LARGE SUCKERS

[smeese]

Any suggestions on how to find/catch very large suckers? I can never find them large enough......in the mankato area but willing to drive a bit.

[guideman]

You may want to check the regs regarding transportation of suckers in Minnesota.

There are some new regulations this year.

"Ace"

[10,000 Casts]

My bait guy told me last fall that when he needs big Suckers as in 14" plus, he goes over to west central MN by DL and Mahnomen.. Maybe give the bait wholesalers over there a call.. I think there is a big wholesaler in Lake Park that could help you out..

[BFJTP]

Any suggestions on how to find/catch very large suckers? I can never find them large enough......in the mankato area but willing to drive a bit.

Not sure if you are aware of this, but it is illegal to catch suckers (minnows) from a body of water and then transport those minnows to another body of water. You have to catch the bait out of the body of water you are fishing to be legal. For example, if you catch suckers out of the Mississippi River, you can only use those suckers as bait out of the Mississippi. Only licensed bait dealers can transport bait. Hope this helps.

[mainbutter]

Not sure if you are aware of this, but it is illegal to catch suckers (minnows) from a body of water and then transport those minnows to another body of water. You have to catch the bait out of the body of water you are fishing to be legal. For example, if you catch suckers out of the Mississippi River, you can only use those suckers as bait out of the Mississippi. Only licensed bait dealers can transport bait. Hope this helps.

[TruthWalleyes]

If you want to pay for them, go see Cathy Winkler. (Just out of town on county road 3) Typically there's an abundance of 12" suckers, but i'm sure if you ask, she can get you bigger...

I have her phone # if you want.

[brad coin]

Or,,,,go to a KIA or smart car dealership they get Suckers over 6ft transported with 10% down

[pureinsanity]

What is the deal with Muskies and suckers? If you ask me the guy at the end of the rod is the real sucker. Why don't you all use bullheads?

We could argue which is a better fighter, catfish or muskie... We could say which one takes more skill to catch. Catfish or muskie... One thing we could for sure agree on I think is that both catfish and muskies are top predators in the bodies of water around us.

One day I was in a gander and watched some guy buy almost 100 dollars in large sucker for muskie fishing. I asked him why he did not use bullheads. He looked at me like I was crazy and finally he said, they would eat one?

A catfish will eat them, a Northern will eat them, a walleye will eat them... So why wouldn't a muskie eat a bullhead? So my question to you guys is, why don't you use bullheads?

[kyleharty]

What is the deal with Muskies and suckers? If you ask me the guy at the end of the rod is the real sucker. Why don't you all use bullheads?

We could argue which is a better fighter, catfish or muskie... We could say which one takes more skill to catch. Catfish or muskie... One thing we could for sure agree on I think is that both catfish and muskies are top predators in the bodies of water around us.

One day I was in a gander and watched some guy buy almost 100 dollars in large sucker for muskie fishing. I asked him why he did not use bullheads. He looked at me like I was crazy and finally he said, they would eat one?

A catfish will eat them, a Northern will eat them, a walleye will eat them... So why wouldn't a muskie eat a bullhead? So my question to you guys is, why don't you use bullheads?

I've thought about this as I've read Muskies love bullheads but I think the easy availability of suckers is the main thing for most people. What are the regs on transporting bullheads? I should check for myself but I haven't bought a license for this year yet and am too lazy to search for last year's reg book.

[Nick Kuhn]

What is the deal with Muskies and suckers? If you ask me the guy at the end of the rod is the real sucker. Why don't you all use bullheads?

We could argue which is a better fighter, catfish or muskie... We could say which one takes more skill to catch. Catfish or muskie... One thing we could for sure agree on I think is that both catfish and muskies are top predators in the bodies of water around us.

One day I was in a gander and watched some guy buy almost 100 dollars in large sucker for muskie fishing. I asked him why he did not use bullheads. He looked at me like I was crazy and finally he said, they would eat one?

A catfish will eat them, a Northern will eat them, a walleye will eat them... So why wouldn't a muskie eat a bullhead? So my question to you guys is, why don't you use bullheads?

Suckers make up 8.4% of a muskies diet. Bullheads make up something like 1% (either way it's a small portion of their diet, they eat more snails). Bullheads wouldn't work too well.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/fisheries/species/muskie/MUE_Diet.pdf

See page 7.

[DTro]

I know some guys that fish the city lakes that would argue that with you Nick

I'm sure being the predator they are, Muskies are opportunists. Whether it be a Tulibee, a Duck, or a Bullhead, they are going to eat it and not only that, but if a lake is loaded with Bullies, then by default you have to think they are eating them.

Homebrewed bait is not an easy thing to do. Lots of DNR hoops to jump through to make sure you are on the up and up. A lot of times I imagine just forking out the dough for suckers means coming out ahead in time and energy, especially when live bait fishing is mostly a seasonal thing for the skis.

[Jameson]

...http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/fisheries/species/muskie/MUE_Diet.pdf

...

