For many shoreline anglers like me, the start of winter may mark the end of a fishing season. Popular gamefish like rockfish, redfish, smallmouth bass, and others become increasingly difficult to catch from the bank. And while species like chain pickerel may provide cold weather action to some, not everyone has easy access to chase them. It’s a long, painful wait until spring—or so I thought, until a frigid afternoon in January some years ago changed my perception of land-based wintertime fishing forever.
After weeks of dead-sticking Ned rigs in the upper Potomac, finessing jerkbaits through ponds, and soaking fishbites for white perch, the smell of winter skunk on my fishing gear had never been stronger. This day, I decided to grab one rod, tie on a simple fish finder rig, and toss out some nightcrawlers in the icy waters of the Potomac. Maybe, just maybe, I’d stick a single sunfish if I was lucky.
Two hours went by. The sun was disappearing behind the trees, and I began packing up my gear. Just one more cast, I thought to myself, and launched my night crawler into the slow water just before some rapids. Then it happened.
My heart rate spiked to a million miles a minute. Finally, after weeks of disappointment, a bite! And this was no sunfish. After a drag-ripping battle on light gear with what I assumed to be a catfish, I finally saw it: a golden redhorse sucker, the first one I ever caught.
The sun had set now, and I was, admittedly, not outfitted to continue fishing into the darkness without freezing half to death. But I’d found a wintertime bite, in my own backyard nonetheless, and have been able to scratch my winter fishing itch ever since.
What’s a Sucker Fish?
Suckerfish are a class of bottom feeders that are primarily found in freshwater streams, rivers, and lakes. They are active scavengers, and, even in the chillier months, will be prowling the riverbed in search of their next meal. Suckers are intolerant of warm water and low oxygen. So, cooler temperatures and a flowing current are conditions to look for when deciding where to throw your line.
Suckers have downward facing mouths and thick lips similar to a carp, optimizing bottom feeding abilities. Their bodies are elongated and their shoulders round. An armor of thick scales helps protect them from predators. There are a number of native sucker species you may encounter while out on the water. Some common ones include the white sucker, golden and shorthead redhorse suckers, and hogsuckers.
How to Catch Sucker Fish
It’s hard to go wrong with a regular old fish finder rig on a mid-sized combo when targeting these fish. I typically use a 2000 to 2500 size reel spooled up with six-pound to 10-pound monofilament or braid on a seven foot, medium-light or medium power fast action rod. While this may seem excessive in comparison to a typical ultralight creek or river fishing setup, I find that the longer rod length really allows me to launch my baits towards prime locations far from the bank on which I’m fishing. The heavier backbone will also be ideal for casting sinkers up to 1.5 ounces. Additionally, when sight fishing suckers, the further you can be from the fish when casting, the better, so as not to spook him. Regarding the reel, bumping up from a 500 size or 1000 size (common for trout, smallmouth, and sunfish in creeks) can give you some extra oomph to pull those larger suckers out of ripping current or away from snags.
When building your fish finder rig, think: small hook, heavy weight. Suckers can be wary and may spit your bait if they feel the hook point or shank in their mouths. A size four to size eight circle hook should do the trick. Take a half of a nightcrawler and thread it into the hook, just barely exposing the point. For the weight, I tend to avoid anything bulky, like a pyramid or bank sinker. Suckers like to hang out around rocks, and those aforementioned sinker shapes tend to snag easily. Instead, go with a lower profile pencil or disc weight. It’s pivotal that your weight holds bottom in order to present the worm most naturally. Thus, a savvy angler will equip his fish finder rig with a sinker slide in order to quickly change and determine the optimal weight. I usually carry a range of quarter- to 1.5-ounce sinkers. A one-foot, eight- to 12-pound fluorocarbon leader should finish off your fish finder rig nicely.
If artificial lures are your preference, be ready for a tough yet rewarding challenge. Longtime manager at Angler’s Sports Center in Annapolis and local fishing guru, Alex Gallardo-Perez, recalls chasing suckers during the winters of his youth. Curly tail grubs are a staple in his arsenal, as he shares that slowly reeling them along the bottom is a great tactic since “the commotion of that curly tail moving right on top of the mud really attracted them.” Gallardo-Perez also points out the importance of natural colors like pumpkin or brown, and that adding scent like Gulp! or ProCure produces more bites.
Where to Catch Sucker Fish
The first thing I look for when deciding where to throw a line for suckers is proximity to moving water. This can be a deep pool below rapids, a pocket of slower water just above rapids, or the whitewater itself. Gravel or mud bottom peppered with larger rocks is usually ideal.
In clear and low water conditions, there is the opportunity to try sight fishing for suckers. If you approach a spot and see fish feeding or cruising, stay as far back as you can, make a long cast upstream, and watch that sucker start sniffing like a hound until he finds your bait and slurps it up. When using worms let your weight hit the bottom, tighten up the slack in your line, and then do nothing. This will present your bait most naturally; the current will provide subtle action to your worm while it rests on the bottom, and subtlety is key.
Many headwaters and upper regions of our Chesapeake Bay tributaries will hold suckers. Some hotspots with dense populations of suckers include the Upper Potomac, Upper Patuxent, and Tuckahoe Creek on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. But don’t count out the waters in your own backyard, because most freshwater creeks and rivers offer the chance at catching a sucker.
So, You’re a Who for a What? I’m a sucker for suckers. They provide the thrill and action anglers crave during the dreary winter months and are often scavenging creek beds close to home while we sit inside dreaming of more glamorous species like rockfish or smallmouth. So layer up, grab your rod, and give these fish a shot. Soon you’ll be a sucker lover, too.
-By Adam Greenberg