Waiting for the fishing season opener can feel like an eternity. To kill time, one activity that I sometimes do in the spring is to net suckers in ditches. Ever since I’ve tried sucker netting, I always paid attention to every ditch while driving the countryside for signs of life. Seeing fish swim in shallow water is always fascinating to me. Being able to catch them with nets is quite a departure from our usual fishing. Instead of hoping a fish bites, you can actively seek out the fish like a hunter-gatherer.
In this post, I’d like to share my sucker fishing experiences and why you need to try it out sometime.
Where and When
White suckers in late April to early May spawn in rivers, streams and ditches that feed big lakes. Even when the lakes are frozen, ice free tributaries can hold suckers. While there are common community spots, there is potential in all sorts of places to find them. It can be quite the adventure to drive around the country side, scanning ditches for fish.
These sucker netting spots will also hold northern pike, walleye and carp. Pike spawn in colder temperatures than suckers and walleye so large numbers of pike indicate that the sucker run has not fully begun. Be sure to immediately release pike and walleye accidentally caught in the nets. You cannot even take them out of the water for a picture.
Some years will have better runs than others. Extremely dry springs will force suckers to spawn in the lakes. High water can make certain spots dangerous or impractical. As much as it seems like cheating, social media is a great way to determine whether there are good sucker runs.
Note that certain areas prohibit dipnetting. You are also required to have a valid license to net fish. Be sure to consult your regulations before heading out to explore.
What You Will Need
Get the biggest net you can as it will allow you to scoop as many fish as you can. Typically musky/catfish nets are ideal. Ensure that the regulations are followed as there are limits to how big of a net you are allowed to use. In Manitoba, dip nets cannot be larger than a square meter.
I recommend bringing waders as it will give you more options to efficiently net suckers. Oftentimes I see people with rubber boots not being able to net fish properly due to lack of mobility. Though if the sucker run is strong, shore netters may have a chance. When wearing waders, always use some sort of wading belt. If you fall into the water, the belt will trap air in your legs allowing you to float. Even though most sucker fishing is done in shallow water, make sure to take the necessary precautions.
As for containers, bring large tubs to keep your suckers in. Filling several coolers is very possible when the run is strong. Keep in mind though a cooler full of suckers is very heavy, often necessitating two people to carry.
Netting Techniques
I’ve done sucker netting a few times and the techniques employed were quite different on each outing. Different situations call for different strategies to be as efficient as possible.
Sometimes suckers are present in fast rapids where they aren’t quite visible. In those cases, the best way to catch them is hold a net in the current until a fish swims into the net. With a large net, it’s possible to net many at once. This isn’t really my favorite scenario to net suckers but sometimes this is the most effective way to find them.
Suckers in clear slow current ditches are probably my favorite scenario since you can actively hunt them. With high concentrations of suckers, you can easy catch them by cornering them against rocks and weeds. There have been times where I was able to catch them with my bare hands. While suckers are good at evading the net, high concentrations ensure that some will be caught.
However lower concentrations of suckers become tricky as hunting down individual fish is less efficient. For this reason, having partners will be very useful. Have one person hold a large net or nets downstream in a narrow area or a culvert. Everyone else will walk down the ditch from upstream of the nets to scare the fish downstream into the waiting nets. Then once the fish get caught in the nets, lift the nets out of the water and toss the suckers into a nearby container. Repeat the process until you have enough suckers.
Uses for Suckers
Despite what many people think, suckers are actually good for consumption. They have nice white meat that is fairly tasty. Though they have quite a few bones so grinding them with a cleaver or a food processor is the way to go. My family takes the ground sucker meat and turns it fish cakes. Though due to the lack of a food processor, we can only grind the meat with a cleaver which is very labor intensive. As a result, we don’t eat suckers often.
Suckers make some excellent bait though. Spring channel catfish love sucker meat. We often save the fat belly strips for lake trout fishing. The belly meat is very firm and stays on the hook for long periods of time. Every time I fillet a sucker, I slice of a strip of the belly from each fillet. All the belly strips go into a Ziploc bag while the fillets go into another. The carcasses can either be discarded or cut up to be used for chumming.
Final Words
Sucker fishing is quite a fun activity. If you have young children, they will have a blast. Even as an adult, I still have a lot of fun doing it. Suckers may be a trash fish to many but their spring spawning runs provide a unique experience unmatched by any kinds of fishing done throughout the year.
