Went to the Jordan River to a spot where I had been before but got the skunk. Well BFT LoanFish said that he could find me a Utah Sucker in the very spot I had failed so many times. This I had to see!
My twin and I arrived at 5pm to see LoanFish castin away. We joined him and what do ya know within 15 minutes it was fish on! I was thrilled to land my 1st ever UT sucker at 20 inches! Another fish off the bucket list! We left by 6:15pm.
I got 3 Utah Suckers and lost 2 more, my twin lost 2 fish, and BFT LoanFish got the skunk. We were using a nightcrawler in a size #4 hook with a 1/2oz egg weight with a split shot to keep it in place 3 feet above the hook. Anybody have a decent recipie for them?
My 1st and biggest “Utah Sucker” of the evening. The fish not me!
I might be mistaken or have confused it with another but some time ago read that the sucker is pretty good smoked. Perhaps similar to that of the whitefish. As far as consuming fish out of the river it is no different from eating fish out of Utah lake. In fact the catfish I have eaten out of the river taste better than those from the lake.
Congrats on adding another species to your angling resume.
**Suckers have mild white flesh and are highly prized in other parts of the country. But they are members of the minnow family and as such they have a lot of small bones in the flesh. Not easily filleted out. **
You can cross-score the fillets and fry them crispy to help neutralize the bones. Some folks put them in a pressure cooker…either for immediate table consumption or for canning. Thorough cooking under pressure softens the bones…like those in canned sardines, etc. They are also good pickled. The vinegar helps dissolve the bones…like in pickled herring.
Since there are so many other fish available…and easier to fillet and process…I would recommend that you cut the suckers into trip sized bait strips and freeze them for future use. Almost all predators eat suckers. Just be aware that it is illegal to possess or use sucker meat anywhere on Utah Lake. Okay for the Jordan River but not in Utah Lake. Especially good for burbot at Flaming Gorge.
I thought that was a carp recipe, but doesn’t it use a board rather than waster some good foil. Plus with all my fillings - chewing on foil - bristles! The wood would at least offer up some good fiber.
Hey with enough spice and pepper - the fish is just a vehicle for the flavor! Smoke 'em if you got 'em boyz!
and remember what they sed in schoolhouse rock:
you are what you eat!
I already know when it’s freezing cold outside that you’re too dumb wear pants, why would I laugh at that?
At least I am not dumb enough to not get my grammar right BS. Do you fish at all or do you just lurk on these sites to start crap with anglers that actually contribute to these forums?
Growing up in Ohio I caught and ate suckers several times. When I moved to Utah I caught and cooked some I caught here and was disappointed that the taste and texture was not the quality I was used to.
To get around the bones we used to fillet them, remove all but the smallest bones, then grind the meat and make fish balls or patties.
That is pretty sweet man. Don’t think I have ever caught a sucker before. I live in rose park right next to the jordan. Just might have to go out one evening and see what I can catch a minute away from the house. All this talk about “trash” fish. My family is from Czechoslovakia and over there carp is actually the traditional Christmas dinner. Vendors would have big ole barrels of carp they caught for families to pick up for dinner. I have had carp quite a few times from different rivers and flaming gorge. I thought they tasted just fine. Just gotta clean and prepare them just like any other fish.
Anyways, thanks for the report and pictures. I’m going to have to try and see if I can catch something out of the jordan in the near future.
Just might have to go out one evening and see what I can catch a minute away from the house.
I’m going to have to try and see if I can catch something out of the jordan in the near future. [.img]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/...y.gif[/img]
GO FOR IT!!! The jordan is a favorite of mine. Look for the curves of the river and toss your bait in the swirrling eddies.
Try the river end of Rockport if you want to catch a sucker. I caught a huge one there this last fall…I was all excited, it was fighting like a really big trout…and then when I got it in it turned out to be this hoover-mouthed sucker.
More power to you all who eat 'em, but IMO in the fish world you are what you eat, and I’m not a fan of bottom feeders. [crazy]
Just curuious.. If you had no use for the fish prior to keeping it, why not just let it go? But then again i guess some people enjoy admiring fish through a plastic bag in there freezer.
Just curuious.. If you had no use for the fish prior to keeping it, why not just let it go? But then again i guess some people enjoy admiring fish through a plastic bag in there freezer.
Huh? It will become bait for other fish the Jordan River. There is your “use”. I will admire the future fish it catches as I eat them.
Leave him alone, Weston. There are a lot of people on here with varying viewpoints on catch and release. Keeping for bait a fish like a sucker, that many (if not most) people consider a trash fish, is hardly going to harm anything, and may even help remaining fish have more food.
Just like every hot button topic out there, there are extremes (ALWAYS catch and release…or keep EVERYTHING) but the truth is generally somewhere in the middle.
The state considers the sucker a “nongame fish” It’s not protected like the trout, bass, etc.
No need to get personal about anyone else’s viewpoints.
Congrats on adding another species to your angling resume.
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