sauger Time

[KFC]

I am aware this is a crappie forum. We love to crappie fish and caught 18 keepers just the other day. I know fall is a good time to catch crappie, but fall/winter is also a good time to catch sauger. While we have been successful in catching crappie all year, I would like to diversify and catch a few sauger. They are pretty fine eating as well. I do not have any experience in catching sauger, but have heard the dams are a good place to do it. If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how to fish for sauger I'm all ears.

[ifish]

Welcome Kentucky Fried Crappie. I fish for them below the dams and the water has to be just right on flow. Takes a few trips to figure that out. I use 1 oz. to 1.5 sauger jigs tipped with a minnow. I would highly suggest you go with an experienced person on the dams. They are very dangerous and require a lot of respect especially the Ohio dams!! Ifish the Ohio if the flow is below 25 feet of dam. Water temp in the low 50's is when I start. Here is a link.
http://www.lrd-wc.usace.army.mil/Ohi...xt/lourpti.rpt

[sinkermaker]

Wish you the best of luck on your new adventure

[smithlaker]

In Alabama, below Guntersville dam is best on the coldest worst days. I've used black or brown bear hair jigs, 1/4 oz. down according to the flow. Tip with a minnow. Great eating...and Irish is correct, respect the water below these dams.

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[KFC]

Never fished Guntersville or Alabama, but I'm not prejudiced. I'll be happy to catch anybody's fish. I think traveling to different waters makes for a more well rounded angler. Learning different techniques may be successful on home waters. For instance, everything I've seen abt sauger fishing below the dams includes pitching heavy jigs tipped with minnows and jigging them back. We used to catch tons of walleye using a bottom bouncer with a spinner leader tipped with a minnow, leech, or berkley gulp. Those spinners ran abt 6-12 inches off the bottom abt 0.8-1.5 mph. If the current isn't too stiff at the dam might be able to go upstream drift down pulling those spinners. