# Are the suckers running in southeast michigan



## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

I've seen that people are starting to catch suckers on other threads, and with the recent temperature spike, I'm curious if the suckers have started running in southeast Michigan. I'm specifically wondering if they can be caught in the Clinton River spillway, but any general information would also be greatly appreciated.


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

Spillway is loaded with smaller scaled suckers. Not the big redhorse. Belle river is thick with them now


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

snortwheeze said:


> Spillway is loaded with smaller scaled suckers. Not the big redhorse. Belle river is thick with them now


smaller-scaled suckers are like the white suckers right?


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## Wild Earth (Nov 8, 2019)

I've yet to be very successful sucker fishing, but I get out a time or two each year. Would really love a bunch to can. Maybe I'm not going to the right spots or rigging right. Somehow I catch more sucker jigging walleye in the DR than when Im actually targeting them. 

Is all this rain going to make things too muddy or the water too high for a little bit, or is that not really a problem?


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## Wild Earth (Nov 8, 2019)

Also, a seems like there's not a ton off access on the Belle. Never fished it. Are there any dams or can the fish make it all the way up by imlay city?


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

Wild Earth said:


> I've yet to be very successful sucker fishing, but I get out a time or two each year. Would really love a bunch to can. Maybe I'm not going to the right spots or rigging right. Somehow I catch more sucker jigging walleye in the DR than when Im actually targeting them.
> 
> Is all this rain going to make things too muddy or the water too high for a little bit, or is that not really a problem?


I have yet to ever catch even a single sucker so my opinion is practically worthless, but from what I've read online they tend to wait till rain before they start heading upstream. I do know that some people catch them with flies so they are at least somewhat visual feeders. Though I don't think that really factors in if you're using natural baits. From what you've seen are the suckers done staging in belle and begun moving upriver?


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

There are a lot more of a run on the Black River with a lot of access on the lower parts and some on the mid parts. Once you get the upper before the dam were access begins again then the run is not as heavy.


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

Chessieman said:


> There are a lot more of a run on the Black River with a lot of access on the lower parts and some on the mid parts. Once you get the upper before the dam were access begins again then the run is not as heavy.


Thanks for the info. Can they still be found near the mouth of the river or are they all further upstream at this point?


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

Upstream is were you want to go, right now if the Bell has Redhorse Black would also. I would wait for the Whites which seem better for canning. Try PH Twp parks at Strawberry or Beach roads. The water is coming down pretty strong now with the farm tiles letting loose.


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## Wild Earth (Nov 8, 2019)

Thank you for that tip! Maybe I'll try next week or the following if the rain slows down a bit. Its quite a ways out from me. Perhaps I'll make a long day of it and hit the wall in PH in the morning and evening, and the black during the day. 

Do the sucker hit pretty much all day or is it also a morning/night bite?


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

All day, it seems to slow during the dark. If you are fishing the Wall you should just rig up your third rod for Suckers.


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## reddog1 (Jan 24, 2009)

As a kid up on Drummond, the redhorse suckers would run up the Potaganasing River. They would congregate just below the damn. We would put hip waders on and catch them by hand. When we had a 5 gallon bucket full we would stop. My dad would clean them, put them in brine for 12 hours then smoke them. I always looked forward to the spring sucker run.


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## CaughtMoreCatfishOnTinder (Oct 2, 2019)

After all this rain i'd expect them to start coming up in force. Most rivers are chocolate milk now.


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

CaughtMoreCatfishOnTinder said:


> After all this rain i'd expect them to start coming up in force. Most rivers are chocolate milk now.


Belle was flowing good other day. Lotta suckers but a lot of debri as well. Can only imagine after rain probably a mess..


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

Not heavy rain on the lower 30 miles of the Black but Mill creek was in the heavy rain.


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

With the current conditions would it be a good idea to try and hit the spillway this weekend?


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## TroutFishingBear (Aug 31, 2007)

Water will be high everywhere and tough imo.

for optimal days, drift worms in deep pools with Sandy bottoms. Easy to get suckers that way.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Remember; whites run first, then long nose, and lastly red horse. Deep pools and slow, inside sand flats with a whole crawler still fished on bottom will get real biters. Red horse tend to like a slow drifted bait more and can fight really hard.


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

Guess I'll wait it out one more week then.


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

Black River is high and a little less than flood stage all the way up. Be great and fast canoeing up there!


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

For those who keep red horse suckers, is there an easy way to tell between the threatened river redhorse and the other species? Because from what I've seen online it just seems like a nightmare to try and identify them.


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## Levelpebble Angler (Jan 21, 2021)

A lot of suckers in Flat Rock right now. I was bank fishing this morning and seen at least a dozen break surface. One was less than 10ft in front of me, dam thing startled me.


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

Went to flat rock today and saw a lot of fish jumping but not so sure they where suckers. There was a really big shad flouting at the bank and I think i saw a spot on one of the jumpers. Hooked onto a carp and caught some sunfish but thats about it


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## Ryan0988 (Mar 19, 2021)

How long does the run usually last? I'm thinking of giving it one more shot next weekend before calling it quits on the suckers this year.


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Ryan0988 said:


> For those who keep red horse suckers, is there an easy way to tell between the threatened river redhorse and the other species? Because from what I've seen online it just seems like a nightmare to try and identify them.


River red horses are a darker main body color and there fins especially the tails are bright bright red/orange 


Random pick off the net 











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Whales (Sep 17, 2018)

Guys at work have been doing well for suckers in the Clinton for a week or two now. I don't fish for them.


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