Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Pike

I have had this in the back of my head for a long time also.

I was thinking the White Sucker may be a possible pond forage candidate for the sharp tooth torpedos. This is from PA Fishes Chapter 12:

"White Sucker Catostomus commersoni
Species overview: The white sucker is found across Pennsylvania. It is the most common and widely distributed sucker in the state. Its natural range is from northern Canada to Florida, throughout the uplands of eastern North America, and west to the Plains region. It grows large enough to be sought by anglers, who usually fish for them during the white sucker�s spring spawning run. The genus name �Catostomus� means �inferior mouth,� referring to the bottom position of the mouth on the head. The species name �commersoni� recognizes an early French naturalist, P. Commerson.



Identification: White suckers have a stout cylindrical or tube-shaped body. They reach a maximum length of about 24 inches and five pounds. The upper part of the head and back is olive-brown, shading to light-yellow. There is a dull, silvery sheen on the scales on the sides, and the belly is whitish. In the white sucker, the lower lip is wider than it is high, and is split into two parts. The rounded snout projects very little, or not at all, beyond the tip of the fleshy upper lip. There is a single dorsal fin with 10 to 13 soft rays. During spawning, the male white sucker�s back becomes olive with a bright-lavender sheen, and there is a band of pink or red along each side.

Habitat: White suckers live in many habitats, from cool, clear headwater streams to warm rivers, to lakes, ponds and reservoirs. They are tolerant of pollution, low oxygen and silted water. Not particularly choosy about their home, white suckers can be found in dense weed beds, or in the rocky pools and riffles of streams.

Life history: In spring, when water temperatures reach about 50 degrees, white suckers make their spawning runs, or migrations. They sometimes enter small gravel-bottomed streams by the thousands. The fish may home in on spawning sites they have visited before. The fish spawn from early May to early June, which has given the white sucker one of its nicknames, �June sucker.� In lakes, they spawn along the edges or on shallow shoals, over gravel.

Spawning runs take place at night, with the actual spawning done after dark as well, in shallow water, sometimes with the fish�s back out of the water. Two or more males spawn with each female, pressing against her as eggs and milt are released. The tiny, slightly adhesive eggs scatter over the gravel, generally 20,000 to 50,000 per female. The eggs adhere to the rocks or drift downstream before settling to the bottom. The motions of the spawning act disturb the gravel and help to cover the eggs slightly.

Neither parent cares for the eggs or young, which is typical of the sucker family. After they hatch, young white suckers remain in the safety of the gravel for a week or two. Then they move off. White suckers can grow rapidly with sufficient food, and they themselves are an important food for game fish. If not caught or eaten, white suckers can live up to 12 years.

White suckers are moderately active in the daytime, but do most of their feeding at sunrise and sunset, when they can move into shallow water in dim light. They are bottom-feeders. They eat both plant and animal material, like zooplankton, aquatic insects, mollusks and crustaceans. White suckers are schooling fish, and can sometimes be seen in groups in the pools of clear streams."

Smoked Suckers are actually quite tasty.