I noticed that that study doesn't include the muskies winter diet. Am I correct?

[cbrooks]

Thats because they go to Arizona in the winter Jameson

[Nick Kuhn]

dtro, muskies don't quite have the gullet that a catfish has. They might take small bullies, but a big bullhead is dangerous for a muskie to swallow. I've had a few pike wash up on my shore that couldn't get the spines of a bullhead down. Not saying it wouldn't work, I just think a sucker is a much surer bet. I think we both know that with catch rates as low as flathead and muskie fisherman see, every little bit you can do to improve catch rates goes a long ways.

[10,000 Casts]

There is a reason that Muskies love to eat Black Suicks!!!

[Gordie]

bullheads would have their time just as suckers do for skis

I have watched the muskies on the sand on the north end of ML they were sunning them selves and guys were throwing everything they had at them and they wouldnt even look at any of it but I would almost bet that you toss a 4-5 inch bully in that same situtation and that muskie would react a bit differnetly. kinda like fishing bass on the beds the bullies are nest raiders or area steelers so to speek.

Territorial... you can't deny that

[brad coin]

Did somebody say muskies dont prefer bullheads?????

you need to talk to Rod Ramsell dnr muskie bio who now works the east metro,,When he would cut dead metro muskies open Number 1 fish found inside "bullheads' crappies second

some of you are too young to remember Tonka in the 70's or 80's but you could not go to tonka fishing and not see at least 5-6 bullhead rafts during a mourning,I dont know that Ive seen one out there since 98,,the Muskies got fat on them

I grew up in Minneapolis and has a kid on lake Harriet(pre Muskie stocking) I used to use corn for sunnies instead of a worm because if you used worms has soon has your hook hit the water a bullhead would be on it,, spring of 2009 I went out volunteer sample netting on Harriet with the DNR and in 9 nets sampled everyday for 4 days-one bullhead total the Muskies have decimated them.

If theres bullhead in a lake muskies are on em

[TruthWalleyes]

Boy you guys swayed from the origional post.

You find what you needed smeese?

[RK]

Hiya -

I think "preferred forage" is a tricky concept with any species of fish. They eat what's available and abundant, and they aren't picky. Sure, at certain times of year they focus on some species (ciscoes in the fall, for example) but that's largely a function of converging seasonal patterns that put muskies and ciscoes in the same neighborhood, so the ciscoes are...available and abundant.

Muskies definitely eat bullies. I think one of the reasons big Believers work so well in thick weeds is they kind of have the profile of a big boo-head. A jointed $9 Bass color Believer looks more like a bullhead than a bullhead does.

I don't think size has a lot to do with it either. I know a guy who keeps one legal muskie a year out of a big MN lake, and smokes it. I asked him once what they had in their stomachs, and he said they're either empty, or they;re jammed full of 2" fathead minnows...

Again - available and abundant...

[dan z]

Amazing enough even eye's eat bullies. like gordie said they are nest raiders and predator fish hate them!

[pureinsanity]

Ive seen 22-26 inch walleyes take down a 7 inch bullhead no problem. I am sure a muskie would have no issues getting a bullie. Sometimes fish go for food that is just too large for them to swallow. Maybe that is the case in the washed up northern you had found on the shoreline.

We've all seen photos, or in person of a fish trying to eat something a little too big.

I don't know much about muskies, but I would think a bullhead would be more common in most lakes than suckers, but that is just my opinion.

I was just throwing a suggestion out there specially since you can catch a bullhead on just about on any lake. Meaning you could launch your boat, go catch a few bullies and then change pace to your muskies

as for the study of muskies and what they eat. How accurate can they be. Perhaps Scott might know a bit more. if you ate the same thing for a week and threw in just one different meal in that week obviously that one meal would be the lesser percent. I do agree with Dtro and others that they are opportunist as every fish is. They eat when they can and whats near them.

So in theory if you toss a bullhead or a sucker in front of one and they are hungry they will probably eat it.

[guideman]

I have just one observation on this bullhead issue. Don't you think after all the years of Muskies fishing, that if bullheads were such a great Muskie bait, that someone would have figured that out by now? My suggestion is to use artificials and you won't have to worry about where to get your livebait from. JMHO.

"Ace"

[DTro]

I still have people give me the blank stare when I say I use live bullheads for bait. Catfishing has been around a LONG time too. Just because something isn't popular doesn't mean it won't work. What used to be Moore's Bait Shop in South Minneapolis would sell LOTS of bullheads to Musky folk before he closed shop. There were plenty of pics to prove they worked good too.

Aside from that I wish I had the option of using artificials for Cats, live bait is a royal PITA.

oh, and my guess is that a struggling wounded anything will always be a preferred bait to a predator.

Find those big suckers yet Smeese? LOL

[10,000 Casts]

Sounds like a Bullhead on a Quickstrike rig is worth a try to me..

[pureinsanity]

Sounds like a Bullhead on a Quickstrike rig is worth a try to me..

Nope, only artificial baits and suckers work.