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Posts: 667
Location: Roscoe IL | For those of us that enjoy using live bait during the cold water season, when do most of you start floating a sucker. From what I'm hearing from a few bait shops in the Wisconsin Northwoods, they are saying it could be more difficult to get them. I'm thinking it's a ploy to get me to pay $10 each, but we will see how it all shakes out.
Note to self: Hook up a ladder on the back of the boat. |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | I was at the Tackle Box in Land O Lakes last weekend and asked the owner when she plans on getting Musky suckers. She said within the next week or two. Water temps up by me were still hoovering around the low 70's. |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | I never floated a sucker, always tried to keep them in the water. I usually use them when the water gets to about 60. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | My brother in-law tried to get a sucker about two weeks ago because he prefers to just use live bait, and he was told that they didn't have any because there is a shortage of suckers this year because the sucker ponds dried up last year... Not sure how true it is and if so how widespread the issue was. |
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Posts: 667
Location: Roscoe IL | Todd,
Your not trolling them fast enough then 
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Posts: 300
Location: Minocqua, WI | With the small streams being full of water and minnow life this year, suckers should be widely available throughout N. WI this fall. If not, then someone is lying, owns a scam, or else it's a sign you should figure out ways to catch your own bait for personal use only..... |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | It's the government, man. They've been hoarding suckers for their own nefarious purposes.
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Posts: 663
| At R&H Musky Shop we've had suckers most of the summer. Some of the availability issues are determined by the type of suckers you get. Pond/farm raised suckers are a limited by how many are raised in that bait dealers pond and when they're gone, they're gone. The bait dealers try to anticipate how many they need and that's the way it goes. Wild suckers are a different deal and the guys trap those on a daily basis some days are good and some are not so good. A lot has to do with river conditions. There is also the factor that trappers may only be able to use certain bodies or sections of bodies of water. There are sometimes more trappers going for a finite number of fish. What all this amounts to is that suckers have become a commodity item. The price rises and falls with availability and demand. Frankly I wish we could get nice sized suckers at $1.50 each and we could charge you accordingly and I would be the king of sucker sales. Maybe I'd get a big fat raise! |
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Posts: 411
Location: Waconia,MN | I need to know where to get suckers around the metro area. Anyone know? |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | try Thorne Bros they had suckers last year |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | Wyzata bait and tackle usually has them but that was the place that told my brother in-law two weeks ago that they were out and probably wouldn't have anymore for the season. TB also carries them but I don't recall seeing any large ones the last time I was there so you might want to call ahead. |
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Posts: 999
| Pete what are your large and extra larges currently going for? |
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Posts: 120
| Vados usually has them in the metro as well. |
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Posts: 218
| Mr Musky - 9/5/2013 11:29 AM
Pete what are your large and extra larges currently going for?
Well, right now we are getting a bunch in that are probably 10 to 12 inchers and they are running $8.00 each. Today we got a batch in that were probably 14 to 18 inch and those are selling for $9.00. These are all wild trapped suckers by the way. |
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Posts: 371
Location: Dixon, IL | Wow! That's a lot of money but I understand the cost of labor, keep alive, etc! But around 80 to 90 dollars for 10 suckers! What is the best way to keep sucker alive longer under float? I plan use sucker from the shore in late fall season. |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | Tried trapping suckers but the conibear I use seems to kill them. |
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Posts: 667
Location: Roscoe IL | $9 for a 14 to 18' wild sucker. I'll pay it, no problem.
Edited by ToothyCritter 9/6/2013 8:22 AM
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Suckers are like oil. We're always hearing some stupid reason why oil is $105 a barrel or suckers are $8-9.
They'll charge as much as ToothyCritter and myself are willing to pay.
At $9 if it dies without catching a fish I'll take it home and smoke it.
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Posts: 15
| blue ribbon bait in oakdale mn just put a post on facebook this week that they have suckers for muskies in stock now |
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Posts: 218
| Don't forget a large price bump happened a few years back when the DNR started requiring testing of bait (VHS) and limiting transport along with trapping restrictions. That affected all "minnow" pricing and availability. Some of the small time trappers who would supply local shops just gave up because it cost them too much to go through the process. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Seriously Pete, I know you guys (bait shops) aren't making much. Every time one passes in the night you guys take a big hit. |
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| Don't forget: There's a sucker born every minute. |
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Posts: 222
Location: c.wis | ive been using them since the season opened in wis., just add ice during summer months but they work all year. adjust you presentation and size acordingly for the time of year. end of sept- dec at least one sucker out every trip out. |
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