An angler from Michigan was caught last week hiding lead weights in his fish during the Omer Suckerfest, an annual sucker fishing competition along the Rifle River.
Despite being Michigan’s Smallest City, Omer is a busy strip of shoreline in April, Lance Tenwalde told MeatEater. Tenwalde grew up participating in Suckerfest, and he still holds fond memories of it. In order to participate in the spawning migration of white suckers coming up river from Lake Huron, anglers travel from across the state and beyond.
Aside from naming the Sucker King and Queen, prizes are awarded to participants with the heaviest fish. This year’s top prize was $1,000.
During the tournament, one of the participants noticed that another angler submitted a fish that appeared to weigh more than it should. That participant notified the tournament director, Deric Rogers, who decided to dissect the 4.89-pound white sucker’s belly. Although he did not find anything in the fish’s belly, he did find lead weights stuffed directly behind the gills of the head.
With all the recent news of last year’s walleye tourney cheaters, I can’t imagine the size of the gonads on a guy that tried the same play this soon after all that,” Tenwalde said.
Suckerfest took place just seven months after the most famous walleye cheating scandal ever, in which two fishermen weighed their catch with several pounds of lead sinkers. That event took place about 200 miles south on Lake Erie.
According to Outdoor News, the cheater admitted stuffing his suckers. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said that no fishing laws were broken, and Rogers said he won’t pursue the matter any further.
The fact that we caught him cheating and called him out on it will be shame enough for me. My focus is on the hundreds of families who come out to enjoy the tournament and the memories that kids will cherish forever.”
According to tournament organizers, they did not reveal the cheater’s name because “he was young, and we believe that he was influenced by those around him.” The cheater has been banned from the tournament for five years.
When the cheater was disqualified, two second place finishers tied for first, one of whom was Liliana of Gladwin, MI, a 12-year-old. According to a Facebook post from the tournament, her fish weighed 4.91 pounds and measured 22.25 inches, earning her the nickname the Sucker Slayer.
“I am glad he and the 12-year-old girl tied for the first place prize,” Tenwalde said. “As a father of two young daughters, this story frustrates me and makes me happy for the outcome.”
There are white suckers and long-nosed suckers in almost all of Michigan’s rivers, including trout streams, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. In the spring, they spawn upstream, often before the ice melts from lakes. Anglers target them with earthworms in the deep holes beneath riffles during the Suckerfest every year.
The MeatEater contributor Kubie Brown wrote in a 2022 article that suckers are an under-utilized and under-appreciated fish that can give anglers a chance to twist their rods when other species are scarce. “Though they’re not the prettiest of fish, they will put up a similar fight to an average-sized trout when hooked, and if you’re willing to pick around the bones, they’re a good food source.”
Sources: Themeateater
