Northern Hog Sucker - ever Caught One?

[hogsucker]

Good to see a few of you interested in the hogsucker, one of my favorite fishes. I've found that good "hog water" usually consists of fast riffles and runs, and some loggy debris sweetens the spot. Look for them foraging in the riffles, and try to present an angleworm or very small crawler chunk to them, it's very cool to observe thier feeding behavior and watch them turn into a hard-charging pitbull when hooked. I've landed a couple that eclipsed the MN record, but they are still swimming around in southern MN and would now be true trophies. Good luck to any who chases the elusive northern hogsucker! ~hogsucker

[hogsucker]

Good to see a few of you interested in the hogsucker, one of my favorite fishes. I've found that good "hog water" usually consists of fast riffles and runs, and some loggy debris sweetens the spot. Look for them foraging in the riffles, and try to present an angleworm or very small crawler chunk to them, it's very cool to observe thier feeding behavior and watch them turn into a hard-charging pitbull when hooked. I've landed a couple that eclipsed the MN record, but they are still swimming around in southern MN and would now be true trophies. Good luck to any who chases the elusive northern hogsucker! ~hogsucker

[hogsucker]

Good to see a few of you interested in the hogsucker, one of my favorite fishes. I've found that good "hog water" usually consists of fast riffles and runs, and some loggy debris sweetens the spot. Look for them foraging in the riffles, and try to present an angleworm or very small crawler chunk to them, it's very cool to observe thier feeding behavior and watch them turn into a hard-charging pitbull when hooked. I've landed a couple that eclipsed the MN record, but they are still swimming around in southern MN and would now be true trophies. Good luck to any who chases the elusive northern hogsucker! ~hogsucker

[Jim W]

Gotta heavy finger???LOL

[big fishes]

the reason i make so many typing maskies is cause i type so **** fast

[big fishes]

what the hell is that supposed to mean "Big Jim, Fat Joe, rapala fishermanand big fish are the same person.
Just because we think the same doesnt mean we are the same person,
I dont saw hey everyone roughfisher panolo and hogsucker are the same person because they all think the same

[panolo]

You see that item in the right hand corner? Any mod can check your IP. An IP lets people know where you post from. Multiple names, same IP, equals same person.

[Hmong]

MODERATOR NOTE

*** Post edited. Play nice or don't waste our time ***

[ricqik]

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EDITED

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That's pretty lame dood. A true angler respects all fish, which, (he)hogsucker is. Nuff said.

[jonny_redhorse]

i agree with ricqik here ...i really hate to see anyone "put" another person down for simply fishing for a species that particular person doesn't like...and.......and....then i may add throw some "indignities" aimed at that person to only "rub one's nose in it"...some people apparently think the sun shines solely for themselves....some people have alot to learn about life.....life is good....this is a great and very informative forum.....i feel saddened by the indignities and levels people will go to just to get a "reaction"....and a reaction they got......takes all kinds to make the world go around....hog sucker...you're ok in my book......all species of fish were placed in these streams ,lakes and rivers.......equally....the excitement one gets when fighting a "fish " in general is something that that angler alone "feels"...i would never take that feeling away from any angler.no matter what species it is.......hogsucker or brook trout......doesn't matter.as long as the fishermen smiles after the fight....

[hanson]

I tell you what folks, fellow FM staff Dan Thiem had posted some photos earlier of the different sucker species he had caught on one of his outings. They intrigued me enough to run down and spend the day fishing with him. Yes, we were specifically fishing for suckers and it was alot of fun. We didn't catch many that day, in part due to the cold front I believe, but the ones we caught were very nice fish, all released. They put up a better fight than any walleye that I've tangled with.

This topic was idle for almost 8 months and then gets bounced to the top with a comment like that. I don't get it.

[Fish'n guy]

I am not much of a sucker fishrman (talent wise) but I have much respect for them and the people who fish for them because they aren't trying to get attention for the wrong reasons like you are.

I'm done...

Roughfisher, Would Hog suckers mainly be a Northern Minnesota fish or can they be caught in streams and rivers all around the state?I know that down here in the southern part of the state there are plenty of white suckers (I think???) and they are fun to catch when they start biting. I have caught some nice suckers before but not a northern hogsucker. Maybe luck will swing my way sometime or another !!!!!

GOOD FISHIN!!!!!!!!!!

[Roughfisher]

Despite the name, Northern Hog Suckers are most common in the Southern Rivers. I have caught them in the St. Croix, Root, Zumbro, and Cannon in Minnesota, and in the Red Cedar in Wisconsin. They are also found in the Mississippi, although not many (I have yet to catch one there).

Northern Hog Suckers like to live in fast, rocky water with a slightly broken surface. I refer to this kind of riffle as "Hog Water" because of this; it also adds a lot to the fight on light tackle, since hog suckers are very good at holding in current and using the flow to their advantage in a fight.

A float trip down the Root or Red Cedar is probably the best way to get acquainted with this fish.

You can also sight-fish them in certain waters, by wading carefully through riffles and trying to spot them. They are tough to see because of their awesome chameleon-like camoflauge ability, but you can sometimes see them when they move or extend their mouth. Fun stuff. I have a ton of respect for the Hog Sucker (more than for some of my friends) and would rather fish them than the traditional fish that are being fished by millions of people. I do kill and eat plenty of suckers but not Hog Suckers. Not sure why.

[Dan Thiem]

Mr. Roughfisher,

I have read many of your posts and I have seen your picture in other places than here. You have quite a reputation. Your knowledge is very helpful.

