WE HAVE MONSTER SUCKERS…… GET THEM WHILE THEY

LAST. THIS IS THE TIME FOR ALL YOU MUSKIE AND FAT CAT FISHERMAN.

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… FAT CAT FISHERMAN.

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Awe Jimmy no need to rub it into the cat guys, some are are as sensitve of their weight as they are their golf game…

Nick! I wanted to say that!

I’ve always had a devil of a time keeping them alive in 70 degree plus water. Under 70 no problem. Anybody have any tricks? When I fish them on a quick-strike they are no more than 3 or 4 ft under the bobber.

SteveO – You need to switch to bullheads. They are not sensitive to warm water, are active for hours when hooked, and you can keep them for days in a bucket with just easy water changes. You musky guys need to give them a shot – I bet you will find them as effective as suckers. But I’m not going to tell you where to find them – you are on your own there. I keep a 100 gallon stock tank with about 50 or so on hand all the time for those unexpected chances to go cat fishing. I use 7″ bullies for flatheads and chunk up the small ones for cut bait. They work great.

Lots of air helps alot! It reducess the stress of the transition. You need to let them adjust to the water temps as gradually as possible. I have my best luck when I get a bag of suckers. I put the bag in a 5gal pail of air temp water or as close to. This allows the water in the bag to gradually warm with plenty of O2 from the bubbler in the bag. I do this a few hours before I head out, time permitting.

You will always have a certain amount of attrition. Its usually between 15-40% depending on the water temps. The warmer the water the higher attrition rate.

You have to keep in mind that most bait shops keep thier water temps really cool to slow metabolism allowing for longer keeping on thier part. (think what happens to you when you go from 40-55F for a few days to a sauna, It would probably would be pretty nasty)

Also, don’t mix the suckers with other bait. Chubs or Bullies, something there. I havent figured out yet for sure (first inclination is there are too many fish and not enough O2). But the suckers will go down hill quick, but will make a recovery if you get them separated in thier own container, with lots of air. Also, when the water has warmed start gradually adding water from the body of water your fishing from. Again, you will have some that can’t hang with it. But those that make the cut in all likelyhood will do you good. (They can be a little bit of a chore, but it can be worth it)

C15 is right about the Bullies. They are much more hardy and don’t need the quantities of O2 to keep kicking.

Share your thoughts and experiences, lets shorten all of our learning curves.

thanks

Larry.

I felt bad for name calling the other day(my 1st post) ……I thought I would make up for it by tracking down some bullheads. We have a couple dozen and are working on getting some larger quantities. Hope this helps….