Description Despite their name, all the Carpsuckers: Quillback Carpsucker,  River Carpsucker, and the   Highfin  Carpsucker are unrelated to the Common carp. To help distinguish between the species, note that the carpsuckers have no barbels ("whiskers"). Additionally, carpsuckers have a distinctive dorsal  fin on   which the front rays are longer than the rear. The quillback has a stout body that looks like half carp and half sucker. The sucker-like mouth is on the underside of the head. The back is arched and  the lateral line  is  nearly straight. Quillback are silvery on the sides and have a white belly. Biology  Carpsuckers spawn between early April and late May in small creeks and   dredged ditches with a width of 10 feet or less. The eggs are randomly deposited over a sand  or mud bottoms and left in quiet water. Females lay between 15,000 to 60,000 eggs. Adults   feed on filamentous algae, consuming large quantities of single-celled algae, protozoans and  small crustaceans.  River Carpsuckers  average between 12 and 17 inches in length and   weigh up to 4 pounds. Inland lakes can produce fish of 10 pounds or more.  Quillbacks grow  to about two feet long and about 12 pounds.   Highfin is the smallest species of carpsucker,   seldom exceeding 12 inches in length and 1 pound in weight Distribution   The River Carpsucker is found throughout the Mississippi River Valley and Gulf coast  streams of the United States.  Quillbacks are uncommon even though they range from the   Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River south along the Atlantic Coast to Virginia. They are  present in the Mississippi River watershed, and in Gulf Coast watersheds.  The Highback   Carpsucker ranges from  the Lake Michigan drainage and Mississippi River basin from Ohio  to Minnesota and southeastern South Dakota, and south to Louisiana; Atlantic Slope in Cape   Fear and Santee River drainages, North Carolina; Gulf Slope drainages from  Choctawhatchee River, Alabama and Florida, to Pearl River, Mississippi and Louisiana   Bowfishing Facts  The Carpsucker is rarely the fish that a bowfisherman sets out to shoot that day.  But often   times a bowfisherman cruising a large sluggish river comes upon schools of these small and  difficult targets.  In the water they can present a very difficult shot!  This is due to their profile    and behavior.  Their profile is nice and wide from the side but from the top they are thin and difficult to even see!  They are often more skittish than carp but sometimes come back to the    boat to swim along side!  Normally the fish are encounter when shooting Common Carp because they like similar habitats.  They are found in greater number however and can make    for some challenging bowfishing action!  There is no need for high poundage on the equipment here.  The fish are soft and easily pierced. They do often pull from the arrow due to their    spasmodic behavior when penetrated. [Home Page] [Links] [Species] [Tourneys] [Boat Rigs] [Photos] [Equipment] [Contact Us] [The Store]