White suckers have a long slender body with silvery colored sides and a white belly. The mouth points down, allowing the fish to suck food from the bottom. The head is rounded between the eyes. White Suckers average about a pound but fish of up to 7 pounds have been caught. 

White suckers are present in many habitats, from large windswept lakes to tiny, springfed trout streams. In small streams, white suckers are usually found in slower, deeper sections of the stream, though actively feeding fish often can be seen finning in the main channel. All good trout streams have healthy populations of white suckers - the young of which provide food for the largest trout in the stream. In larger rivers, white suckers roam the rocky flats or congregate in eddies and current breaks. In lakes, suckers often spend most of the year roaming the bottom in deep water. In the springtime, they migrate into streams connected to the lake to find spawning gravel. Suckers spawn in shallow riffles. In some lakes, all the suckers in the lake may spawn on a single patch of sandy gravel where a trickle of water flows out. 

White suckers can be caught on just about any tackle. The most effective method is light or ultralight spinning tackle. Four to six pound test monofilament should be used, along with small, sharp hooks. Worms or live aquatic nymphs are the best baits for suckers. Fish directly on the bottom, either with a stationary rig with a sliding sinker, or with a drifting rig that moves along the bottom with the current.

White suckers eat mostly insect larvae, just like trout do, so a wide variety of trout flies will work very well for suckers. But while the trout will almost always key in on insects either on or in the surface film, or drifting freely in the current, suckers concentrate on insects that are on, or very close to, the bottom. Tiny clams, crustaceans, and worms are also prime sucker fare. Invariably, these morsels are snatched from on or near the bottom. Weighted versions of the Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, the Pheasant Tail, Scud patterns, San Juan Worms, and caddis Pupae are all good choices for pursuing suckers. Nymphs sized from 16 to 12 are perfect for suckers, but sometimes slightly bigger or smaller flies may take more fish. Suckers utilize many different portions of a stream. They may feed heavily in productive riffles, but it’s difficult to catch them there. Riffles are the most productive areas of the stream. That’s why a lot of the most spectacular fly hatches occur in or near riffles. Trout like to snatch drifting nymphs in riffles, but suckers do not. Why? Well, my theory is that the sucker, unlike the trout, doesn’t have to wait for food to drift in it’s direction. Suckers have the ability to feed in and among the rocks and snags on the bottom of the riffle, scraping stationary food right off the surface of the rocks. Trout can’t feed on these firmly attached clinging nymphs until they decide to hatch. Suckers will even wedge their heads under or between rocks to get at critters hiding in the crevices. For a sucker, a drifting nymph in fast water is not worth the effort it takes to chase it down. Suckers in slow water are much more vulnerable to flies. Here, insect life is scarce, and food critters drifting just above the bottom are easy for suckers to catch. All they must do is turn their heads and inhale the free food. Fortunately, it’s fairly common to find a pod of large suckers fining in a slow-flowing pool or deep run. So let’s say you’ve found yourself a fine pod of large suckers in a nice, slow section of water, or a good pool that looks like it should hold some. What’s next? In my opinion, any rig that gets the fly down to the fish and moves it along drag-free will work. For many people, this is a shot-and-indicator rig. Others forego the indicator and fish by feel. Both methods will work, as long as the fly is traveling right along the bottom at the same speed as the current. My favorite tactic is to fish an indicator rig directly upstream or slightly across, allowing the offering to drift down through the school of suckers. The take of a white sucker is very subtle. If using an indicator, watch it closely. The indicator will either pause or dip for a fraction of a second before the fish spits out the fly. Suckers have an amazing sense of taste and will reject a fake insect almost instantly. If not using an indicator, you’ll need to develop a sixth sense to detect strikes. Wait for a slight hesitation in drift, a slight increase or decrease in tension, or a small tap on the line. In either case, you must strike quickly, but softly, to avoid breaking your tippet. The average sucker weighs several pounds, so be ready for battle! The fight of a sucker is usually a series of strong, determined runs, but occasionally they will surprise you by jumping and even tailwalking when hooked. Have a net handy to help get the fish under control. The rubbery lips of the sucker hold hooks well, so be sure to bring a forceps along to disgorge hooks. Barbless hooks are easier to remove. Suckers are quite hardy when hooked on flies, so feel free to snap a photo or two of your catch. And congrats, catching white suckers on flies is a challenge that few anglers pursue. 

Winter is a great time to go after white suckers with a flyrod.  They are usually podded up and although VERY light-biting at this time, you can often make some good catches. 

Geographic Range Map of the White Sucker in North America