# Suckers



## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

Any showing up yet?


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Was thinking same thing


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## tcfishes (Oct 2, 2013)

I did not see any sign of them in flat rock yesterday


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

After the next few days of warm weather I would expect some movement


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

Bump


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## DonaldTrump (Feb 28, 2018)

There's a bunch in the belle river.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Warm rain on the way will do wonders


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## Lucky (Nov 19, 2002)

Tried for an hour yesterday...0! think its still a rain or few warm days away for the red horse.


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## Jflora (Oct 27, 2011)

I caught 2 last night in flat rock.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

The weather over the next few days should get things moving.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

Jflora said:


> I caught 2 last night in flat rock.


Were you targeting suckers or were they incidental catches?


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

2 for me yesterday Flint River should be good after this rain.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Sounds like it's time


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

My ditch out front is full of water I’m thinking by tommrow most the run off will have hit the main branches of the river. Looking at the forecast these 4 days may be it for suckers. Should be on like donkey Kong for 4 days atleast


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

Belle river in marine city, been here 3 weeks


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

snortwheeze said:


> Belle river in marine city, been here 3 weeks


My luck I would drive up to Marine City and get there just as the last one swims by.:lol:


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

Doubt it junkman, they'll be there for a bit..


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

I'm waiting for them to start showing up in the Huron down here.


snortwheeze said:


> Doubt it junkman, they'll be there for a bit..


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

I would bet that there would be fish starting to move on the Huron after yesterday's warm weather and warm rain.


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## jd4223 (Feb 12, 2012)

Mr Burgundy said:


> I would bet that there would be fish starting to move on the Huron after yesterday's warm weather and warm rain.


Fished the river today for 5 hours right below the foot bridge. Saw a guy across the other side catch a small steelhead(about 15inches),2 small walleye(about 12 inches),a small sucker(about 10inches),and a big shad(about 12inches). He was bottom bouncing using an orange yarn(egg)pattern. Then saw a guy float fishing just above the foot bridge across the river catch 2 steelhead(both small)using an orange bead. Talked to several guys about 100' down river from me who were casting a home made 1/16oz orange yarn jig on spinning rod and caught a small walleye. I didn't catch anything. Tried floating a jig with orange shrimp,fly fished black flies,bottom bounced an orange egg pattern. Nothing! Almost all the fish caught were across the river just below the foot bridge(several small suckers)bottom bouncing flies.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

Went down there one night last year and couldn't believe all the shad.You could not cast a line without snagging one.


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## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

junkman said:


> Went down there one night last year and couldn't believe all the shad.You could not cast a line without snagging one.



How big are these shad?


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

That was last year.12 inches and less I would have to say maybe a few over 12inches.


357Maximum said:


> How big are these shad?


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## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

junkman said:


> That was last year.12 inches and less I would have to say maybe a few over 12inches.



Cool, thanks I was just curious.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Sounds like the warm water helped things out. Tnks for the info gents


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## Diehard fisherman (Mar 4, 2015)

Wait. people target suckers?. Not meant to offend anyone but do you eat them or something?


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## Whitetail_hunter (Mar 14, 2012)

Real good smoked, some can them never done that though. They also make good cut bait for big cats.


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## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

Diehard fisherman said:


> Wait. people target suckers?. Not meant to offend anyone but do you eat them or something?


If you have never had a canned sucker patty or a smoked sucker you are truly missing out. If it wasn't for all them bones sucker would be a top shelf fish to eat. It really does have one of the best flavors of any Michigan fish, especially the redhorse suckers. I will score the fillet on them and fry them redhorses occasionally, mmmmmmmmmmm yummy, ya just gotta not be in a hurry when you eat that delicacy.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

357Maximum said:


> If you have never had a canned sucker patty or a smoked sucker you are truly missing out. If it wasn't for all them bones sucker would be a top shelf fish to eat. It really does have one of the best flavors of any Michigan fish, especially the redhorse suckers. I will score the fillet on them and fry them redhorses occasionally, mmmmmmmmmmm yummy, ya just gotta not be in a hurry when you eat that delicacy.


Sssshhhhhhhhh don't tell everybody.


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## DonaldTrump (Feb 28, 2018)

357Maximum said:


> If you have never had a canned sucker patty or a smoked sucker you are truly missing out. If it wasn't for all them bones sucker would be a top shelf fish to eat. It really does have one of the best flavors of any Michigan fish, especially the redhorse suckers. I will score the fillet on them and fry them redhorses occasionally, mmmmmmmmmmm yummy, ya just gotta not be in a hurry when you eat that delicacy.


Come on now. Are you trying to screw with people or do you really feel this way?


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## scooter_trasher (Sep 19, 2005)

DonaldTrump said:


> Come on now. Are you trying to screw with people or do you really feel this way?


suckers, white carp , buffalo are all table fare in Kentucky we used to run gill nets in the 60s & 70s for them in the Kentucky River and have big fish fry's for the whole town


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## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

DonaldTrump said:


> Come on now. Are you trying to screw with people or do you really feel this way?



I rarely say stuff I don't mean. Sucker meat is very good, but do not take my word for it. You will never believe me til you try it. There is enough suckers for everybody also, that's called a win/win.


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## Rikk (Jul 13, 2014)

357Maximum said:


> I rarely say stuff I don't mean. Sucker meat is very good, but do not take my word for it. You will never believe me til you try it. There is enough suckers for everybody also, that's called a win/win.


