Harvesting Suckers for Bait

[millsboy79]

I am trying to think ahead for hard water season and wouldn't mind getting some suckers to use for bait.

Hoping for my first big gator and think I should prepare while I can.

I am sure there are suckers all over the place but if you have any tips on bait, techniques and locations, please feel free to share them.

I am in the Calgary area so somewhere close would be preferred.

Thanks

[Ken H]

I am trying to think ahead for hard water season and wouldn't mind getting some suckers to use for bait.

Hoping for my first big gator and think I should prepare while I can.

I am sure there are suckers all over the place but if you have any tips on bait, techniques and locations, please feel free to share them.

I am in the Calgary area so somewhere close would be preferred.

Thanks

I think Reeser lake down by Medicine Hat is full of them.

[TROLLER]

I used to think that was a good idea until I realized I could buy a large bag of smelts from Super store for 8 bucks.

Don't think those big pike care if it is a sucker or a smelt.

[iYearn]

I used to think that was a good idea until I realized I could buy a large bag of smelts from Super store for 8 bucks.

Don't think those big pike care if it is a sucker or a smelt.

I'm with you on this Troller.

I have used those Super Store smelts with good success both during summer and winter.

Check out the herring too.

When the pike don't seem to go for the smelts they go for the herring.

Especially during the hard water season on tip ups

Tight lines!

[millsboy79]

How "large" are large smelts at the grocery store because the ones at the bait shop aren't as big as I am looking for.

[Jigger]

Go find a decent sized creek and toss a couple minnow traps in there should catch all sorts of minnows all different sizes too. On one of mine i cut the opening bigger so the bigger suckers can get in, works good got almost a whole fridge freezer full of bait right now stocking up for fall and winter.

[NSR_RAT]

I'm with you on this Troller.

I have used those Super Store smelts with good success both during summer and winter.

Check out the herring too.

When the pike don't seem to go for the smelts they go for the herring.

Especially during the hard water season on tip ups

Tight lines!

X2 on herring, I've had very good success for big pike with herring on a tip up with a quick strike rig, very greasy/oily fish that pike love, make a few slits on the bottom of the herring to get the sent out even more helps too.

[TROLLER]

How "large" are large smelts at the grocery store because the ones at the bait shop aren't as big as I am looking for.

You have to keep checking to make sure you do not get the small ones which usually run around 3 inches. Wall mart brings in some nice large ones as well most always in the 4 plus range.

But if you are fishn the big ones then the herring is the best. The bigger the bait the bigger the fish especially in the hard water season.

[Bemoredog]

You have to keep checking to make sure you do not get the small ones which usually run around 3 inches. Wall mart brings in some nice large ones as well most always in the 4 plus range.

But if you are fishn the big ones then the herring is the best. The bigger the bait the bigger the fish especially in the hard water season.

The herring I've seen is usually pretty large. Maybe 5 to 10 inches. Do you fish the entire thing or cut it into smaller chunks?

[Sundancefisher]

X2 on herring, I've had very good success for big pike with herring on a tip up with a quick strike rig, very greasy/oily fish that pike love, make a few slits on the bottom of the herring to get the sent out even more helps too.

Herring were my choice living in Edmonton.

[pinelakeperch]

How big are we talking? I've often wondered how big of bait hard water pike fishermen use.

[millsboy79]

How big are we talking? I've often wondered how big of bait hard water pike fishermen use.
Sounds like around a pound or so lol. Watched videos of britts using 3lb trout.

[pinelakeperch]

Sounds like around a pound or so lol. Watched videos of britts using 3lb trout.

I figured around a pound. When I think of suckers, I think of the 5 lb behemoths I catch in the Bow.

[EZM]

A 10"-12" sucker would be a perfect bait for big pike.

[Esox]

I used to think that was a good idea until I realized I could buy a large bag of smelts from Super store for 8 bucks.

Don't think those big pike care if it is a sucker or a smelt.

On a normal day Id agree, however, on a picky BIG fish, I use suckers everytime, if I don't have any suckers I use only high quality vacuumed packed herring and none of the superstore freezer burnt smelts. Makes a HUGE difference on tough bites and really big fish. Hint hint, big pike aren't the only fish in southern alberta that absolutely LOVE a sucker minnow.

[Double-Eh]

Not to hijack this but I've never understood how to rig up such a large bait for tipup. If someone can post or pm a video or picture whatever. I'm confounded seeing such a large piece of bait set up with only one hook... Or whatever.

[EZM]

Not to hijack this but I've never understood how to rig up such a large bait for tipup. If someone can post or pm a video or picture whatever. I'm confounded seeing such a large piece of bait set up with only one hook... Or whatever.

Double hook set up ...... this set up is medium baits ( like a 5"-6" herring ).

Rig head down.

[millsboy79]

At least 1 ft. Past that you end up paying more generally for the bait with not much difference to hit rate.

And X2 on a good looking fish with no freezer burn. If you're putting them in frozen, expect not to get hits until they have defrosted a bit.
Not that I would disagree at all, but I would be curious how they would know the difference before they actually hit.

[Tfng]

When I was a teenager I worked at a bait shop where the proprietor trapped all the minnows. To catch suckers he had larger traps 10-12 inches square (some were wider) and 30-36 inches long. They were painted brown.

He would set these traps along the shore where schools of suckers would travel. They would be set so there was multiple traps next to each other parallel to the shore. He would even stack them on top of each other.

I never did get a chance to help set up since I ran the shop while he was gone but that is how he explained it to me.

[BowBoy75]

Saw lots of 2-3 inch suckers at the weir in Bassano. Bring a small net and get your fill.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

[millsboy79]

The large ones don't just hit. They park off it, look, watch it, smell it etc. I had one large pike that visited a bait multiple times over 3 hours, the final time it was a standoff for about 30 mins before it decided to eat it all on camera.

With freezer burn, the scales are dried up, not shiny, they also smell funky. For the same reason they don't taste good to us, I would expect Pike to see them the same, and I've never had Pike hit on anything freezer burnt, which is generally bait that has been to/from fishing and the freezer a number of times.
That's awesome to know ... still seems odd since it sounds obvious that they have no problem eating dead fish ... guess there is a line between dead and rotting ... although I am sure in a different thread I have read that "ripe" bait can actually out perform ... maybe if your bait gets freezer burnt you just need to let it ripen up a bit before you use it.

Even though herring sounds like the ticket I would feel even more pride in catching my own bait, so I am still looking for locations to find suckers ... much larger than 1-2 inches but probably smaller than 5lbs.

Any ideas or techniques would be appreciated.

[cube]

Not to hijack this but I've never understood how to rig up such a large bait for tipup. If someone can post or pm a video or picture whatever. I'm confounded seeing such a large piece of bait set up with only one hook... Or whatever.

Look up quick strike rig and you will find lots