Flannelmouth Sucker

Overview

The flannelmouth sucker is a large native sucker of the Colorado River basin, increasingly appreciated by anglers who value native desert fish and light-tackle action. A hardy survivor of harsh southwestern rivers, it is a distinctive catch on the fly or bait.

Identification

Flannelmouth suckers are slender and greenish-bronze with a pale belly and large, thick, fleshy lips built for bottom feeding - the "flannel" mouth of the name. They can grow surprisingly large in big rivers.

Range & Habitat

They are native to the Colorado River basin of the Southwest, holding in the current of large rivers and streams over sand, gravel and cobble.

Behavior & Diet

Flannelmouth suckers use their fleshy lips to vacuum insect larvae, algae and detritus from the riverbed, holding near the bottom in flowing water.

Best Seasons

Best fishing is spring through fall in flowing water, with spring spawning movements concentrating fish.

How to Catch Them

Bottom-drifted worms, small nymphs and bait presented near the riverbed; they are a fun light-tackle and fly target once located.

Tackle & Rigs

Light spinning or fly gear, 4-8 lb line, small hooks and bottom presentations.

Landing, Handling & Release

Handle wet and release most fish - native suckers are best conserved, and some populations are of concern.

Table Quality

Edible but bony; most anglers release them, valuing them as native river fish rather than table fare.

What Costs Anglers Bites

Dismissing suckers as trash fish and missing a rewarding native river species.

Regulations & Conservation

A native of conservation interest in some waters, with rules that vary; hybridization and habitat loss are concerns. Confirm current regulations before keeping fish. We do not give legal advice.

FAQ

What do flannelmouth suckers eat, and how big do they get? They are bottom fish that spend most of their time near the river floor foraging; larvae eat copepods and other plankton, filamentous algae and other small invertebrates. Adults can reach 26 inches (66 cm) and about 8 pounds (3.6 kg), among the largest of all suckers, and because they are so sensitive to water quality they serve as the indicator species for the Green and San Juan rivers (Wikipedia).

Why target a sucker? Native-fish appreciation and fun light-tackle action in desert rivers.

Good eating? Bony - most anglers release them.