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John's Journal... Entry 170, Day 2

GIGGING A SUCKER

Sucker-Gigging Equipment

EDITOR'S NOTE: One of the most-unique ways of taking fish in many states is gigging. Although some fishermen will curl their lips and stick up their noses at the thoughts of taking fish with a gig, more than likely these same fishermen have never been sucker gigging. In many areas of the country, gigging and eating suckers have a long and illustrious history. But I know of nowhere in the nation where the sport has evolved to a higher level than on the Current River in southeast Missouri. This week we will look at sucker gigging and learn, why, when, how and where folks go into the black night in aluminum boats with gigs to take suckers.

Early sucker giggers on the Current River used lighted pine knots to shine down in the water before the days of lanterns. Handmade wooden boats powered by strong backs and arms and handcrafted oars held the sucker giggers in the swift current and allowed the giggers to move in the shallow water to harvest a mess of suckers for a fish fry. However, today's modern sucker boats (that's right, there are boats built and designed strictly for sucker gigging) will rival a modern-day bass boat. A sucker boats is usually aluminum with a heavy-gauge aluminum-casting platform on the front. However, the deck is not used for casting. Around the deck is usually a metal railing about waist-high that's strongly reinforced to hold the weight of the gigger as he leans out over the front of the boat to deliver the stroke required to take the sucker. Many of the better, more-classy sucker boats will have extremely wide decks that are suitable for two to three giggers to stand and hunt from without getting in each others' way. Under the front deck of the boat, the modern-day sucker rig has from six to eight halogen lights -- extremely-bright, powerful white lights powered by a portable generator that sits in the bottom of the boat.

Here's another reason for having a wide boat with plenty of floor space. Just in front of the generator between the generator and the gigging deck is generally a large wooden box. When the suckers are gigged, they are brought into the boat, knocked off the gig and stay in the box until they are dressed and ready to be eaten. The box does not carry any ice because sucker gigging usually occurs in September through January when the weather is cool at night in Missouri, and there is very little chance of the fish spoiling. Powering this rig will usually be an engine of 35 horsepower or more. "You have to have a strong engine to run against the current so you can be headed upstream when you are gigging the suckers," Black explains. "If your boat is going downstream with the current, you will pass over the suckers before you have a chance to gig them."

Although you need all this equipment to get into a position to take the suckers, the gig head is one of the most important pieces of equipment that a sucker gigger can have. Although you may be able to gig suckers in the daytime, you actually can see the fish better at night. The suckers are well-camouflaged on the bottom and the only way to see them is when they move. A good fish gig can cost as much as $60-$100 or more. A sucker gig is about 10-15 feet long with a gig head on it. The handle is either made of wood or PVC pipe. Many of the older giggers on the Current River have become so accustomed to the feel and balance of a wooden-handled gig that they have been reluctant to change to a lighter-weight handles made of PVC pipe. These gigs are usually all handmade and hand-forged by blacksmiths. "A good gig, is made of highly-tempered hammered steel, and it won't bend or break when you hit the rock from the bottom on the Current River," Black says.

To learn more about gigging suckers on the Current River, you can contact Donald Black at P.O. Box 217, Van Buren, Missouri, 63965 or (573) 323-4033.

TOMORROW: THE STYLES OF GIGGING

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about GIGGING A SUCKER ...

Day 1 - Sucker-Gigging Season
Day 2 - Sucker-Gigging Equipment
Day 3 - The Styles of Gigging
Day 4 - Cooking and Eating Suckers
Day 5 - Divorce Biscuits for Dessert


John's Journal