What is it?

[Big_C]

I caught a couple of these things in both the South Fork and Monache Creek last weekend. Never seen them before. Heavy for their size. Anybody know what it is? Is it something to throw back, kill and toss, or keep and eat?

[attachment=30766:attachment]

Thanks!

C

[Loye]

Its a sqawfish/sucker or whatever you want to call em. I would personally throw them away because they eat trout eggs and sometimes small trout.

[BDB]

Grandad used to love when I'd catch them, he wanted them for fertilizer in the garden. Don't know how they taste, I have never eaten one.

[antlrcolectr]

Looks like what we call suckers. In Missouri there is actualy a gigging season on rough fish like carp and suckers. They actually taste pretty good when caught out of clearwater streams. They have many tiny bones though.
When we clean them, first we scale them, then fillet the meat off the backbone leaving the skin attached. Then we score the meat from the inside every 3/4" or so. The skin holds the fillet together. Then when you have your fish fry on the bank or at home, you never know the tiny bones are even there because they crystalize or something in the hot grease. You peel the meat off the skin and enjoy.

They are really good for bank frys and camping trips, but I'd rather eat walleye anyday.

AC

[Big_C]

Thanks for the replies! Are these things real common in the sierras? Between my buddy and I we've got over 50 years of trout fishing in CA and neither of us had ever seen one before.

[NCahuntinfool]

We have caught them many times in the feather river and warner creek. They were all small, but I dont think I would ever try to eat one but that is just my preference.

[IK13]

Sucker.
There are I think several kinds of them. A person I know is catching big ones and according to him they taste fine. I've always put them back in the water...but might be I should star throwing them behind my back to save a few unborn trout....

[EGGSPLITTER]

First fish I ever caught when I was knee high to a grasshopper was a Sucker like that. On a salmon egg in the West Walker River. Still remember my dad throwing it up on the bank and say'n that we were leaving the coons a good dinner. 42 years and dozens of Sierra trips later, I have not caught another.

[Orygun]

There are some huge sqawfish in the San Joaquin River east of Oakhurst. Caught some a couple weeks ago. With the high water and strong current they gave a account of themselves. Fish were between 2 and 5 lbs. They were hitting a small diving plug I use for steelhead. In fresh water most any fish will taste pretty good. As long as you remove the fat. I've had carp taken from clear water that was smoked and it wwas excellent. Most of the time it's too much work.

Eggsplitter, If your really, really missing those suckers, they can be found in the East Walker. I have caught them most every time I've gone. Usually on a spinner ran through the deeper water.

[inchr48]

Musky bait!

We use suckers up to 20" inches or so in the fall for Muskies. Once the water temps drop into the 50's and air temps are cooler, it is easier to keep them healthy in the live well. We use a "Quick-set" rig. A nose hook with rubber strip to keep sucker attached, and then 1 or 2 treble hooks in the sucker's body on some sevenstrand leader material.
We fish them about 6-12 feet down while we cast, and have the Ambassador 6500 on free spool with the bait clicker on. Muskies will often follow the casted lure in and spot "Mr. Wiggly" at boat side. As soon as the Musky grabs the sucker and starts to move off, we set the hook. The Quick-set rig allows mouth hook ups, and the fish can be easily released. 40 plus inches of fish with 8 feet of line out is a rush!

[lxtrail]

i have caught plenty of them on the Kern lower and upper they do put up a good fight for the most part. i never have caught them on the eastern sierra side at all. and i did alot fo fishing up there the last two years. i threw them on the bank for the yotes and coons to eat also

[hronk]

There used to be a big spring spawning run of Suckers up out of Crowley lake and into Mcgee/Convict creeks. There are Suckers in Pleasant Valley res., the Lower Owens river and even a small population in Lake Sabrina. They spawn in the shallows between the boat ramp and the dam in early summer. Lots of people throw bait and lures at them thinking that they are Trout. I have never seen any in South Lake.....hronk