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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | Despite the presence of these musky morsels in the waters I fish, I know little of sucker spawning habits and have never seen it happening. In the northern range of the musky (MN/WI), is it possible to target the sucker spawn as a possible musky foraging opportunity? Or, is the sucker spawn over before we are allowed to target musky? Has any one ever capitalized on this opportunity? Would love to hear whether this is a viable option.
Brian |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Way before in N WI and MN. My son Keith strips suckers during the spawn to raise for feed for the hatchery he works for. April work. |
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| Usually happening in N. WI around the beginning of May for the walleye opener, but have seen it pretty consistently during the MI opener on U.P. lakes as well which happens May 15 every year. On a few years it has been happening on those deep, clear cisco waters in the U.P. in late May/early June.
So if you plan to hit the deep, clear waters you may be able to hit the spawn during the very early part of the musky season. If you plan to hit darker, shallower waters you will miss it.
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | We do quite a bit of sucker fishing before walleye opener, in my experience there is very little interaction between muskies and suckers when the suckers are spawning. |
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Posts: 311
Location: Ontario | Most of the nasty goes on in the dark. Don't expect to see as many fish in there spawing during the day. Smelts are the same. They will hang out in pools or holes or out off the river/creek mouths during the day and come up in waves in the dark. Smelts, walleye and suckers can often be found in the same areas around the same time. Usually first couple weeks after the ice comes off, but its all temperature-based. One thing that's almost always needed is moving water. And inflows/outflows don't have to be large to service lots of suckers or big ones. Creeks that you can spit across can hold thousands. I never see much muskie activity this time of year either, but some really nice pike are always close by. Moving water is the key. Spotlight a few creeks at night for the first several weeks after ice out. If there are suckers to be seen, you'll see them. Some of them will be 10-12lb walleyes too some nights, really cool. |
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| J.P. in the lakes by me in northern Wi and the U.P. water flow isn’t necessary. In fact some of the spots I have found that have the most suckers are out of any wind and no inlet present.
If they are spawning on the lakes they are pretty easy to find. Listen for a bunch of splashing, or look for all the little water geysers along shore. The suckers go right up to the very edge of shore and splash like mad. Best areas are that of sand and gravel.
I as well haven’t found muskies right in with the suckers, but I have seen some of the biggest fish of the year out deeper from the concentration of suckers. Coincidence???? Bad news isn’t I haven’t been able to trigger those fish yet.
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