Suckers on Spring Creek

[1hook]

It seems to me that the suckers on spring creek are out of control, every time I runs nymphs on spring I usually catch or foul hook more suckers than I do trout... especially this time of year.

What's the deal? It's frustrating when you hook into a monster only to find out it's a sucker and not a big old brown. I know systems have a balance and all things a purpose... what is it that suckers do for a stream? Do they directly compete with trout for food?

 

[jifigz]

Well White Suckers are native to many PA waters where as the brown trout are not. What is it that Brown Trout do for a stream? I think you should have a blast catching those big suckers and not be disappointed that they weren't trout. It is kind of arbitrary to base how much fun you had on the species that you land and not the fun of the fight.

On a side note one thing that the trout do for the stream is offer it protection and conservation as well as bring money into the area through businesses benefiting from them etc. And of course suckers compete with trout for food, I've caught them lots of time with the same nymphs I catch trout on. But who cares?

 

[PennKev]

Switch h to a drop-shot style of rigging your flies. I guarantee Your catch rate on suckers will drop dramatically. Foul hooking them will be virtually eliminated.

 

[1hook]

Jifigz, good points, im not sure why I I look down at catching those big suckers. I guess it just the notion that they are a "garbage" fish and not my targeted species. Almost like catching chubs while bass or trout fishing. Plus my word they are slimey things! Always seems to leave slime all over everything...

lol either way it just seems to be a nuisance any more when I'm dredging those deep holes for trout.

Maybe my bigger question is can the sucker population on that stream come to an unhealthy level that the trout suffer?

 

[Canoetripper]

I am not a biologist and can't answer any of the above questions. What I can tell you though is that squaretail organized one of the fishing trips that I went on with him in hopes that suckers would be spawning on Spring Creek.

Our strategy was to fish egg patterns because the trout would be feeding on sucker eggs. We were a week too early for the sucker spawn. He did post a video here on paflyfish.com that you can probably search and find of all the trout lined up and waiting to feast behind suckers spawning on Spring Creek.

I don't know if you have ever fished the upper Delaware River. I have a lot of experience canoeing there and can tell you that that river is full of suckers, and there are plenty of trout there.

I have also read articles about reintroducing otters and what effect that might have on trout populations. What the biologists said was that otters prefer "rough fish", which I interpreted as bottom feeders because they are easier for otters to catch.

 

[JeffK]

In less affluent times sucker weirs were found all over the Northeast and canned sucker meat was put up in the winter when the meat was firm (and they were also congregating pre-spawn and easy to catch). To be honest, canned sucker isn't all that much different.

A few sucker fishermen lasted into the 60's, but the have gone the way of bullhead fishermen as we target more glamorous species and worry less about cheap protein.

 

[greenghost]

PennKev wrote:
Switch h to a drop-shot style of rigging your flies. I guarantee Your catch rate on suckers will drop dramatically. Foul hooking them will be virtually eliminated.

Hey Kev,
Exactly what is "drop-shot" style?

 

[Maurice]

Drop shot is when you put the weight"shot" on a tag line below the fly. Usually off a dropper line.

 

[greenghost]

Cool. Thanks, Maurice! Hmm... Just wondering now how that would reduce snagging suckers since the hook is still presented lower in the water column. You feel a tap, set the hook, and drive it into sucker flesh.

 

[ryansheehan]

It prevents the hook from going sideways or up under the fish since it is presented in a straight line, slightly off the bottom. It's a real life saver on rivers with lots didymo, more time fishing and less time cleaning your fly.

 

[pete41]

well it's disappointing because they are suckers but size for size no freshwater fish gives a better first run [think bonefish] than a tail hooked sucker.
many,many times I would tail hook ones in the five pound range while streamer fishing at nite on the Missouri river-the first dozen times or so I thought "record book" then you realize they are actually faster than any trout,fair or foul hooked.lol those suckers can haul it but only when tail hooked.

 

[greenghost]

ryansheehan wrote:
It prevents the hook from going sideways or up under the fish since it is presented in a straight line, slightly off the bottom. It's a real life saver on rivers with lots didymo, more time fishing and less time cleaning your fly.

