Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019 - 11

by Carl Haensel

photos by the author

As we walked along the creek at
dawn, we thought we saw steelhead
at first. Dozens of large fish were
lined up in the shallow tail of a deep
pool on the creek. As we approached,
the fish moved up into the pool.
The fish were suckers, up from the
lake to spawn, just like steelhead.
In several Lake Erie tributaries,
it is common to see hundreds of
suckers. However, on this day, we
only saw a few. Elk Creek, Erie
County, is a particularly good place
to find suckers. Whenever suckers
are around in the spring, steelhead
are found eating the eggs. Packing a
protein-rich punch, some steelhead
seem to favor suckers over all
other options. On some days,
fishing with a Sucker Spawn can
produce fast fishing like no other
time. The eggs of White Suckers,
River Redhorse and other similar
species are tiny and yellow. While
single eggs are too small to imitate,
eggs are often found in clumps and
readily mimicked by looped yellow
yarn tied to a hook. This classic
way to imitate natural eggs works
well in many situations and leads
to some great hookups throughout
the season. While real sucker spawn
is often only around in the spring,
the fly can work well at any time of
the year. It is a great pattern to have
in your arsenal when fishing Erie
streams. In the low water periods
of late fall and early winter, it can be
the difference between a fishless day
and a productive afternoon. Fishing
the Sucker Spawn is easy, and it can
be dead drifted through deep runs,
pools and riffles, like many other
steelhead patterns. Fishing it similar
to classic egg-shaped yarn fly is a
good bet most of the season. Look
for steelhead that are holding with
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suckers in the back of a large pool
for some of the fastest action. Some
anglers like to add a bead to their
Sucker Spawn patterns, making the
flies more effective when fished
plain. Try using both red and orange
thread as an underbody for the
fly. Lighter colors are often more
successful when the steelhead are in
a picky mood.

Tying the Sucker Spawn
Materials
Hook: Scud hook in sizes 6-10
Thread: 6/0 red or orange
fly tying thread
Rib: Fine copper wire
Body: Red or orange thread
Eggs: Light yellow Antron yarn
Bead: Optional 1/8-inch brass bead
Tail: Krystal Flash

1 Begin the fly by threading the

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bead onto the hook, if desired.
Next, secure the hook in the vise.
Attach the thread to the hook
behind the bead.
Tie in Krystal Flash for the tail of
the fly, trimming it to about 1/2 inch
on a size 8 hook. Tie on the wire,
leaving it hanging back toward the
rear of the hook. Add the light yellow
Antron yarn to imitate the eggs.
Wrap the thread over the entire
shank of the hook to the front,
then back to the rear of the hook.
Create a loop of light yellow Antron
yarn about ¼ inch high, then tie
it off with thread. Progress up the
shank of the hook by tying in more
yarn loops, ending just before the
eye of the hook.
Wrap the wire into each segment of
the loops, helping secure the Antron
yarn. Trim off excess at the front.
Whip finish the fly.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2019

11
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019

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