One of the Most Elusive Fish in Fresh Water

   Today I headed down to the North Fork of the Rivanna armed with my ultralight, some #16 scud hooks, and some worms. I was after the one of the infamous species of fish known as suckers. However, I wouldn't be drowning big chunks of worm in the bottom of a muddy creek. The Northern Hogsucker is very different when compared to the white sucker that is normally caught by anglers. Hogsuckers are very skittish, and their feeding habits make them nearly impossible to catch on hook and line. Stealth is the most important thing to keep in mind when targeting these fish. It is best to spot them from a distance, then position yourself so that they will swim past while feeding. I target them in about 1 foot of fast flowing water over a sandy flat in the river. Usually I use 2-4 size bb split shot about a foot in front of my bait, and I slide a segment of a brightly colored trout magnet 3-4" up the line in front of the hook, so I can see exactly where my bait is.
   I try to position myself 5-10 yards away from the fish so that I can make a cast quartering downstream and allow the current to swing the bait in front of the fish, because a cast directly overhead of the fish would send it rocketing away in the opposite direction. I order to get the fish to take the bait (a tiny piece of worm) he has to swim (while feeding) nearly directly over the bait,  a worm placed an inch to the right or left of his mouth will normally be ignored. Sometimes it helps to move the bait a half an inch or so to catch the fish's attention, but sometimes it spooks the fish, and some fish simply don't eat the bait even if they touch it with their mouth.
    In 3 hours of fishing, I managed to land 2 hogsuckers, and I think I missed 3. The strikes can only be detected by sight, so it is very hard to know when to set the hook. I have only caught one other hogsucker before, in the same spot using the same techniques. I haven't targeted hogsuckers anywhere else, simply because it is hit-or-miss, if you don't have the right conditions, you might as well give up on them. If you have hogsuckers in your area, I suggest giving them a try, it definitely will be unlike any other fish you have targeted. Thanks for reading!