few on that egg. I'd catch one and walk down stream and shake it off and back to the pod and repeat. Fun way to help spread out the stockers. GG

 

[Dave_W]

foxfire wrote:
Do the purists refer to Sucker Spawn patterns as a "junk fly"??

Also thought i once heard Suckers referred to as Fresh Water Bonefish.

Yeah, I think many folks would categorize sucker spawn as a "junk fly."

Sucker spawn fits broadly with patterns like egg flies and San Juan worms that - although they do imitate actual trout food - are thought to catch fish more due to their attraction, especially for rainbows (as Pcray pointed out above). I use such flies a lot and catch a lot of trout on 'em... but I'm not a purist.

The term "FW bonefish" is more often used to describe carp rather than suckers in my experience. Carp are great fighters that will pull line off your reel like an actual bonefish. Suckers don't do this and are not good fighters although sometimes in the colder months of the year I'll hook a sucker and think it's a trout.