Got it. Makes sense. Subtle difference that makes a big difference. Thanks.

 

[ryansheehan]

pete41 wrote:
well it's disappointing because they are suckers but size for size no freshwater fish gives a better first run [think bonefish] than a tail hooked sucker.
many,many times I would tail hook ones in the five pound range while streamer fishing at nite on the Missouri river-the first dozen times or so I thought "record book" then you realize they are actually faster than any trout,fair or foul hooked.lol those suckers can haul it but only when tail hooked.

The rainbows on the Delaware are offended by your opinion.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

How many meals per week of Spring Creek suckers are safe for me to consume?

 

[1hook]

Pete41, can't say I disagree... always fun to have one peel some line off the reel on a slow day. I was out a spring Saturday and I probably caught 4 trout and caught 4 suckers... snagged maybe 4 more.

I actually caught a really large browny that day, thought it was another sucker and wasnt paying much attention to getting it in and playing it... then I saw it was a trout... got the heart pumping.

I have tried drop shot Nymphing but didn't really like it, may give it another go

 

[NewSal]

Your not alone, I cant stand catching suckers either, but its part of the game, not much you can do about it, I like the drop-shotting advice although.

and jifigz..
I disagree about someone not supposed to care about the species. Species does matter, I don't have the time right now to write you a essay on why species matters ie: catching trout vs suckers, but its pretty much well known that some species are more highly sought after than others, for a variety of reasons.
I cant stand catching suckers, if I see its a sucker I get it in and off my line as fast as damn possible, there just not very appealing fish.

 

[foxfire]

A few sucker fishermen lasted into the 60's, but the have gone the way of bullhead fishermen as we target more glamorous species and worry less about cheap protein.

Yep! Cut my eye-teeth on bullheads and suckers. Could wait till March when the suckers were most active as a kid!!

 

[jifigz]

NewSal wrote:
Your not alone, I cant stand catching suckers either, but its part of the game, not much you can do about it, I like the drop-shotting advice although.

and jifigz..
I disagree about someone not supposed to care about the species. Species does matter, I don't have the time right now to write you a essay on why species matters ie: catching trout vs suckers, but its pretty much well known that some species are more highly sought after than others, for a variety of reasons.
I cant stand catching suckers, if I see its a sucker I get it in and off my line as fast as damn possible, there just not very appealing fish.

You may have misunderstood what I meant, or maybe not, but I'll clarify. It is extremely well known that some species are more sought after than others. This occurs for many reasons such as table quality, abundance, culture, beauty, or pure reverence and respect. Also, every species has nuances and behaviors that we as fisherman come to know and understand and through that process we better learn how to catch that species. With that said, some species are inherently harder to fool with any means of angling than others or their numbers may not be high enough to readily target, etc, etc. If one of these two things is true, there is a good chance that those species won't be highly sought after. This all makes perfect sense and I feel pertains to the sucker. Beauty also has a lot to do with it. White Suckers are not nearly as pretty as any species of trout/char. If suckers are extremely present on Spring Creek, as the OP suggests, then go give angling FOR suckers a try sometime. You may find it to be a little more frustrating than trout, so much so that you will give up and go back that one focusing on trout.

The general point of this is I have fished A LOT in my life and never once targeted suckers, nor have I ever meant someone who has targeted suckers. However, I am also not someone who is disgusted by or upset that I have caught one. So the general point is, why not enjoy the fight and the fish? They put up a heck of a tussle on a 4 weight. Sure, they may not have been what you're targeting, but they are still a lot of fun so why grumble about it.

 

[pete41]

well--I saw people sucker fishing in Penns Woods water and were so upset when they hooked an out of season trout--TIC

 

[pete41]

what amazed me when living in Montana was there were a few guides that specialized in catching rocky mountain whitefish and dudes would hire them to do so--I thought they were the ultimate sucker.lol
some flatlanders really believed they were a prize catch like grayling but neither were pursued by locals except to smoke some whitefish.