White Sucker
White Sucker in Arkansas represents the southernmost extent of this species' range, occurring primarily in the northern boundary counties.
Arkansas populations are not common and serve as important forage for larger predatory fish like walleye, trout, bass, northern pike, catfish, muskellunge, and sauger.
Scientific Name: Catostomus commersonii
- Slender, terete fish features a distinctive deep median lower lip notch with zero to three rows of papillae at the middle of the lower lip, olive-brown to black coloration above with very small dusky-edged scales, and grows up to 46 cm (18 inches) long weighing 2.7 to 3.2 kg (6-7 lbs).
Fishing in Arkansas
Lake Conway
Arkansas River
Fourche LaFave River
Bayou Meto
Greers Ferry Lake
Lake Dardanelle
Petit Jean River
Little Red River
Saline River
Lake Ouachita
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Occurs primarily in the northern boundary counties in the upper Arkansas, Illinois, and White river systems.
Key Locations
- Upper Arkansas, White, and Illinois river systems in the northern boundary counties.
Specific Spots
- Spring pools and spring-fed feeder creeks with heavy submerged vegetation and gravel bottoms.
- Concentrate efforts around current breaks, eddies, deep pools, and areas behind logjams and downed trees where suckers rest and feed.
White Sucker FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for White Sucker in Arkansas?
Small pieces of garden worms or nightcrawlers work best as bait, threaded onto the hook or stuck through the center.
What flies work for White Sucker in Arkansas?
Patterns that sink quickly to match their natural food sources - nymph patterns, worm flies like San Juan Worms, e.g.g patterns like Glo-Bugs or Nuclear Eggs, and small flies resembling scuds, chironomids, and aquatic insect larvae.
When is the best time to fish for White Sucker in Arkansas?
Spring before the April-May spawning period begins, and again in late spring through summer after spawning concludes. During the 6-week spawning period, fish should not be targeted as they focus entirely on reproduction rather than feeding.
How do you catch White Sucker in Arkansas?
Fish on the bottom, allowing the sinker to bounce gently with the current. In clear water use smaller presentations; in murky water scale up.
What do White Sucker eat?
Omnivorous bottom feeders, using their fleshy, protrusible lips to vacuum food from the substrate including detritus, bottom-dwelling organisms like crustaceans, worms, larval aquatic insects, chironomid larvae, mayflies, mollusks, algae, plant matter, and fish e.g.gs.
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