The suckers we have been getting have mostly been whites mixed with a few reds. So far this year my biggest is 22"+. It was a white.

Do you know why that on some of these whites the scales pattern is messed up on one side? I have only seen it on a couple of them. Maybe only two out of fifty.

And about the northern hog, I never even knew thats what they were called untill I met MURPHFISHER (FMer). He pointed it out to me. We have always just called them blacks. They are more popular in trout streams. The Zumbro is really hot right now. I bet I saw over fifty suckers coming through some shallow riffles.

I would like to invite you down for a trip some day if you want. Just send me an e-mail. kellythiem-at-aol-.com.

[Fish'n guy]

How would you go about fishing for suckers in the shallow fast water? Would you go with a jigging presentation or drifting a split-shot rig by them?

I usually fish the Cannon, and Minnesota river which as you said have hog suckers in them, but have never fished the fast water for them although I have noticed them (white suckers I believe) in these areas while I am walking the shoreline. Thanks for the help guys!!!!

GOOD FISHIN!!!!

[Roughfisher]

Dan - the messed-up scales is interesting. I have noticed it mostly on shorthead redhorse suckers and occasionally on white suckers. It's almost like the mirror-carp scale pattern, but on a fully-scaled fish. It seems to be getting more prevalent each year. My theory is it is caused by damage to the fish's skin when it is young, like being attacked by an osprey or a northern pike and somehow escaping. But I could be way off-base. The fish with this scale deformity seem to be very healthy otherwise, so I don't think it is a parasite or disease although it is possible it could be caused by lamprey damage as I see Northern Brook Lampreys attaching to them pretty often. But I have seen the same thing, in fact on redhorses I have caught so far this year I have seen quite a bit of it. Unfortunately no pics but I will take one the next time I see it.

Nice sucker BTW; 22" is huge for a white.

I'd love to fish out there with ya sometime, I have fished the Zumbro quite a bit and it is good Hog Water as well as dozens of other fish. I used to fish at Mac's a lot but have not been there for two years. I will be having a roughfishing contest at Eagle Cliffs between Whelan and Lanesboro on Saturday, Rich is the guy in charge. I will be hunting turkeys until Saturday east of there.

My email is [email protected] if you want to get in touch, but unfortunately I will be hanging out in the brush growing my facial hair on a farm near Hokah for the next week so I won't be on the internet.

[Roughfisher]

You can use a split-shot rig (works great) although the ideal presentation is a slinky rig if you know what that is - it's a steelheading rig made by stuffing a bunch of split shot into a hollow piece of parachute cord and burning the ends. You fish this as a sliding weight and it will catch in the rocks to hold your bait stationary, but will not get snagged up because the parachute cord is soft and does not catch on rock edges. It was designed for drifting baits for steelhead but it works great for fishing suckers in rocky water. You do want your bait stationary, so using a bigger weight that can hold its position in current is mandatory. When I was a kid I used to pound egg-sinkers flat on an anvil so they would hold better in the current, but nowadays I just use a bigger sinker and lose quite a few of them. Which is why slinky rigs are so great; they seldom get snagged up at all, no matter where you are fishing. I'm trying to create an extra-heavy slinky made from super-thick parachute cord and taconite pellets, but so far I haven't found any cord big enough that is cheap; climbing rope would work but it is expensive. I use half-ounce bell sinkers most of the time, but with thin line a few large split-shot should do. You might try a few feet past the riffle where the water just begins to deepen, a lot of time you can hold a bait there better than in the fastest water and you will still pick up loafing hogs there along with the weaker-water species like white suckers and walleye. It makes for a nice mix, with good eating and good fighting fish all together.

[Fish'n guy]

Thanks for the info Roughfisher!!!!!!!

[hip_hop_fisherman]

I don't know what the problem is with all them other guys but I love fishing suckers early spring waiting for opener. They put up on heck of a fight and it can't get any simpler (at least the way I fish them) just throw a hook on a big weight and let a chunk of crawler sit on the bottom until your rod tip starts moving. I wonder if they're still running around here?!?

[jonny_redhorse]

After reading these posts...i too have caught red horse suckers(short heads) with the "messed up" scale pattern.....but only the red horse species...interesting to know other parts of the midwest have the same situation...can't be genetic because the area these suckers are caught are obviously to far apart...so it's probably "environmental" in that some force has acted upon the individual fish....maybe from rubbing the rocks on the bottom from spawning or something....something that would "irritate the sides of the fish as it forms and grows.....just a theory i guess...... hey .i'm no fish biologist.lol!...i had some pics of one of these "messed up" short head red horse but for some reason i deleted them.....guess i shouldn't have done that ...

[Dan Thiem]

Jonny Redhorse,

The best way I can describe the pattern is about 1/4 to 1/2 of one side the scales are miss aligned. The lines or rows of sales gets off set and swirled. They don't appear to be loose and they don't fall off. It just seems like the grew that way. I don't know how to describe it any better but I will get a picture next time I catch one. I aint no bioligist either. I don't even play one on T.V.

I haven't seen any Reds with that just whites. I wonder whay that is.

I think it's great that this site is here so we can compare notes.

We still have a good run going down here.( S.E. Mn.) Lots of fun.

[jonny_redhorse]

Dan... your description of the scale placement fits the the description of the red-horse I catch to a "t"....maybe there's a fish biologist out there that has an answer to this "enigma".... calling all fish biologists!..lol!