Possible Sucker Fish on the Middle Provo? Any thoughts?

[uintakoji]

So I caught three of these on the Middle Provo Wednesday afternoon using a black stonefly nymph. It was released after giving the biggest fight I've had in that river. Anyone else seen these in the Middle Provo before? If it's a June Sucker, I thought they only existed in Utah Lake.
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[Utcatman]

Almost all of our river large systems have natural utah suckers in them.

They are usually grey colored.. but when the live in clear water freestone rivers with typically dark bottom they look really dark like that one... tons of em in the weber and Ogden river.
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[uintakoji]

After a little research...my guess is that it is a June Sucker. I've attached a pics of a Utah and June Sucker from the Utah Proclamation.
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[fishinfool]

Doesn't surprise me, Jordanelle is full of suckers? there bound to get down stream.

fnf[cool]
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[chickendude1234]

looking at those pictures I may have to go with june sucker too. The shape of the anal, caudal, pectoral, and dorsal fins look more juney than utahy. and the dark color while not a determining factor does point in that direction too.

I'd try to e-mail the pics to someone at the DWR. I'm sure they've got someone who could tell you and I bet they'd be interested to know anywhere unusual that Juneys are being caught.
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[Fishrmn]

Forget color. Forget fins. Look at the mouth. Does it point down? If it does, it's not a June Sucker. If it points forward it's a Junie. My guess from the first pic is Utah Sucker, not a June Sucker.
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[Fishrmn]

The suckers in Jordanelle came from the Provo River, not vice versa. They've been in the river forever.
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[sinergy]

Could be a junie Each spring, biologists capture adult June sucker in the Provo River spawning. June sucker adults leave Utah Lake and swim up the Provo River to spawn in June of each year.

email

Utah Natural Heritage Program Database Zoologist - Ben Sutter; bensutter@utah.gov maybe he can get you confirmation.

Oh and if it is a June Sucker CONGRATZ I dont think Ive ever seen a junie caught & photographed on this board.
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[Bigyfan]

that is 100% a junie

here is an image from DWR and the image you posted

<img src="http://www.mitigationcommission.gov/native/images/june_sucker.jpg">

<img src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb368/bigyfan/sucker.jpg">

notice the difference??? wait there is no difference

contrast that with a Utah sucker

<img src="http://www.redorbit.com/modules/imglib/resize.php?Url=/modules/reflib/article_images/0_47643c613589eaf476ace54a90888afc.jpg&resize_type=fixed&width=250&height=180">
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[uintakoji]

Thx for the info. I'll check with him.
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[doggonefishin]

It looks to me like it is just a Utah sucker. I have caught a lot of them over the years. The coloration matches and no offense, but the mouth does not match the Junies. The middle has a healthy population of these.

http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/Search/...m=catoarde


RE" Could be a junie Each spring, biologists capture adult June sucker in the Provo River spawning. June sucker adults leave Utah Lake and swim up the Provo River to spawn in June of each year. "


And swim through Deer creek dam, across DC and up the middle? Probably not.
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[Bigyfan]

[quote doggonefishin] And swim through Deer creek dam, across DC and up the middle? Probably not.[/quote]

hey if the white bass did it, then why not????
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[ChubbyChaser]

I have to agree with BigYfan, looks almost identical other than a little color variance.
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[doggonefishin]

RE: "hey if the white bass did it, then why not????"


With the help of a bucket biologist. I doubt a bucket biologist is going to be interested in moving around June suckers.

Hey, you guys go ahead and believe what you want. Far be it for me to ruin your parade.[cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Utah sucker in spawning colors. They have been in the entire Provo River system forever.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Junies are done and gone for this year. Back out in the lake.[/#0000ff]
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[uintakoji]

RE: "And swim through Deer creek dam, across DC and up the middle? Probably not"...

LOL. I was thinking the same thing.
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[sinergy]

[quote doggonefishin]And swim through Deer creek dam, across DC and up the middle? Probably not.[/quote]

I dont know I try to keep and open mind to things Ive seen and experencied to many strange things deny mother nature the possibilities of anything. That being said anything is possible people have caught bass out of the Weber add in the record high flows and who knows were a fish could end up. [sly]

Im no biologist or zoologist but hence the posting of the email address of the zoologist to get confirmation.

"Jackie Watson, a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologist, said she was impressed with the June sucker's rapid response to the diversion modifications.

"I have never seen June sucker this far upstream," Watson said. "We are thrilled to see this many June sucker spawn past the diversion. We thought it would take years before we would see fish this far up the river.
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[walleyebob]

Looks like a Junie to me. Where do you call the middle Provo river?
One thing, Junies have real soft mouths. Hooks tend to rip out real easy. I caught a bunch of them in the Spanish Fork river when I was a young feller.
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[Coldfooter]

Gotta side with you on this one. Weird huh?
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[doggonefishin]

RE"I dont know I try to keep and open mind to things instead of denying the possibilities I seen and experencied to many strange things to deny mother nature the possibilities. That being said anything is possible people have caught bass out of the Weber add in the record high flows and who knows were a fish could end up. "


Keeping an open mind is one thing, but asserting the extremely improbable, while ignoring the likely is another matter altogether. Mother nature does amazing things, but she tends to work in a more orderly way than some are willing to accept. Getting washed downstream (through the outflow or over a spillway) is a far more expected way of travel than trying to go upstream. Smallies have been in the Weber for some time after they were put in Rockport. Totally different than trying to swim up through some turbines against the flow.


RE""Jackie Watson, a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologist, said she was impressed with the June sucker's rapid response to the diversion modifications.

"I have never seen June sucker this far upstream," Watson said. "We are thrilled to see this many June sucker spawn past the diversion. We thought it would take years before we would see fish this far up the river."

I know Jackie. I heard her give the presentation cited above with my own ears. The diversion she is referring to is only about 2-3 miles or so above the Provo river inlet to UL. The biologists have tracked how far they are going up the river. Sorry to tell you but none of them have been tracked as far as the mouth of Provo canyon. If they even reached that far, it would be enormous news.

Like I said before though, go ahead and believe whatever you want.
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