Any early bite reports on suckers, carp, or drum?

[Stick500]

Not looking to find your own private hot spots, but any reports on early bites and the type of water you caught them in and perhaps bait too, would probably be greatly appreciated by many here.

Especially considering the bad cases of cabin fever most of us open water guys have and considering how badly I bombed this first warm weekend, I'm ready to catch some roughfish!!

[KidMoe]

been out a half dozen times and its been pretty slow. the few i have caught have been pretty lethargic on the line, not much fight. I've finally started seeing ht efirst signs of small debris moving down river with the shorelines starting to thaw. Should be a a couple more weeks before it turns on.

[LPCrowRiverFisherman]

Got two white suckers and two carp today on a tributary of the South Fork Crow River. Fight was good, but the bite was LIGHT!!!

[Stick500]

well somebody's getting some action!

thanks for the report

[Carp-fisher]

I caught some carp last week. Light bite, but its on like donkey kong.

[WasteManagement]

I was out on the Miss at one of my thawed out crappie places.

Thought i was gettign light crappie bites until i finally yanked the rod enough to flip one to shore. Snagged a carp. A huge fight on light tackle. Not bad sized either. 4-5 my guess. Several more casts landed a few scales. Continued to cast in same location. Everytime i hit something that felt like a light bite. Never got a weed or stick. Was inly thee for 30 min or so and gave up they had to have been tons of fish.

Do carp huddle enough to create their own snag?

Was using mini crappie jigs. Would they hit corn or when they huddle are they for the most part shut down.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

Anyone know if carps moving along near Minnehaha?

[Stick500]

I was at Minnehaha mouth at the Miss about a week and a half ago- water is still low and nothing much happening for gamefish or roughfish there- didn't see any carp in the shallows or up the stream yet.

Caught my first for 2014 in the little ponds by the Bakken Museum (Calhoun). The carp were finning in the shallows there already. I never see any big ones in there though as that class must have been winter killed a while ago or something. All the carp in there seem to be around 20-inches, but fun on an ultralight.

Had to explain to another dopey teenager again why we like to let them go!

[JeremyCampbell]

Cool Stick 500.Glad to hear you found some.Not easy to find.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

THANKS Stick500! Going to try it this weekend!

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

Were they surfacing during the morning, afternoon or night?

[Stick500]

I saw them middle of the day- they weren't feeding on the surface but were rummaging around in the mud in the shallows and you could just barely see the tops of their fins at the surface since it was so shallow.

oh, and it was a warm, sunny day, too

[H0LE HOPPER]

Manage 3 on the croix all around same size, this was the biggest one. Girlfriend managed to hook a smaller sturgeon as we'll but jumped and shook out the hook this weekend more should move in.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

Hole Hopper---what kind of fish is that? Its a beaut!

Stick500---did not get the chance to go. Thanks for sharing the spot. I went to Hastings and Prescott. Both areas had redhorse.

Read on my FB feed that buffalo are schooling in Northfield by the dam. Might want to hit that up with the fly rod soon.

[mainbutter]

I think that's a greater redhorse, ctrl. Those golden scales and red coloration on the fins are just gorgeous!

[Cthulhu]

Close... it is a River Redhorse, and nice one at that. Not terribly common, protected as a threatened species in WI (as in can't even fish "for" them, whatever that means)

[Cthulhu]

The asymmetrical caudal lobes and the dorsal being grey/concave are give aways. As is the lack of distinct scale pockets. A scale count around the base of the caudal peduncle works too.

Both the Greater and River are the biggest Redhorses in the state, Silvers pretty close behind but they have a grey caudal fin.

[Slab_Supper]

Caught some suckers on pickled eggs down on the Cannon. Was by the woolen mills. Slurped them eggs down like it was their job! Cousin and I had a great time after we hit the St. Peter trout ponds.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

awesome! Beautiful fish! It is being added to my life list!

[JeremyCampbell]

Nice red horse.

The carp up here seem to get snagged more but had some hooked in the mouth.

[popriveter]

Fished at Hidden Falls with my kids a few days ago and managed just this one redhorse. Another fisherman I spoke with told me he'd been at it for awhile and had caught just one sucker as well.

Seems like the water temp has us a month behind.

[Stick500]

thanks for the report popriveter- I still haven't been able to connect with a sucker this season yet- hopefully they'll be coming alive real soon

[popriveter]

You're welcome. It sure was cold water down there. Hopefully, normal springtime action will begin soon.

[kerryd15]

water was 57 degrees this afternoon and the sheephead were quite active.

[GeluNumber1]

kerryd15, were you at Stillwater, or elsewhere? It's been far too long I've been without the tug of a drum on my line.