Suckers/Big bait question

Does anyone have the luxury of being able to purchase big suckers/musky-sized creek bait at their neighborhood tackle shop?

I used to be able to get big bait back in the 90's here in Warren but not now.

I have been lucky in having the best trapping in the county when it comes to big suckers. With the creeks being so high all summer this year we have more than we can use. Just let me know and we'll hook you up if you have a bait tank... Four to six inches big enough or do you monster hunters need bigger than that?

Thanks for the offer but I was talking about 8-12 inch stuff........4-6 is winter walleye/bass/trout bait for me. :)

I actually have some "Modified" minnow traps out in some holes right now. Trying to get a few 10"-12" for this weekend. We can catch sizable suckers in the summer to use for large cats. In the fall, we can get the 4"-6" in the traps, but nothing bigger. I did some scouting and found a few holes with some larger ones. Hope they go into the traps.

I remember when I was little going into Holmes sporting goods up in Warren and seeing some nice sized suckers. May be the place you were talking about since it closed in the early 90's

Yep, Holmes was the place. The old Kinzua Field and Stream used to get some big bait in there too. The Happy Hooker on Chautauqua used to have some nice bait but I am not sure what the new VHS regulations has done (if anything) to limit bait that is not 'certified'.

I have gotten away from live bait for many reasons so I have not attempted to trap my own for quite sometime. I do remember that the larger bait in the river was very trap shy.

Usually, the only thing we use live bait for anymore are Large cats and Large Walleyes. With a lot of talk on other forums about drifting meat, figured I would try it out. Some of our biggest walleyes have come on some large 8"+ chubs /suckers.

The meat is tough to beat.......

My first musky was caught on a 3/4 oz. jig tipped with a large rock bass that I bought from Kinzua Field and Stream. I was working it back to the boat specifically targeting muskies and she ate it right at the boat so fast I could hardly believe it......it was during a mid-January snow storm.

4 to 7" suckers are usually available at Haller's here in Tionesta. I have had success using them in the past. I'll check and see if they have any when i go to work tonight. Been sick for 2 weeks and have been avoiding the chilly air out there. I catch more muskies than eyes using them.

I am not really looking for them, just seeing if any Eastern tackle shops even carry big suckers especially now with the new VHS limitations..........the upper-Midwest has them on every street corner.


I bet you will be feeling better as soon as the big 'eyes start moving around...... :)

Our local bit shop always has "jumbo suckers" listed here (meadville) they are $3 each, I was really excited until they netted one to show me and apparently they were selling them by the inch........ huge dissappointment! Time to start trapping,
I can get some lunker chubs 8-9" range anythoughts on them for live bait? I figure they are natural prey just like the suckers. I suppose that I can get the old worms out and spend the morning catching a few suckers only prob is the ones that usually hit are 20"+ 9-12" is where I would like to top out at.....


Jacob

If your chubs are 'horned dace', then you have the best pike bait on the planet...they grow the horny protrusions after they reach "adulthood". In the limited amount of time live-baiting these dace, the pike seem to love them and the muskies....not so much. The larger dace like colder, well-oxygenated water which is where the 30+ inch pike will be looming.....I think this relationship has help evolve the dace into a preferred pike meal.

My partner did hook a musky (or jumbo pike) on the 'horny heads' several years back and he could not get her head turned..........broke the 80lb. leader after about 5 seconds of screaming drag. Yes, we were using a quick strike rig.

Jacob,

Nothing wrong with a 20" sucker......quick strike her up and let it out. I have had 30 inch pike take 20-25 inch pike sideways before.....especially during Fall.

I have been trapping bait for ice fishing season for a few years. I used to let the largest chubs (7-8 inchers) go, until last year on the ice i watched my buddy catch 3 huge walleyes on the same 8 inch chub and the chub was still lively as ever! Towards the end of summer when the river was higher than ever after all that rain I had a trap full of Darters, which was a first for me. I had never caught a Darter in a trap before and have not seen them in that little run since the water receded. It was only 100 feet or so up the run from the river. Man oh man Red, you are not kidding when you say BIG chubs!! I saw you and another guy in your boat earlier in the year tossing out a HUGE chub that looked to be a 20 incher or so!! I had never seen anyone use bait that big before.

Streicher,

That was not a real chub (even though it probably looked exactly like one from a distance) but a 15" rubber bodied sucker that weighed 10oz......a real one would have been much easier to cast. :)

I was going to head out this weekend Red when the wind switches to NW but after going to the doctor today i have bronchitis, ear and sinus infection all wrapped in one. I hardly ever get sick too. Any fishing in this cold air now would kick in pneumonia next i imagine, lol.

I sure would like to find some of those 8" chubs !!!! I'll be getting out the ultra lite out hopefully by next week to get some bait when i kick this junk out of me and get the traps soaking also.

In the Forest Press an old buddy caught a 48" in Tionesta Creek. If i know him as well as i think i do i would guess it was at the outflow or just below. Said it was 32 lbs but looked a little skinny for that. Nice fish but it looks like he kept it :-(

i catch most of my own bait, the brokenstraws are really good for em little hooks and small piece of crawler huggin the bottom time consuming but pays off... actully got a mid 30's ski on a sucker today!