Too Kill or not to kill a Suckerfish, That is the qustion?

Tezma · #1 09-27-2011, 05:24 AM

Alright,
My dad told me if I ever caught a sucker fish to ether Kill it or throw it into the bushs for the bird to eat..

His reasoning,
They eat all the trouts eggs. Bad for the trout fishery.

I want to know what you guys think?

I have done it in the past like when I was 13 years old. LOL

But I havn't caught a sucker since then,

Thoughts?

Itsmyfishingshow · #2 09-27-2011, 06:44 AM

we need someone to confirm the trout eggs thing. i thought they just suck the bottom and clean the lake. in some parts they are vital to the health of the lake

FishlessFool · #3 09-27-2011, 07:08 AM

I'm sure that trout eat sucker eggs and young too

kostianych · #4 09-27-2011, 07:14 AM

why to waste fish just because somebody said to do so???????? sucker is not a sport fish, but it`s still a fish fun to catch....so why waste it??????

WayneChristie · #5 09-27-2011, 07:18 AM

suckers eat the same food as trout, they dont eat garbage. they are an important food source for predator fish as well

Alberta Bigbore · #6 09-27-2011, 07:40 AM

Let them live....

.....if I ever see someone toss one in the bushes for the birds... I'd kick their arse so hard that their teeth would bleed

FishingMOM · #7 09-27-2011, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tezma

Alright,
My dad told me if I ever caught a sucker fish to ether Kill it or throw it into the bushs for the bird to eat..
His reasoning,
They eat all the trouts eggs. Bad for the trout fishery.

I want to know what you guys think?

I have done it in the past like when I was 13 years old. LOL

But I havn't caught a sucker since then,

Thoughts?

Not sure about here in Alberta, but we used to kill off certain types of suckers and other nasties when we caught them in the great lakes. They ended up being bird and turtle food.
Then along came the gobies and those you had to kill. Them suckers were just plain NASTY.

pickrel pat · #8 09-27-2011, 09:33 AM

in alberta we have an INVISIBLE line where suckers stop and trout start...... i dont see a problem..... lol.....that being said, all kidding aside..... if god put a sucker fish there, its there for a reason....

FishingFrenzy · #9 09-27-2011, 09:36 AM

Like it or not suckers have been around longer than most species of trout in AB. They serve an important role in all aquatic ecosystems where they are found. Will they eat the eggs of other fish? yes...but so do other trout. Brookies are a large part of the reason our bull trout populations are doing so poorly. Killing them is pointless and stupid. People kill them because they are ugly...and because there is some redneck myth about how they destroy fisheries...its all BS. They are there for a reason so C&R, or fish with hardware if you dont want to catch them.

If I see anyone killing suckers, im taking a page out of the Best Guide fishing manual and throwing them and their gear into the water.....

mikeo2 · #10 09-27-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishingFrenzy

If I see anyone killing suckers, im taking a page out of the Best Guide fishing manual and throwing them and their gear into the water.....

You and bigbore dont want to fish with me then. Coyotes, birds and bears need to eat to.....

pickrel pat · #11 09-27-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeo2

You and bigbore dont want to fish with me then. Coyotes, birds and bears need to eat to.....

oh..... i dont think they would feed you to the bears.....maybe....

BeeGuy · #12 09-27-2011, 10:17 AM

No point in killing them, other than sadistic self satisfaction.

As mentioned they fill a niche which has been around a long time, and help stabilize the ecosystem.

That said, I don't release them nearly as gently as I do a 4lb trout.

Old habits (prejudice) die hard.

Been picking up some suckers lately on the upper bow using a beadhead and single maggot.

Some of them fight better than the browns.

Maybe we need to rename the sucker fish too??

baitfisher83 · #13 09-27-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

No point in killing them, other than sadistic self satisfaction.

As mentioned they fill a niche which has been around a long time, and help stabilize the ecosystem.

That said, I don't release them nearly as gently as I do a 4lb trout.

Old habits (prejudice) die hard.

Been picking up some suckers lately on the upper bow using a beadhead and single maggot.

Some of them fight better than the browns.

Maybe we need to rename the sucker fish too??

Liberalis Majoris?

Adamd · #14 09-27-2011, 11:30 AM

I have yet to catch a sucker but when I do it will be going back alive. Earlyer this yeah I had a guy tell me to do the same with any pike I caught in the bow river because they eat the trout.

Penney26 · #15 02-07-2012, 07:22 PM

Hey bud, I think the answer your looking for is one of those ones that comes from within, there will be opinions on both sides, the one that matters is at the end of the day do you feel guilty or do you feel you did the right thing, I realize this may or may not help you, but this coming from an avid hunter that at sometimes has to let animals walk because it doesn't feel " right" ( distance,angle, age...etc)people will have their views but the one that counts is yours