Who is the sucker?

[cheddar 86]

Not a lot of posting activity today...people must all be out on the lake still. Hit Waconia this morning to do some sucker fishing (quick strike rig). Finally after about a half an hour slow trolling around a reef my clicker was going crazy in about 15fow. I reminded myself to make sure i felt the fish moving away, and bam I set the hook solid and I could feel it connect. It felt like a solid fish, and I was already getting excited to add a fish to a horribly frusterating year, and a first musky on a sucker. I get it by the boat and of course it dives. I finally horse it up to the boat and....wah wah wahhhh...it's an Esox...just the wrong species. Talk about a let down, although it was suprising to get a fat 32" pike out of Waconia. I was happy to get the action, but I seldom see pike out there. Of course the second sucker I put on was lethargic and right away I just got the vibe that it wasn't going to bring any luck. I must've missed the feeding window because I continued to troll around the lake until about 2:00pm and not even a sniff.

If anyone else reads this and fishes Waconia for muskies. 1) Has this been the worst year ever for you? 2) Do you ever have any success on the windy side of the lake (12-15mph winds) - it seems to me this lake shuts down with moderate wind, but I probably just suck.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I was at Gervais this morning and the DNR was doing the routine invasive species speech and trailer inspection and that guy told me that the place to find muskies is Waconia, for whatever its worth

[Rebel9921]

I finally had the opportunity to go sucker fishing in outer North Metro yesterday (10/09)... My partner and I had more than few occasions where our suckers would go crazy but that was it... We did mark plenty fish along with baitfish with ZERO luck... Plenty structures but very little weed... Turns out that two days ago (Saturday) on other lake in North Metro was on fire... I declined to join but the friend had a 46 in the net immediately in the morning, had two suckers stolen somehow, then other guy in his boat lost a bigger one after a headshake... He metioned something and I have to agree with him... more dready the day is, more better day you'll have at sucker fishing... This weekend should be whole lot better with the cold front coming in...

[cheddar 86]

I finally had the opportunity to go sucker fishing in outer North Metro yesterday (10/09)... My partner and I had more than few occasions where our suckers would go crazy but that was it... We did mark plenty fish along with baitfish with ZERO luck... Plenty structures but very little weed... Turns out that two days ago (Saturday) on other lake in North Metro was on fire... I declined to join but the friend had a 46 in the net immediately in the morning, had two suckers stolen somehow, then other guy in his boat lost a bigger one after a headshake... He metioned something and I have to agree with him... more dready the day is, more better day you'll have at sucker fishing... This weekend should be whole lot better with the cold front coming in...

Not trying to be a d word, but what do you mean by dready...crappier conditions...like strong northwest winds?

[Nick Kuhn]

In the fall I just like overcast of any sort. It doesn't need to be sleeting (although I've had some very good days in the sleet), just something to block out the sun. I've had some very good luck on days where it was mild (low 60's), overcast, and just a light wind.

[smeese]

How big were the suckers? Maybe you need to think bigger if a 32" pike took what you had it might be worth a shot.....

[Rebel9921]

I meant Dreary... not Dready... sorry my bad... but to clarify it more... Colder, Windy, Raining/Snowing/Stormy... thats what I meant by dreary... It was 80's sunny with gentle wind yesterday...

Also from what I can deduce based on others saying, it seems like the suckers were extremely active due to the muskies chasing/stalking them so I guess it could be some kind of a success on its own, just nothing in the net to show for it...

[cheddar 86]

Probably 13-14in long suckers. Honestly I don't think going more massive is gonna deter a hungry pike. I know 32 isn't a massive pike, but this was no hammer handle by any means. I do think it would be interesting to hear from others any correlation between the size they use and the fish size they catch.

As far as the weather conditions my limited success has come in dreary weather too. I think I like sucker fishing more because of what it allows me to do in the cold with minimal work, and I'm able to cover a lot of water. I guess I like the thought of using them in less than ideal musky conditions even on warm sunny days because I feel like if a slow in their face natural presentation wont work nothing will. Especially if I'm talking about a highly pressured metro lake. Now I know this isn't always gonna be true, but i feel like the odds are in my favor.