Used to catch suckers in the Fraser & Coquihalla rivers in BC - never tried eating them though because they were always thought of as too bony. Canning them would take care of that though, and not just the small bones. They were good fighters though, same as the Carp, Chub & Sqawfish we'd catch on occasion.
When we were kids fishing in some of the BC lakes and slower running creeks we'd sometimes fish for sculpins (bullheads) when the trout fishing was slow. They were so easy to catch because they'd bite right down on the worm and not let go, so you could pull them out of the water even when not hooked. We always threw them back though because they were thought of a coarse or garbage fish. Years later I remember reading about them actually being one of the tastier fish you could ever eat, with very sweet tasting pinkish & bone free fillets.
If you're ever in the Fraser Valley in the late summer take a short drive to the end of #3 road (towards the Fraser) just west of Chilliwack. There is a river/slough there that drains in to the Vedder and you'll see lots of people (mostly oriental when I was there) fishing for Carp with really long one piece super sensitive rods. There is no reels on the rods just a length of line as long as the rod, they fish with a small bobber & dough balls just off the shore. Looks like pretty tricky to hook these guys because the Carp seem to be experts at gumming the dough off without getting hooked. I think I saw about one hooked for every 5 or 6 dough balls used - but it looked like pretty fun fishing.
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