Suckers

I hit a Connecticut freestone for a few hours during a brief break in the wind and cold. I landed some fish, and the hardest-fighting one of all was this one.
 


 

It’s a sucker fish and was about 14″. For a moment, I thought I had on a big brown. I mean, this fish just would not give up.

I don’t have much experience with such fish, since I don’t target them. I did notice last year that they seem to spawn in the spring, and, therefore, are traversing the rivers. I only see these fish during the early spring.

Does anyone have a lot of experience with this fish? Do they spawn in the spring? Thanks!

477 views

7 thoughts on “Suckers

  1. These guys do spawn in the spring as others have mentioned. Suckers don’t build redds or nests but are broadcast spawners and simply cast their eggs along the bottom of the stream. Sucker spawn is a seasonally abundant food source for many fish including trout. In some places – Rapid River in Maine I believe – the sucker spawn “hatch” is famous and a time of incredible fishing!

  2. Old thread, but I found it trying to identify the fish I was seeing on the Squannacook yesterday. I figured they were suckers, given their size and behavior, but I was mystified by their dark coloration. I’m used to seeing white suckers (when I’ve caught them). Presumably spawning colors? This photo looks much more like what I was seeing. Wish I’d known what I know now–might have been able to catch one with a scud or something like that. Some of them were BIG, like 16 inches.

    1. Great call, David. I think the dark color does mean spawning. The ones I’ve seen have been in the spring as well, and they’re dark. I’ve only caught a few in my angling career. But, man, those fish can pull.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *