Sucker Minnow Rigs?

[Tommy1990]

Hey guys,

I'm just curious if you use sucker minnows at all for fall muskies and if so what kind of rigs you use. I'm looking to try this out in the fall, but I've hear that some rigs can harm the fish. Plus I've never used suckers much so I figured I should a little background knowledge wouldn't hurt.

Thanks!

[10,000 Casts]

I use the double harness Hulcano Rigs made by Stealth tackle, I know there are better rigs out there but these seem to work pretty good and they are easy to use. I had better luck setting the hook when I put a treble on each side of the sucker rather than both on top. Some guys use and egg sinker to slow the sucker down and keep him lower. I just use the big yellow styrofoam bobbers and you don't need to let out that much line and I troll around about .5 to 1mph using my gps and depthfinder to fish breaks, weedlines humps etc.

1, no sucker is to big, the bigger the better!

2, be patient, make sure the fish has the sucker in it's mouth and you know which way it is going before you set the hook. Most of the time, the Muskie cares more about the sucker than the boat and you can raise them to watch the action.

3, good bait clicker is nice to have, so is a quality reel with good magnetic resistance so the clicker doesn't go off constintly.

4, It takes practice

[50inchpig]

pretty good advice there. i'd 2nd buying a hurricane rig or something flexible like that for starters, there are way more bad premade rigs out there for sale than there are good ones. i like the rigs that use a clip or rubber band through the nostrils, they're low profile and release well. ewwwwtube has some good tutorials on the rubber band thing and rigging in general.

i like to use a 1 oz egg sinker above my rig under a little balloon. no weight and your sucker will ride the surface if you get moving more toward 1 mph and an oz doesn't hinder them much from swimming. i prefer ballons to bobbers because they'll usually break when you set the hook and you need all the force you can get when you slam it home.

it might seem like kind of a hassle at first but it's a fun way to fish when you get it down.

[RK]

Hiya -

Several thoughts:

- Having tried many variations both commercially available and home-made, I've had by far the best hooking percentage with 'lift-off' style rigs that use a rubber band through the sucker's nose. It's a little bit of a wrestling match sometimes getting the rubber band through sometimes (hold the sucker between your thighs - just don't let anyone take pictures while you do it. At best it looks ridiculous, and at worst, obscene...) If you make your own, you can make them for varying size suckers too, which is handy. "Adjustable" rigs seem to end up as a kinked up tangled mess eventually.

- If you don't like the rubber band thing, Shumway Tackle has a no rubber band version with a clip that from what I'm told is outstanding. Haven't used one yet personally but that may change this weekend.

- Hooks on the side is far superior I think. And don't put hooks too far back either. I put one just behind the head and one just behind the dorsal fin on the opposite side.

- Bend one tine of the treble out to the side and use it to hook into the sucker skin. If you look at a treble hook, it's basically a double hook with another hook soldered onto the back of the double hook. Take the hook that's soldered on, and bend it 90 degrees so it's perpendicular to the hook shank, then use that tine to skin hook the sucker from the top down. You bust a hook now and then bending them, but they pop out of the sucker way easier, and you aren't setting the hook into the sucker rather than the fish.

- Most important, regardless of what rig you use, is an immediate hookset. When a fish hits, figure out which way it's headed or if it's sitting still. If it's facing you or not moving, put moderate, steady pressure on it and they'll turn away from the pressure 9 times out of 10. When they do, let 'em have it. If you have to back up to a fish or move over it, do it fast. Crank the big motor and run right at it if you have to. They almost never spook.

On my soapbox for a moment here, but... When Mike Hulbert, who "invented" the hulcano rig (identical versions have been around for at least 25 years so I use "invented" VERY loosely) he wrote an article describing how he uses it, and to me it read like a manual on how NOT to fish suckers. Letting them run with it for any amount of time is asking for a gut-hooked fish eventually. Plus, in purely practical terms, the longer a fish has it the more chances there are for something to go wrong - line catches on weeds, the fish drops the sucker... Way less can go wrong if you set the hook as soon as you can turn the fish. They're called "quick strike" rigs for a reason. The whole "it takes them 30 minutes to swallow something" story is a load of [PoorWordUsage]. I've watched a muskie swallow a 2 lb pike in 15 seconds...

Have fun with the suckers. It isn't magic, and it doesn't always work better than lures, but it can sure be a fun way to fish.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[50inchpig]

my disclaimer is i haven't used a hurricane rig, i make my own since suckers come in all different sizes, but i assumed the double hurricane rig 10k talked about with hooks on the sides was being used as a quick strike.

i don't subscribe in any way to waiting to set the hook any longer than it takes to get a decent angle on the fish, seconds not minutes.

