Trapping Suckers and Keeping them alive

[Mackdaddy21]

I have trouble finding fresh suckers anymore, as the only bait dealer in the area went out of business.
Thankfully my local rivers and canals are chock full of suckers. I just can't find how to really catch them. If I use minnow traps, what kind of bait? I have no clue how to use a cast net, and I think it would do me little good because suckers don't tend to school near the surface. So what kind of trap, and what kind of bait?
Also I am thinking of keeping them alive for lake trout season so I can have fresh, oily suckers. I was thinking of using a kiddy pool with an aerator, heater, and putting rocks and cover in the pool and using actualy river water. What kinds of heaters and aerators should I get? Anyone else here keep baitfish alive?

[Chucker]

Why not just try an ultralight and the old garden hackle?

[Jigwiggler]

I used to catch suckers and chubs in a home made minnow trap baited with bread.  I built a trap that looks just like the cylinder shaped ones you can buy only much larger.  Diameter was 18" and length was 36" with a cone leading to a 2.5" opening in each end.  Assuming it is large suckers you are after this works well.  Downsize for smaller bait seeing as they will swim right back out of the large openings in the trap I described above.  As far as for keeping them alive, I always keep my bait in a small stream in a wire mesh container.  They are always at the right temp., have enough food and oxygen and you don't have to worry about cleaning and ammonia build up that you would if you kept them in a container.

[seaweed01]

To catch larger minnows I use the cylinder trap with an extention in the middle (this doubles the length of the trap)
 and you will be supprised at how large the minnows and suckers are,  that
will go into it.  I don't know how some of them fit thru the small opening, but
they do.  My best bait by far is a small handful of dry cat or dog food.  I like it
because it lasts longer than bread.
As for keeping my bait alive, I have an old bathtub that has been conveted to
a bait tank.  Where the drain hole is, I have a faucet and hose attached on the outside, so it
is no problem to drain every few days. I have a well so good fresh water also  is no
problem.  Keeping the water cool is important also a lid of some type so they
will not jump out. One or two small aquarium type aerators and something that
the bait can get under and hide is all you need. Good luck.

[Mackdaddy21]

Those are pretty good ideas. I am more after small suckers cause I think they make better cutbait if only because you can get more entrails and blood in a chunk to stick on your laker jig. I would take the bigger ones though because I can chunk them. Also I'd love to catch some baby carp. The former dealer around here had tons of baby carp, and they worked awesome chunked as cutbait. I would say my ideal suckers would be 4 - 6 inches. I'll take what I can get though. Thanks for the pointers.

Tyler

[Jigwiggler]

Tyler, if you have big lakers where you fish, you should try dropping a bigger 8-10" sucker down on a tip-up and see what shows up.  Even if the forage is typically small in your lakes, big fish are opportunists and like an easy meal.  A big, easy meal is a gold mine to them in the cold of winter.

[perchfisher]

try corn it works good for me.

[Hookset]

A buddy of mine has an old chest freezer that he converted.  Just add water and go.  He bought a pond aerator at WalMart and he uses a heat lamp in a shop light fixture to provide some light/heat during the winter.  It sits inside his shed.  We used bait from his tank the entire hard water season last year

[Mackdaddy21]

Jigwiggler, I had thought of putting down a large sucker and hoping a big laker grabs it. All the lakes I fish have 20 plus pounders and the uncommon 30. But in one Lake, 30 pounders are common.

Tyler

[Jigwiggler]

Jigwiggler, I had thought of putting down a large sucker and hoping a big laker grabs it. All the lakes I fish have 20 plus pounders and the uncommon 30. But in one Lake, 30 pounders are common.

Tyler

Have you ever seen the size of some of the spoons they fish lakers with up north?  HUGE!!  An 8-10" sucker would just be an appetizer for a 20-30 lb. fish.  Give it a shot.

[Mackdaddy21]

I've seen the huge lures they use. I know some anglers who use 5" or bigger tube jigs on Blue Mesa, the trophy fishery and catch big ones, but less than ones who use 2 1/2" or three inch like me. But they probably are more efficient at just catching big lakers because they get many strikes from smaller fish in the 18 to 25" range. I am going to try a larger sucker as bait on the tip up, hoping a truly outsized mack grabs it.
My biggest laker ever hooked came using an HT Windlass Tip up baited with a small white tube jig and chunk of anchovy. I think I will set out a tube jig on one tip up, and have an angling partner set up a bigger sucker on one and we would trade off. Jigging smaller tubes seems to catch 85% of my macks, but tip ups usually add a fish or two or so each outing.

Tyler

[Jigwiggler]

I'm sure you do get more fish on the small jigs, that is usually the case.  Placing a big bait out will increase you odds of getting the big one by discouraging the smaller fish while enticing the big ones.  I'd trade 20 small fish for 1 20+ pounder any day of the week!!  Unless I'm fishing for dinner.

[billditrite]

tyler i dont trap suckers but i buy them early and keep them all winter..this is my set up.

[Jigwiggler]

Hey that's a slick set up!  Is that an aquarium filter on the right?

[billditrite]

yes jw thats the best 300 gph filter wal mart has  thats the most expensive piece but it works sweet.i extended the suck tube so it draws from the bottom of the barrel