Fly fishing for suckers

Troutbum82

Troutbum82

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Joined
Oct 11, 2011
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84
Is there anyone that fly fishes for suckers during the winter months that would be willing to give me some tips on tactics flies etc. I went out a few times last winter and i picked a couple up on some stone flies but i must admit they were pretty challenging to catch. I plan on doing it again this winter and any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks
 
small flies on the bottom, they will hit a bugger or stone fly too. keep it small and on bottom.
 
I can't say it's intentional, but i end up catching quite a few suckers in the winter on black zebra midges right on the bottom. Suckers seem to really "pool up" in the winter. Find deep slow pools and you can find schools of hundreds of suckers in them.
 

No suckers in the Monocacy!

 
I have only caught suckers on two seperate occasions, but I periodically foul hook one once in a while nymphing for trout. One time I was fishing Conneaut Creek in March for steelhead, I only hooked one steelhead all day, but found a hole that was loaded with suckers. Apparently this was during their spawning run up from Lake Erie. I was using small nymphs and egg flies and must of caught around 20-30 suckers. About half of them were hooked in the mouth, the others were snagged. That was my first experience actually catching suckers in the mouth. Just this past April I was fishing Neshannock Creek and caught 2 suckers. It was very weird because they both slammed my bugger, and it wasn't even right on the bottom of the stream, they hit it at the end of the drift when my fly was swinging up from the bottom.
 
Use to catch them often on pink san juans on spring. Second them stacking up. I have seen great numbers of them on top of each other in the winter.
 
I always caught a few per year nymphing spring creek. Standard hare's ears.
 
Your first Experience for catching Suckers was so fantastic but is there was any danger to catch them , If yes then please tell me ...
 
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