who’s the SUCKER

My grandfather visited me this weekend. (83 years old) and he still takes his boat out on the (rock) river down south….., anyway he told me that he wanted to due some catfishing and have some fillets to take home….

I thought great, I just need to get some suckers or creek chubs…. the problem was I had NO time….. I have never actually bought catfish baite before, so I called up dirk (catpartner) and he had a bunch of suckers left over from the ftr cat tourney ….

He said go ahead and take them…. well I started to feel bad and thought I am not going to take the last of his baite so I went to the baite store in hasting’s ………..

large suckers please….. I asked how much, the lady explained 1.50 a piece…… and these were no LARGE suckers.. I thought [censored] just give me those dead ones I can’t see paying that much…… 1.00 a piece for the dead ones…… what! 1.00 for a dead 4 inch sucker? Yep, she say’s ….. well give me about 8 live ones then ….. she gave me 8 suckers that turned belly up in two hours I should have bought the dead ones…… to make a long story short….. CATCH YOUR OWN SUCKERS….. those suckers were iether made of gold or your baite distributer is bending you over,,,,, because four seasons sells 6inch suckers for 60 or 80 cents…….. you guys have a super shop and that is my only complaint because it seems the rest of your stuff is priced pretty well…….. I blame myself for bieng in the predicament of having to buy biate…. but 1.50 seems kinda high…..hate to [censored], well, I actually I enjoy to once in awhile but I know you guys donated a lot of prizes to the ftr get together so I don’t feel bad paying for the gold suckers,,,

if they are gold… bet they cast well and sit on the botton good too!!!

I agree that at times bait prices can get out of control. I have paid $5/doz for red tail chubs and over $23/lb for jumbo leeches on weekend trips up north. I dont have the time to get my own bait. Problem is, every time I have gotten cheap on bait and settled for less, I end up regretting it. $50/night for a cabin, $30 gas each way, $25-50/day for food and booze, boat gas, oil, dock fees, cleaning fees, multiple fee fees, etc etc etc. So the way I see it, for a day or weekend of fishing an extra $10 or $20 for bait is a wise investment. I havent seen too many bait store owners buying Cadillacs and Porsches.

I understand where you are coming from though Mavzer. We get used to paying what we have always paid. Sometimes the sticker shock it tough to take. Just offering my opinion on how I justify paying whatever it takes to get some fish or at least not have any excuses for not getting them.

I’ve always purchased suckers at the bait store, but I’m going to try to catch my own now. I used to pay about 80 cents a sucker. This year it’s a $1.50. It’s gets spendy if you go out a lot. So Mavzer, how do you keep your suckers alive? Do you have a tank in the garage or something? I’d like to set something up like that. Do you net them or fish for them? I’m going to try fishing for them. That’d be fun anyway. There’s a creek near me with suckers, chubs and bullheads. Vern

I have a cow tank that I use to put suckers in and they last a pretty good while….. anyway… you can buy these portable airator deals that work super,,,,you can ask Dirk about it he has a couple …. i have been trying to steal one from him for a long time…..

I use the Min-O-Aire System from Memphis Net and Twine, http://www.memphisnet.net, and it works great. There number is 1-888-674-7638. Its a plug in system that will keep your bait alive and happy for months if you just keep your water in good shape, i.e.change it daily. Its about 45 $. I keep my bait in a large cooler.

If you catch your own bait try to handle it the least amount possible to avoid damaging the slime coat. I dont even touch my bait until it goes on the hook for catfishing. I remove the hook from the chub or sucker with a forcep that I keep clipped to my clothing. Grabbing the bait can damage it. They get bacteria/virus blotches on their skin, and when they do they dont last long.

For chubs I use a #16 hook with a split shot and a piece of crawler. For suckers you can go with a bit larger hook but the #16 works fine.

Hey! Thanks a lot for the info fellas. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been using a Frabill Aqua-Life aerator in the boat. It fits on a 5 gallon pale. It’s been working great. Vern

Mavz,

I talked with Dan, and there may have been a little mis-understanding there with that particular employee. Dan, Rand, and Kris have been doing a tremendous job trying to keep all of us in bait this year. The sucker situation, especially BIG suckers has been tough. The death of Vern Winkler (Bait supplier) has forced these guys into a new bait distributor. Plus, with all the excitement about cats this year, the sucker supply goes in a hurry. Please give these guys the benifet of the doubt, and give them a call. I am sure that they will do right by you. They always have for me!

Tuck

I understand, like I said they seemed to donate a lot to the ftr gettogether,,, and I didn’t mind paying the price….. it is my own fault for not finding time to catch my own baite

At a buck fifty you got a deal.I think I am the sucker.tonite I paid 24 bucks for a dozen half dead suckers.I have had a tough time finding chubs this year so I just broke down and bought some bait.WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.It is worth every effort to get some fresh wild bait.Some thing that will kick for awhile not just sit on the bottom and die.