Six Sucker Species (6 pics)

[Tyler Holm]

A couple days ago I braved the current at one of our local rivers and was rewarded with one after another action. 1/3-1/2 crawler on the bottom. 1oz weight, 6” leader, #6 hook.

The spawn has started. Fish were spashing in the shallows consistently. Caught a few where I reeled them up to shore and they had a partner follow them all the way to shore.

Caught maybe 10 golden redhorse, 1 shorthead redhorse, 2 silver redhorse, 3 white sucker, 1 carp, and 1 river carpsucker. No pesty fish today.

Golden Redhorse

Shorthead Redhorse (tough to see the red tail, but it was rosey)

Silver Redhorse

White Sucker

Carp

River Carpsucker (1st ever)

Bottom fishing this time of year rocks. Grab a light action rod and treat yourself to some fast action sucker fishing.

[Flaco651]

Nice fish Tyler!

 Quote:

Bottom fishing this time of year rocks. Grab a light action rod and treat yourself to some fast action sucker fishing.

You got that right. So far this spring, this is how I've spent a lot of my fishing time.

[Muddog]

You can't beat that Dam fishing, I mean fishing by dams this time of year. With the choice of Gills in Oz or Carp/Suckers in lbs. It's a no brainer.

It looks like you had a fishing Smorgasbord.

[crazyice]

I recognize the local!! Can't hide from me there Holmer!!

[Ralph Wiggum]

 Originally Posted By: crazyice

I recognize the local!! Can't hide from me there Holmer!!

As do I. Wish I woulda known about that when I lived there...

[DEADhead]

sounds like you had a great day on the water Ty. Nice going! Did the carpsucker have a nipple on the mouth? Or is that the same fish that you weren't sure about being a river or quillback? Either way well done!

[mainbutter]

"1/3-1/2 crawler on the bottom. 1oz weight, 6” leader, #6 hook."

I've always wondered.. why do you use leaders when you're not fishing for toothy fish? That's the only time I have ever used leaders, but then again everywhere that I've done non-toothy fishing has obviously NOT needed leaders.

[huntnfishsd]

Nice fish Holmer! Looks like a lot of fun!

[Ralph Wiggum]

 Originally Posted By: mainbutter

I've always wondered.. why do you use leaders when you're not fishing for toothy fish? That's the only time I have ever used leaders, but then again everywhere that I've done non-toothy fishing has obviously NOT needed leaders.

He's not referring to a leader in that sense. Just the section of line between the sinker and hook.

[Tyler Holm]

 Originally Posted By: Ralph Wiggum

 Originally Posted By: mainbutter

I've always wondered.. why do you use leaders when you're not fishing for toothy fish? That's the only time I have ever used leaders, but then again everywhere that I've done non-toothy fishing has obviously NOT needed leaders.

He's not referring to a leader in that sense. Just the section of line between the sinker and hook.

Correct. I prefer a little longer leader, but with the current rockin the way it has been I shorten it up so the baits not jumping around all over the place.

Deadhead,

That was the same fish I was unsure about. I honestly didn't know what to check for, so I never really paid attention to the mouth part, nor did I get a photo of it. I saw literally hundreds of fish that looked just like the one I caught and none of them had the super tall quill that the quillbacks have.

[Grant Pearson]

nice fish!

[Rugbyguy]

Nice work Tyler! A lot of fun cranking in a fish not knowing what's going to be on the other end.

[pumpkinfisher]

Nice Catch there Tyler. Hope I get some like that on the root this weekend.

Ag

[DEADhead]

Ty, many of the quillbacks I've caught up here don't have the long dorsal spine, and look more like river carpsuckers. Unless someone did some stocking, the only carpsucker species present in the red river drainage is the quillback.

 Originally Posted By: mainbutter

I've always wondered.. why do you use leaders when you're not fishing for toothy fish?

I'll use a leader on non-toothy fish, if they are real line shy, especially in crystal clear water. I tie on a fluorocarbon leader for reduced visibility.

[Tyler Holm]

 Originally Posted By: DEADhead

Ty, many of the quillbacks I've caught up here don't have the long dorsal spine, and look more like river carpsuckers. Unless someone did some stocking, the only carpsucker species present in the red river drainage is the quillback.

So are you thinking it's a quillback? I'm not sure what consists of the red river drainage, but I was fishing the Zumbro River near Rochester. I recall a post (from way back) from one of the Greving brothers that my area has many carpsuckers. I'd love to have a confirmed species, but I kinda dropped the ball by now looking at the mouth more closely.

[DEADhead]

I assume you hooked the fish in the mouth. When you pulled the hook out, if it was a river carpsucker, you likely would have noticed a nipple on the lower lip. I don't know of many other fish that have that feature, so it likely would have stuck in your mind that something was different. But the snout and mouth of the fish in your photo looks more like a river, same with the dorsal fin.

I think my fish look more like rivers, since the dorsal fins aren't as long as some of the other quillback photos I've seen. My reference points are therefore skewed. But I did not notice any nipple bump on the mouths of these fish. And of all the fish surveys in the region, quillback are the only carpsucker species that have been sampled in the Red R drainage. So using deductive reasoning, I determine the fish I caught were quillbacks, even if the dorsal fins don't match. I wish I had caught a river carpsucker before, so that I'd have a fair reference to compare too.

FYI the Red River drainage consists of the Red River (duh), and major tributaries like the Otter Tail, Bois de Sioux, Red Lake River, both Wild Rices, and Buffalo. They eventually drain into the Hudson Bay. As you know, the Zumbro is in the Mississippi drainage.

[Tyler Holm]

I'm rethinking my river carpsucker guess above. I went this morning and caught another fish identical to the fish above. It did NOT have the nipple, so it was a quillback. I'm guessing the fish above was a quillback as well. I'll put pics up in a day or so.

In any case, this was my first (and now 2nd) ever quillback, so that's cool for me.

[DEADhead]

good deal. It's amazing how different species of fish can look so similar to each other. It's always good to know the distinguishing characteristics of fish to be able to undoubtedly identify a certain fish species, like the nipple protrusion, or a fin ray count. Color or fin length aren't always fool-proof.

so, congratulations on your first two quillback!

[DEADhead]

I was just thinking.... good thing suckers species don't hybridize!

[Tyler Holm]

[huntnfishsd]

Nice fish Holmer and congrats!

[Shack]

There is some good info in this thread.

Thanks guys

Quillback, I got to put that one my list.