[10,000 Casts]

The rig I use has an Aberdeen that hook through the Suckers lips, I just hook it solely on the upper lip and it keeps the sucker on as loong as you need and it will rip free.

There are 100's of rigs but most are very hard to come by if you're just a normal weekend angler, Musky Tackle Online or Thorne Bros should get you in the right direction.

Quote:

- Hooks on the side is far superior I think. And don't put hooks too far back either. I put one just behind the head and one just behind the dorsal fin on the opposite side.

I lost 10 fish before I figured this out! Including a monster that would have gone over 40lbs.

Quote:

Most important, regardless of what rig you use, is an immediate hookset. When a fish hits, figure out which way it's headed or if it's sitting still. If it's facing you or not moving, put moderate, steady pressure on it and they'll turn away from the pressure 9 times out of 10. When they do, let 'em have it. If you have to back up to a fish or move over it, do it fast. Crank the big motor and run right at it if you have to. They almost never spook.

what I meant was don't run over, grab the rod and just set it home because you are excited, I know that's what I did.. most lakes are clear enough to know whats going on and we can see the sucker and know whats going on for the most part. I usaully give the fish about 30 secs and gently raise her if we can. If the fish tears out of town, then you may want to let her have it. It takes practice and it can be frustrating! I remember throwing my rod down a few times when I thought for sure it was ready and it wasn't.

Now you guys have me excited to go fish some suckers! Other advice is to call the baitshop ahead of time and ask what they have and see if they will hold them, make sure you ask how big, I won't buy them under 12" and big to the baitshop guy might not be big to you. Some guys will show up and buy them out of Suckers i.e. Sconnies or Cities folks, cough cough.

[Tommy1990]

Thanks for all the great info guys! It really is appreciated. I'll probably stop in at Thorne to see what they have (they have practically everything there so I'm guessing it shouldn't be an issue).

I would probably buy the suckers from Wayzata Bait and Tackle. It's the closest bait shop to me and I'm pretty sure I've seen some big ones in there.

[smeese]

try the glittertail HSOforum.....they have a nice #8 blade on theirs and have a clip for the nose.....

[Tommy1990]

I stopped in at Thorne today and picked a couple rigs up. They have a clip that goes through the Sucker's nose. Apparently some of the rubber band ones aren't legal in Minnesota? I found that odd but we found something that looks like it should work well. Might be buying a sucker or two in the morning and trying it out!

[RK]

Rubber band rigs are the same as any other quick strike rig in MN - need to add a spinner blade is all. But - the clip deals are slick from what I can tell...

[DTro]

FYI, I've heard through the grapevine that starting Nov 1, the regs will be clarified regarding multiple hook rigs.

This monkey business with spinners and beads will no longer be needed...from what I'm told.

[reinhard1]

that would be a great breakthrough. good luck.

[HugoBox]

FYI, I've heard through the grapevine that starting Nov 1, the regs will be clarified regarding multiple hook rigs.

This monkey business with spinners and beads will no longer be needed...from what I'm told.

That's good news for sure. I would hope we can trust the CO's to determine intent without have a bead or spinner on a bait. I've always wondered if it would be legal to snag fish as long as my treble has a bead on it!

Lots of good sucker advice on here -especially for a guy who hasn't done it muchh. Have many of you tried Dahlberg's hookless rig?

[RK]

Re: clarifying the regs: FINALLY! Been banging the drum for that for 7 or 8 years now. A few in the DNR are sick to death of me griping about it. Took way longer than it needed to frankly.

Hugo -

I've never said much about it, but after landing several fish over the years that never had hooks in them but just wouldn't let go of the sucker, I have tried hookless rigs a time or two, and it works. You kind of have to baby the fish in a little but you can certainly land them. Funny thing is they'll sometimes drop the sucker, then come right back and drill it again. I had my kids in the boat with me a couple years ago and had a fish drop and hit again 4 times, and the kids got to see it all 4 times. Finally landed the fish, and unhooked the sucker and let the fish swim away with it. Figured he'd earned it

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[jolstadt]

I'll be curious to read the reg clarification. Last year I called the CO in the west metro on this. He told me that as long as the treble hooks were stuck into the sucker he didn't care if I had a spinner or blades on my rig.

Joe Olstadt

[WRD]

A big thanks to this thread and RK's advice on starting up the boat and heading right for the fish to make sure it's swimming away for the hook set. First musky on a sucker rig and it's a 51. NEW PB!!! And she lives to fight another day for hopefully someone's elses PB. Thanks again.

[Musky_Madness]

Anyone tried the Bucher set up from man's mall? Sounds similar with a aberdeen hook for the sucker lip, then trebles for the sides.

[smeese]

Nice fish!!!

I have a butcher one.......the Sucker will swim much better without that thick steel hook in its nose, but if you ever had to cast the sucker that would be the way to go...JMO