Home >> Freshwater Species >> Suckers

Suckers

Introduction

Common in North America, the white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) is a bottom-feeder weighing up to six pounds. Suckers feed on insects, larvae, crustaceans, and algae. /p>

Most anglers do not fish for suckers, but during the spring spawning season, suckers fight well on light tackle and are good eating. Sautéed or parboiled sucker roe is tasty in the early spring.

Behaviour

Suckers move into small streams to spawn at night. Females lay their eggs over shallow gravel bars, and a week later the eggs hatch. The males turn an olive colour and develop a red lateral streak on their sides. Sucker fry are prey for northern pike and lake trout.

Fishing Techniques

Sucker fishing is good from March through May. Using any equipment, fish around the entrances of streams that feed into lakes. Tie a No.8 hook to the line and add some weight for easy casting. Cast worms, corn kernels, dough balls, pieces of shrimp, or night crawlers into depressions near the spawning grounds. Set the rod between a forked stick and wait until the rod tip bends. When the sucker starts to swim away with the bait, set the hook.

If you would like to see additional species added to our list of freshwater fish, please email your request to admin@fishresource.com and we will do our best to add it. Or, if you have specific questions regarding individual species, please email ask@fishresource.com and we will do our best to answer them.

Freshwater Fish Species

Search Fishresource.com Try searching Fishresource.com or search Google for additional information on freshwater fishing, North American freshwater fishing resorts, guides, camps and lodges and let us know if you have a link that we should add to this site by sending an email to: links@fishresource.com.

Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.fishresource.com