Anyone else getting forward to the run? Got to be pretty close now, changed the reel over to 6lb fluorocarbon, got a bunch of egg sinkers, lots of different style hooks to experiment with. Sitting along the bank with a cold one waiting for the tappity tappity sounds wonderful. 
Out trout fishing they r stacked up tight in a few holes I seen. More suckers than trout .
I am ready to hit the spot by the dam. I might even go next weekend. The window is tight where I’ll catch them first and the the bass, walleye, drum and cats start moving in.
By the way I know there are a few of us that talk about the area and I wouldn’t mind company as long as I am not blamed for the result.
Get your ultra lights and circle hooks ready! I’m ready for those colorful little peckers.
I just called the DNR officer in Clayton county yesterday and he said the sucker contest is the 3rd of May in Elkader, but were going the last week of April if the water warms up enough. He said from what hes seen in the woods everything about 2 weeks behind, just gives me a reason to go twice, once to test the water for fish and the other to fish. They catch thousands of pounds of suckers when they run, don’t fight hard but they are fun.
Always preferred the east bank of the river for spring sucker fishing. Got more than my share of red faces having that setting sun beat down on me while waiting for the rod tip to start moving. Spring cats on cut sucker go well when the sun goes down. Make sure to tie those rods off.
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Always preferred the east bank of the river for spring sucker fishing. Got more than my share of red faces having that setting sun beat down on me while waiting for the rod tip to start moving. Spring cats on cut sucker go well when the sun goes down. Make sure to tie those rods off.
I wised up on that one fishing with the kids one day. Didn’t lose a pole but very close, just went out and bought a think a 1 1/4″ plastic piping about 2′ long and cut one end at a 45degree angle that usually digs into wherever I’m fishing. Handle slides in nice and snug, works out pretty good for a few bucks.
Talking about tieing off rods so they don’t end up in the drink.
Me and another guy set dittypoles for channels and seen a very nice log jam next to deep water. Beside this deep water was a shallow water area where the channels spawn.
This logjam was better then most around, and right next to the jam was about 15 feet of water so we knew there was a better then 75% chance big flatheads frequented this jam. We had a nice long dittypole on the boat, bigger then we needed for channels and was about an inch and a half at the base and maybe 10′ too 12′ long. It was freshly made a few days before so it was good and limber plus it had backbone.
We got right up in that logjam and seen a spot where the water came up from under the jam into about 4′ then 3′, then 2′ of water, then tapered off for another 4′ or 5′ into very shallow water. A guy couldn’t see this spot if you were 100′ off this logjam out in the river, so that’s why we went right in looking to see what the jam had to offer.
WE knew this was the spot in the logjam and was the best place to set this big dittypole. The guy I was with put the nose of the boat on shore and gave her the guns as I pushed as hard as I could, pushing this big dittypole back into fairly solid ground, Id bet it went back in 2′ too 2 1/2′ of solid good bank hitting a few roots on the way back in, enough anyway we knew it would be enough for a 30 lb’er. This section of river is loaded with 30 lb’ers and that’s about what we expected the next day.
We came back the next day and took off all the channels on our other poles and went to this last pole. We got to where it was at and made one double take after another, and it was gone. We looked in the water hopeing we could see part of it or it being snagged on something, but it was completely gone.
The power of this fish had to be amazing not only because it had the strength to pull this large dittypole out from solid bank but it wore a 6″ to 8″ groove down into the gound below where the pole was pushed in at a 45 degree angle. This fish worked all night pulling hard, enough to wear this groove into fairly solid bank dirt. We were pretty dismayed knowing this was a way better then average fish. The guy and me that I was with had said the night before that this is the prime, ideal spot in this logjam and was it necessary to tie the end off to the roots that were right there, a 2′ piece of heavy dittypole line would have done the trick.
But NOOOO we didn’t do it. I know this flathead was hands above a 30lb’er and the kind that breaks 5 and 6 ot. hooks just because they can. The moral of the story is tie your poles off, then there will be more of a story to tell.
Always liked the banks at Lock park on east river road for spring sucker fishing. That sun shines down on them pretty nice in the evenings. Used corn and bites of night crawlers a lot for the red horse. Seem to remember having pretty good luck on wax worms to.
I think Doug DFresh would know about that area in recent years. We did have a lot of fun with the carp when I was a kid, but that was close to 35 years ago.
I fished it a few times fairly recently, but the timing wasn’t good. I know you can catch a lot of carp still at the Loch lake “dam”.
Just to keep this post warm when Roland and I go to Elkader I’ll get some pictures and post them. Theres dozens of people fishing the banks and its a small town bet, everyone looking at eachother trying to read the local language, trying to see whos going to get the biggest. I watch and see whos catching what but not concerned with the betting process like the locals are but its still fun catching one after another even though their suckers,,,,, white suckers a fish with no fame but alot of game is what I go for.
Isnt there a suck contest on one of the SW mn streams in the spring time. Remember seeing it on TV. MN outdoors or something like that. Looked like a fun time.
I thought that was something Outdoors4Life was involved with, if I am thinking the same thing. I do remember what you are talking about. Maybe it was a feature on Minnesota Bound or Due North? I don’t know, it’s just a vague memory to me.
