Colorado Fish Species: Longnose Sucker

Description
This is an elongated, cylindrical sucker; head tapering into a long snout overhanging the mouth; mouth ventral, no notch or indentation at lateral connection of upper and lower lips, thick upper lip with 5-8 rows of papillae, median indentation of lower lip complete; dorsal fin not falcate with 10-12 rays; scales are small in size, crowded near head, larger near the tails; more than 90 scales along lateral line. Adults are generally dark, olive, or grey on the back shading to white on the ventral surface. During spawning periods, males and females develop a broad lateral band that is wine red in color. Young are dark tan in color.Longnose reach a length of 9 inches in two years. Maximum length can be 30 inches and the fish may weigh several pounds (Beckman 1952).

Range in Colorado
In Colorado, the species is native to the East Slope. Introduction to West Slope waters has expanded the range of the longnose sucker. As with the white sucker, the longnose has replaced and hybridized with species native to the West Slope.

Habitat
Common in both lakes and streams, the longnose is found in warm and cold waters. In the South Platte River, longnose suckers are usually found in the same areas as white suckers (Propst 1982). Although found in both pool and riffle areas, longnose suckers are apt to be in waters near areas of moderate to high flow velocities.

Courtesy of Natural Diversity Information Source, CDOW

Colorado State records for sucker
Kept                    23.25 inches, 4 lb 5.5 oz
Released          open

Master Angler minimum qualifying length is 18 inches