Been eating them my whole life. Smoked, fried and canned. Good stuff. Folks don't like to eat fish that aren't "pretty".... Ever take a good look an an oyster??? 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## hardwatersteve29 (Feb 28, 2015)

Diehard fisherman said:


> Wait. people target suckers?. Not meant to offend anyone but do you eat them or something?


You have never heard of the sucker fest on the rifle river in omer?? There was a point in time where this event was like a holiday, weekend full of catching a 100+ red horse suckers, we would smoke them and make sucker patties right on the river as we fished.

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## Rikk (Jul 13, 2014)

Grew up 3 miles from there. 

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## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

hardwatersteve29 said:


> You have never heard of the sucker fest on the rifle river in omer?? There was a point in time where this event was like a holiday, weekend full of catching a 100+ red horse suckers, we would smoke them and make sucker patties right on the river as we fished.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


There WAS a time it was like a holiday!? Yeahhhh, every freaking year!

Town has already doubled.

The party never stopped, it was just the cops harassing everyone for a few years that cut it way back. It is getting better again.


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## Rikk (Jul 13, 2014)

That and the lawsuit from the rope crossing competition. That kinda hurt too. 

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## hardwatersteve29 (Feb 28, 2015)

jiggin is livin said:


> There WAS a time it was like a holiday!? Yeahhhh, every freaking year!
> 
> Town has already doubled.
> 
> The party never stopped, it was just the cops harassing everyone for a few years that cut it way back. It is getting better again.


Yeah I haven't gone in a few years because of that, me and the crew will be setting up sucker camp 2018 next Thursday can't ******* wait!!

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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

357Maximum said:


> I rarely say stuff I don't mean. Sucker meat is very good, but do not take my word for it. You will never believe me til you try it. There is enough suckers for everybody also, that's called a win/win.


I read some where that DNR considers suckers the most underutilized food fish in the Great Lakes. I would imagine if they came out of a deep, clear, and cold lake like crystal in Benzie co. They would be phenomenal.


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## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

mbirdsley said:


> I read some where that DNR considers suckers the most underutilized food fish in the Great Lakes. I would imagine if they came out of a deep, clear, and cold lake like crystal in Benzie co. They would be phenomenal.



They just taste good regardles, and like I said if it wasn't for the bones and their looks they would be on a lot more plates. Too many people get tied up over little details I guess. I catch most of mine where one can accidentally catch a steelhead though. Sometimes it is hard keeping them stupid overgrown trout off your hook while you fish for good eating fish ya know. WINK


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

I always just threw them back. Where we caught them the water was very fast and they put up a good fight. Everyone said they were no good to eat so I never tried them. I think a lot of the suckers you got for bait way back then was what we called a stone roller. I wonder how they got that name as it seems to be used in a wide area from reading on here.


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## capper (Sep 3, 2015)

Scout 2 said:


> I always just threw them back. Where we caught them the water was very fast and they put up a good fight. Everyone said they were no good to eat so I never tried them. I think a lot of the suckers you got for bait way back then was what we called a stone roller. I wonder how they got that name as it seems to be used in a wide area from reading on here.[/QUOTE
> I think the name comes from the rather large mounds of pebbles that they build up for their spawning nest. I have seen them many times in shallower clear water streams.


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Scout 2 said:


> I always just threw them back. Where we caught them the water was very fast and they put up a good fight. Everyone said they were no good to eat so I never tried them. I think a lot of the suckers you got for bait way back then was what we called a stone roller. I wonder how they got that name as it seems to be used in a wide area from reading on here.


Well I was reading and apparently they root around and turn stones over in the riffles looking for invertebrates and other small animals to eat. 

So I guess back in the day somebody looked down in the creek and saw them Rolling Stones around to either eat or to spawn and thus came up with the name stone rollers. This was pre-Internet of course.


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## Dtb810 (Mar 3, 2017)

Checked a bunch of thumb streams tonight didn't see one fish. 
Come on spring!


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Apparently the Alpena Fish and wild life conservancy knows where the suckers are. They tagged a bunch of them along with some walleye and Mr. Northern in middle. You think that northern is thinking “mmmmm sucker snacks if I get out of this ”. I think I see a stone roller in there at the bottom of the pic.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

mbirdsley said:


> View attachment 306672
> 
> 
> Apparently the Alpena Fish and wild life conservancy knows where the suckers are. They tagged a bunch of them along with some walleye and Mr. Northern in middle. You think that northern is thinking “mmmmm sucker snacks if I get out of this ”. I think I see a stone roller in there at the bottom of the pic.


If you look closely, there’s a few pike in there and a couple Wally’s. Cool pic.


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## Ken Martin (Sep 30, 2003)

April 7, 2018

Let the redhorse go and kept the whites for smoking.


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## mud (Feb 8, 2006)

are the whites as bony as the reds? never caught a white one


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## Cheye (Dec 9, 2016)

Are the suckers running downstate? I was out about a month ago in north west Mich and got a few whites and a couple reds. I thought the run was almost over?


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## Dtb810 (Mar 3, 2017)

I haven't seen enough to spear yet. Still waiting for the big run. This weird weather they have been trickling in.


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## Dtb810 (Mar 3, 2017)

Went out in the thumb last night. Didn't see one. 
When will they show up? 

Guess I'll miss the run this year. Boat Finnaly gets put in the water Friday.


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## Dtb810 (Mar 3, 2017)

Found Suckers in the Thumb creeks on Saturday. Four guys and we speared 30 of them. Smokers full.


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## mcmich (Jun 30, 2012)

Saw a bunch in the upper branch of the Clinton River when I was out hiking a few days ago. They had a pretty large bed going on.


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