There is one on the Zumbro River. DT fishes this one all the time, but I haven’t seen him on IDO in quite some time.
Triple from today on the miss.
Your pics are making a guy go crazy, nice fish. The bossman just told me I have the day off tomm.,yet the wife thinks I’m working, how am I going to sneak out the rods and tackle into the work van 
We actually had a slow day tell we found are last spot. Multiple doubles and one triple. We had 47° temps on the one creek we took the boat up and 41° on the main river. When left that spot you could see the school of suckers on the SI which Gf thought was awesome.
Well now that I’m living in the north metro tried a new area this evening. Nothing on waxies and crawlers, tried for some pannies got a smallie, then come sunset and they started surfacing absolutely everywhere. Lil monkeybutts, just to tease me. By that point was pretty frozen and left, next warm up they are mine.
Got a good run going right now. Get your crawlers and have some fun with the pressure dropping and sun shining.
I’ve been interrupted 3x with 3 fish in writing this. 
Wish I could have stayed but bet the evening bite is gonna be awesome. 
That looks like fun.
That does it. I got Friday off, so I am trying the old sucker tax hole. They are always there around April 15th.
Really fished most of the day and caught them all day, but really when the sun got high and I could feel the warmth on my bibs is when they turned on big time about 130-2. Now that I’m in champlin tried a spot north of the dam and completely impressed with average size, 3-5# and healthy too. All suckers though, south of the dam was kind of nice to pick up the smorgasbord of sheepies, buffalo, carp, and suckers.
Tried a few different hooks and leaders, etc. Best setup was 1/4oz egg, no shorter than 10″ leader to #6 plain colored hook, very important the feeder I was on was quite clear and I started off with 6-8″ lead with little luck, lengthened it out and had much better success, I ended up about 12-14″. Also when threading the worm on, thread it half way through worm, then have a good tag end left of line on hook, and completely pull crawler all the way through the hook, so half the worm is on your line. It completely exposes your hook and to be quite honest once I figured it out, and as long as you give it adequate time to nibble, hookups were about 9 for 10. And that was just the last hour.
Tomm. I’m buying one of those of handheld trout nets. Had 4 do the ol sucker dance trying to get on shore and big things can’t wrap your hands around the freaking heads so they slip and slide everywhere and got off. Plus think its easier on them not to be catapulted on shore so I can try to grab them before they flop back in.
I have my setup that I use that I’ve talked about before. UL with a circle hook. I let them nibble until it is obvious they are hooked.
There is a short window where most if not all the fish I catch at the spot are suckers. Then as soon as a week later I’ll catch everything. Once summer comes and the water is down I can’t catch squat there.
I got out for a few hrs after we did the family thing. The suckers where still going on the Mississippi where I found them last weekend.
Saturday morning was surprisingly good for us too. Took my 5yr old and she caught one before I even got mine in. Got about a dozen in couple hours, all silvers and Golden’s, no pretty reds. The bite is super weird, you’ll see your rod tip tap tap, then nothing, and it can sit there for 5-10min until you start to pull in and they are on it, they just camp after the initial chew, crazy. They liked the butt of the crawler that day. Tried to get a pic of her with one but she didn’t have the fish grip and they were all slimy 
I got blanked at my spot. With the river up the creek wasn’t flowing in and it was stagnant. Not even a nibble. I think I might be fishing on the other side of the river from where your pictures were taken?
We found a few up the creek across the river from this spot last weekend. There was a few people fishing the mouth yesterday so we didn’t go up the creek and try again.
We went to Elkader this morning and looked at the spot where we fished last time and the water was too high and swift. We went down river and found a clear creek about 25 ft wide that was slowly flowing out from a big culvert, hardly any water moving in the creek at all. I could see the bottom in 2′ of water on this side and couldn’t on the other so we fished the deeper area and that’s where they were. They were in this deeper water right at the mouth of the creek where it entered the Turkey river. We started at about 9:00 and as the sun came up more they hit more solid and fought better.
The three of us, my boy and his wife just sat there in the sun and caught Redhorse and suckers, the suckers were big enough to pull drag on 6 lb. test and went maybe 3 1/2 lbs., thats a decent fish for a white sucker. We filled 2-5 gal. buckets in an hour and a half. Even though its simple fishing its still alot of fun. Some hit good and you had to grab your pole, some hit so light you had to pull on your line lightly to see if there was anything on the other end, and there was a few times. Had a good day and probably will go next weekend too. The Redhorse I’m going to soak them in water for three days outside after I cut them up into bait size pieces for catfish cutbait and then freeze. Were going to eat the suckers but both are good for canning. There’s a pretty fair bite going on right now In the Elkader area but finding slower water I think is the key. I think 3 or 4 people could fill a garbage can in a full days of fishing if they fished from early to late. By next weekend with the water warming just a little it ought to be even better.
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I got out for a few hrs after we did the family thing. The suckers where still going on the Mississippi where I found them last weekend.
That is how I remember spring sucker fishing. Very nice.
Reminds me to check my cabin spots. They are usually going about now.
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