Spearing Spring Suckers

[minky]

Anyone spear spring suckers? Any tips or tricks to it? Is it allowed to spear after dark with a light? Do you smoke the suckers or make fish patties?

[smurfy]

I don't personally but have a friend up in Itasca county where his kid does. they can it and he says its like a tuna spread. its good smoked but bones galore. I've also had pickled sucker and no bad!!!!!

[Mike89]

I think suckers are better smoked than carp........

[delcecchi]

17 hours ago, minky said:

Anyone spear spring suckers? Any tips or tricks to it? Is it allowed to spear after dark with a light? Do you smoke the suckers or make fish patties?

Looking at the regs... page 66.   My reading is no spearing after dark.  bowfishing after dark is allowed.   

 

I would think the problem with smoking is that id doesn't solve the bone problem.   Grinding or pickling would.   Never done either so that just an opinion.   

[minky]

Thanks for the input. I have caught a few in the spring before. I smoked them and they were ok, maybe I need to try some other recipes. I really would like to make the fish patties.

[pushbutton]

When the kid was young we used to net them, it was a blast running around in the streams. If you pressure cook them at 11lbs for 100 minutes or so, you can "get rid of" the bones, and did taste very good. Can also do a light smoke  before canning.  Tried scoring the fillets and deep frying as well as grinding them up for patties .......to "get rid of" the bones....... but still were a little bony.  

[tacklejunkie]

I’ve always smoked them. When I was a kid, the creek that runs out of Pike Lake through the golf course had a decent run but I haven’t done that in years so I don’t know if it still does

[minky]

Thanks guys, looks like I need to give it a try!

[bobbymalone]

Back home in Mizzura there was a little town that had a sucker festival on the spring.  

 

They get scaled, fileted with the skin on and then the meat is scored.  Then they are breaded and into the deep fryer.  Apparently the scoring lets the hot oil dissolve the bones and it gives deep fried sucker a distinct look.

 

I thought they were pretty decent.  Once you deep fry the heck out of something it just tastes like deep fry though.