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John's Journal... Entry 170, Day 3

GIGGING A SUCKER

The Styles of Gigging

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 illustrous 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.

There are two different styles of gigging - throwing and poking. A thrower usually has a wrist strap and a spring attached to the handle of his gig. When a thrower sees a sucker on the bottom he, will throw the gig at the sucker and with amazing accuracy and speed deliver the blow that takes the fish. But Black and his family prefer the more finesse style of sucker gigging called poking. "The faster you run the boat into the current, the less likely you are to spook the suckers you are trying to gig," Black explains. "When you see a sucker, you put your gig in the water, try and hold it about 6 inches above the sucker, lead him like you will lead a quail, and then poke the gig as hard as you can to stick the sucker."

My friend Alex Rutledge of Birch Tree, Missouri, had invited me to hunt suckers with him and the Black brothers. Having never been sucker gigging before, I wanted to watch and see what I was about to do. When the boat was launched, it was tied up to the bank. The generator in the boat was cranked to build up enough electricity to power the bright halogen lights under the deck. Once the lights were at full strength, we motored out into the current and ran upriver looking at the bottom. Although we did see suckers moving along the bottom, they were too deep to gig. However, when we moved into more-shallow water, the suckers were only 3-feet to 8-feet below the deck of the boat. The suckers are well-camouflaged. When they are lying on the bottom, they can look like a rock. However, when a light hits them, they will usually move left, right or straight ahead. When a gigger spots a sucker, he points in the direction the sucker is moving so the person who is steering the boat can direct the craft toward the fleeing fish. The gigger then puts his gig in the water, turning the gig head parallel to the bottom.

"You want the side of the gig (the narrow part) down in the water as you track the fish," Donald Black advises. "When you get the gig 6 to 8 inches from the fish and slightly ahead of the fish, you turn the gig so that the broad side of the gig is facing the fish to enable you to have more of the gig going into the fish when you poke him." I was amazed at the speed and accuracy with which Black was able to take suckers. He had four suckers gigged and in the boat before Rutledge connected with his first one. But then Rutledge caught on to the technique, and both men began to gig suckers.

Finally, I was asked if I wanted to gig a sucker. I was ready for the event. But the first thing I learned was those suckers are quick. They also dart from side to side. To take a sucker, you have to be ready and anticipate where the sucker will move before the sucker knows itself. For the first 10 or 15 minutes, each time I would drive the gig home, I was spearing rocks instead of suckers. The Current River flows swiftly. As the boat runs into the current, holding the gig steady and in front of the boat is not an easy task. However, with some practice and a lot of cheering by onlookers, I learned how to gig suckers. After the first fish or two, I was as hooked on sucker gigging as the veterans. In less than three hours, we had taken about 20 suckers and missed four times as many. There is plenty of action during a sucker-gigging trip and never a dull or boring moment.

A sucker fisherman is much like a bullfighter at a professional bull-riding event. There may be a lull in the action while the bulls are being loaded into the shoot and the cowboys are getting into position, but once the gate opens, you have to move quick and think fast. When you spot a sucker, you have to turn quickly, get your gig in the right position and be ready to make the strike. Even when all things are working well you still are going to miss some suckers from time to time. The suckers we were gigging were hog suckers and yellow suckers. Since most people don't eat suckers (mainly because they haven't tried them) I have learned that suckerfish are the finest fish if properly prepared. Now one of the main reasons for going sucker gigging is to have a fish fry. Every Friday night near Birch Tree, Missouri all the men and boys gather on the creek bank of the Current River for a sucker fry. After about an hour and a half of gigging, the first few boats start to show up at the designated spot where a big kettle of grease has already started to boil.

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: COOKING AND EATNG SUCKERS

 

 

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