Michigan Flies

Flies / Egg

Sucker Spawn

S

Loops of angora or knitting yarn imitating the 2 to 3 mm pale-yellow egg clusters of white suckers and redhorse, which spawn late April into late May (peak around May 10 in the Detroit River study) on the same gravel trout and drop-back steelhead use. Betts reports over 100,000 redhorse ascending the Muskegon in May and June with big trout feeding behind the redds, and Current Works and Betts both fish pale yellow sucker spawn for spring steelhead and walleye eggs. Fish it #10 to #14 under an indicator directly below sucker redds; the U.P. window runs into June.

#10–16Pale yellowCreamPeachLight golden
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Sucker Spawn tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © Quinn for Fly Deal Flies, used with permission · Sucker Spawn White

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

Eggs

  • White and longnose sucker eggs3–3.1 mm
  • Redhorse sucker eggs
  • Walleye eggs2–2.1 mm
  • Steelhead eggs4–5 mm
Fish it for
SteelheadBrown troutRainbow trout (resident)

Setups

  • Indicator nymphing
  • Chuck and duck
  • Euro / tight-line nymphing
How it's tied
A
A row of small yarn loops up the shank imitating a clump of sucker or trout eggs. Pale yellow versions match the spring sucker spawn that Michigan steelhead and browns key on. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by Orvis Learning Center.

Materials

Hook
Dai-Riki 125 2X-short emerger, size 12 or 14 (Orvis); TMC 2457 8 to 12, Gamakatsu C14S 8 to 12 or TMC 105 6 to 10 (Kraimer); Daiichi 1120 12 to 16 (Troutbitten)Our sizes 10 to 16.
Thread
UTC 70 denier red (Orvis); Uni 6/0 Light Cahill (Kraimer); Uni 8/0 Fire Orange (Troutbitten)A red or orange thread shows through pale yarn as a nucleus when wet.
Body
Angora rabbit yarn in salmon egg and flesh (Orvis); Needleloft craft yarn in yellow and light yellow (Kraimer); or acrylic craft yarn such as Caron Simply Soft in Sunshine, Soft Pink or Cream (Troutbitten)Our colours: pale yellow, cream, peach, light golden. Use one ply of each of two close colours.
Tailoptional
A few strands of pearl Krystal Flash, trimmed to shank length
Head cementoptional
Thin cement on the whip finish

Steps

  1. 1.Debarb the hook and lay a thread base from just behind the eye back to above the point or barb.
  2. 2.If you want the flash tail, tie two or three strands of pearl Krystal Flash on top at the rear and trim them to shank length.
  3. 3.Cut 3 to 5 in of each of two yarn colours. With craft yarn, untwist it and pull out a single ply of each colour. Square off the ends together.
  4. 4.Tie both strands in by their ends at the rear tie-in point with several tight wraps, so they lie on top of the shank pointing back.
  5. 5.Twist the strands together slightly, fold them forward into a small loop, and bind the loop down with two wraps just ahead of it; then take two more wraps directly in front of the loop to lock it in place.
  6. 6.Repeat, moving forward a wrap or two each time and letting each loop lean to alternate sides of the shank. Make the middle loops a little taller than the ones at either end so the cluster is oval rather than a bar.
  7. 7.Stop a few wraps short of the eye, trim the yarn, build a neat small head, whip finish with five or six turns and cut the thread. Cement the head.

From the tier

  • The Orvis tier ties the middle loops tallest and carries the fly in several colour variations; MidCurrent notes the loop style is forgiving of sloppy tying.
  • Ted Kraimer (Current Works): in Northern Michigan it stands in for walleye and sucker spawn in spring; tie it in oranges and larger sizes for steelhead or salmon eggs and it becomes a heavy fly.
  • Jeff Schaeffer's history: the pattern began in eastern Pennsylvania in the 1970s as a cream trout fly, a detail Lefty Kreh confirmed to him; he keeps a few cream ones for misty days with a slight stain, and calls blaze orange acrylic a killer for steelhead. Domenick Swentosky fishes it unweighted under split shot because eggs cannot swim.

Salmon & Steelhead Fly Patterns - Sucker Spawn (Pattern & Tying Instructions) Steps summarize the Orvis Learning Center video description and Kraimer's Current Works tutorial; Schaeffer's blog supplied the history. The Orvis transcript names the presenter only as Tim. Unconfirmed: No individual originator is named in any source. Also checked against Ted Kraimer, Current Works Guide Service, How to Tie the Sucker Spawn Fly Pattern, Jeff Schaeffer, River Raisin Rods (2013), The original and sadly forgotten sucker spawn fly pattern, Domenick Swentosky, Troutbitten (2019), Troutbitten Fly Box - The Sucker Spawn and MidCurrent, How to Tie Egg Flies for Salmon & Steelhead.

Materials to buy
Everything one Sucker Spawn takes, each item once: 3 items, plus 2 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • Short scud or emerger hook1

    size 10 to 16 · Dai-Riki, TMC, Daiichi or Gamakatsu

    Hook

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Angora rabbit yarn or acrylic craft yarnabout 5 in per fly, two colours

    pale yellow, cream, peach, light golden · Caron Simply Soft or Needleloft if using craft yarn

    Body

  • Krystal Flashoptional2 to 3 strands

    pearl

    Tail

Thread and finish

  • Tying thread1 spool

    70 denier red, 6/0 Light Cahill or 8/0 Fire Orange · UTC or Uni

    Thread

  • Head cementoptional1 bottle

    Head cement

Sources