In Need Of Buffalo And Sucker Help/fly Fishing

[esox niger]

If i hadnt caught two buffalo in the last couple of days id say they were as impossible to catch as the asians...ive certainly done way more than my fair share of casting and why those two fish bit when no other fish would look at my fly is beyond me. does anyone have any tips on sight fishing to buffalo or redhorse suckers? I caught both fish on the same fly....green maribou tail hackled body and big black bead chain eyes on about a size 8 streamer hook....looks kinda like a damselfy nymph mostly but could pass as many things i guess. for the most part I see fish nose down in the gravel or rocks or in the riffles feeding....but i cant get their attention with anything. the two fish i did catch were a little different.....one was in riffles with its buddy and they must have nosed up to move or something and i put the fly about a foot and a half up and they both "bolted" so to speak in the direction of the fly ....i thought they were scared but hooked one in the mouth....the other was in an edy with his buddys up off the bottom. however, 95% of the fish I see are nose down unresponsive to much of anything. all i can think is I have to dead drift something on the bottom right to the fishes nose. (im good but when i cant see my nymph it gets hard) and these fish dont seem to be looking upstream...more focused on their noses which are in the dirt. what does a guy have to do catch these fish? anyone any good at catching these guys? id love to find out how its done and what flies work well. im trying to tie up some good baby clam flies. but i realy dont know what i should be throwing.

Thanks

[ekl-stl]

I had some luck at the lake of the ozarks with bright clousers on the bottom where the buffalo were feeding. You may want to try bright colored glo-balls as well.. They seem to be inquisitive feeders rather than searching for a specific food item.

[esox niger]

I had some luck at the lake of the ozarks with bright clousers on the bottom where the buffalo were feeding. You may want to try bright colored glo-balls as well.. They seem to be inquisitive feeders rather than searching for a specific food item.

Thanks for the tip....i did try one bright yellow glow ball with no luck. they seem so focused on the 2 square inches around their mouths its tricky to get the fly in the box but i will keep at it and try different things till i get it. as a note I have had some luck with grass carp on a cream colored egg pattern. lately ive had luck on both common and grass carp with a brown holographic dubbed leach...i actualy call them sculpins but they are basicly a dubed wooly bugger with lead eyes. that fly has been money with white bass and catfish as well. a great all around fly. i got that pattern from stu tompsons DDH leach. Im going to try that in smaller sizes and colors and see if i cant increase my number of hookups. fyi...ive got a post over on warmfly.com thats gotten a couple more responses if anyones interested in checking it out

[ekl-stl]

I imagine they are just feeding on algea.. That might be why it is tough to get a hook up.. Those that I have had luck with seem to be curious more than anything.. But they are only curious once, then they spook from the same fly. I wonder if glass eggs would work.

[esox niger]

I imagine they are just feeding on algea.. That might be why it is tough to get a hook up.. Those that I have had luck with seem to be curious more than anything.. But they are only curious once, then they spook from the same fly. I wonder if glass eggs would work.

Hey budy! i think you may have hit the nail on the head with your algea coment. Im starting to think that a surprise attack may be the way to illicit a curiosity response. maybe a slightly noisy entrance close to their head. thought ive gotten plenty of responses over on warmfly.com about dead drifting nymphs...so im still not sure, gota get out there and spend some time to figure this one out. (you had any luck over at creve couer lake with the carp?)

[ekl-stl]

i have not had any time to ge back.. Only been out to a private pond to try some new flies.. Been working on a foam/deer hair mouse for trout that I wanted to test out.. it was too big to hook any bluegill and the bass were no where to be found.

[Gavin]

Havent fished for buffalo...but it appears that they are mainly a plankton feeders....

http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/mofwis...aspx?id=0100011

Small inverts, crayfish, or worms might work...or you might have to draw a reaction strike.

Suckers appear to be more carnivorous...mostly small inverts and aquatic worms....

http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/mofwis...aspx?id=0100128

Good luck with your quest.

[esox niger]

Havent fished for buffalo...but it appears that they are mainly a plankton feeders....

http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/mofwis...aspx?id=0100011

Small inverts, crayfish, or worms might work...or you might have to draw a reaction strike.

Suckers appear to be more carnivorous...mostly small inverts and aquatic worms....

http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/mofwis...aspx?id=0100128

Good luck with your quest.

yeah , they are a major pain in the but to fish to. ive realy only been using larger flies. i think maybe i should use some little scuds or something...even with that said....ive never seen them even react to flies droped right in their faces...like no interest or curiosity. i think they mostly graze the gravel and filter it out. i dont think they realy chase much...unless you get realy lucky.

[theokieangler]

yeah , they are a major pain in the but to fish to. ive realy only been using larger flies. i think maybe i should use some little scuds or something...even with that said....ive never seen them even react to flies droped right in their faces...like no interest or curiosity. i think they mostly graze the gravel and filter it out. i dont think they realy chase much...unless you get realy lucky.

Buffalo are on my list of fish I really want to catch... haven't been able to locate any accessible to me around here... but there is some good info on buffalo on This blog (along with basically all other rough fish too)

It's been very helpful to me and I'm sure you'd think so too. Tons of creative rough fishin' flies...

[esox niger]

Buffalo are on my list of fish I really want to catch... haven't been able to locate any accessible to me around here... but there is some good info on buffalo on This blog (along with basically all other rough fish too)

It's been very helpful to me and I'm sure you'd think so too. Tons of creative rough fishin' flies...

Hey Oakie whats up budy. I knew what that link was going to be before i ever clicked it. yeah hes got a great blog...ive been checkin his stuff out all summer. I just got some furry foam and ive been tying up his darth clam. I have a hunch im onto something with the clams...couple days ago i went out with some makeshift clams just using what i had. the best one, which wasnt very durable, i made outa thinskin (brown mottled plastic) some lead eyes and a little white rabit fur for the foot of the clam. i cleany hooked up with a drum up in the shallows then i believe i got not one but two bites from buffalo. I may be on to something, but im not 100% those two werent snagged but i dont think they were. i was using alot of weight and casting down below me in the river. the sinkers and fly would catch up on the bottom towards the bottom of the drift. then its just a matter of breaking it loose and letting it catch so the fly is sitting on the bottom as close to the fish as possible. i need to try this fly some more . Im even thinking about tying them two or three in a row just to increase my efficiency. i will post when i find out if my hunch is right. thanks for the tip its a good one. anyone interested in rough fish should check the site. lots of ideas if you like to tie.