Sucker Spawn?

S

steve98

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
258
SUCKER SAWN

What is it?
What does it represent?
What is the recipe?
Where is it used?

thanks all in advance
Steve98
 
Steve 98,

The answer to your first two questions is Sucker eggs. Suckers spawn in the spring in most Pa streams and trout love their eggs. The recipe is very easy, orange,pink or white yarn looped to a hook, (size 14-18) with red thread works for me. I usually do three or four loops on the hook. The third answer is everywhere you find suckers.

JH
 
Dear Steve,

Flyfishermannj posted the recipe and a good picture. I want to state something that should be obvious and that is that most yarns you buy in a bulk skein are 3-ply. Seperate the plies before tying sucker spawn because you only need a single ply to tie the fly.

If you look at a sucker spawn fly from the eye of the hook sighting down to the bend it is nothing but a bunch of figure-8 wraps with the yarn bound down on top of the hook shank.

Regards.
Tim Murphy :)
 
As to how important the "fly" is. I have seen suckers setting on the nest with a semi-circle (down stream side) of Browns and Bows waiting for a lose egg. I have also watched as a Bow would come up and bump the belly of a sucker making an egg drop from it's belly like a gum ball. Fish aren't smart??
I don't use them because of the danger of a deep hook, but I tie them for others. The one people around here seem to prefer is a single egg. Tied with UNI thread Fl. Orange, with cream egg yarn, on a 26 or 28 hook.
Suckers also spawn in the fall.
 
Here is a pic of a real egg.. and a few together,

I tie a yellow thread then hot glue around it in a ball, sorry no pic of the fly..
 
Sandfly:

Nice pictures - I 've always kinda wondered what the real eggs look like.
That said, all these sucker spawn patterns in a myriad of colors don't seem to be a very good imitation of them.
I kinda wonder why they work - maybe they're imitating something else?
 
could you use lite blue yarn i purchesed its called spawn yarn and its in lite blue. could this produce?
 
Trapper,

Doesn't hurt to try. I have a few friends that like blue and a few that say it doesn't wok. You've already bought it, so you try it out.
JH

PS.. Welcome to the forum!
 
just read a study that placed rainbows of all sizes in a tank of different colored eggs. A majority of the time they chose the blue ones. Next time I go to the fly shop, I am picking up some blue egg yarn.
 
Ok, but don't use egg yarn...get the smaller angora yarn...easier to work with and makes great sucker spawn.
 
I just want to say thanks to steve98 for starting this post. I've fly fished/tied for about 30 years and I'm kind of set in my ways. I never saw a recipe or need for sucker spawn. I saw this post and while tying some other flies decided to try tying some sucker spawn 'cause you guys said it was so easy. Today I had a couple hours to spend on a very heavily-fished Eastern PA (year round) stream. I did OK with red midges but as I was leaving I noticed some spawning suckers and a bunch of trout waiting just downstream, just like Sparce said. I tied on a sucker spawn fly. BAM! A huge brookie rushed from out of nowhere and clobbered it. This was easily the 2nd largest brookie I've ever caught. The biggest was a monster but this guy was no slouch. He put up a great fight and made my day. So thanks guys, I'm gonna always carry some sucker spawn flies in the spring from now on.
 
Do you fish these flies with any weight?
 
Usually just enough weight to keep the fly near the bottom. Some guys weight the fly, some tie them with a bead, others use shot. If you use some yarns that absorb a lot of water, and if you have enough room for the fly to settle to the bottom, you don't need to add weight.
 
or you could use Xink...or just hock a big loogie on it before you cast.
 
just read a study that placed rainbows of all sizes in a tank of different colored eggs. A majority of the time they chose the blue ones. Next time I go to the fly shop, I am picking up some blue egg yarn.
Click to expand...

Do yourself a favor, and get some blue chenille or blue mallard wing quills for wingcovers on nymphs. The Atherton has been a killer for many years.
 
Or get a blue Pantone marker. :-D
 
Someone who uses them, like Festus or afishinado, will have to answer that. I've never used them. I was just responding to what Festus said in the "10 Patterns" thread. But I'd be interested in the answer myself.
 
Can you get those at Wal-Mart?
Click to expand...

Y'ain't never been ta Gaines have ye? :-o

Yer asking somebody that lives in Tioga County, specifically Gaines, if they are familiar with Walmart? Walmart is 45 minutes away. And my limit is 20 minutes unless a fishing or hunting trip is involved. :-D :-D

Maybe Sandfly knows since he lives closer to Walmart than I.
 
Just use Sharpie markers, cheap and they now have like 24 colors...Mchaels sells them, walmart, K-mart etc...stationary stores.

everywhere except Gaines...... :-D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top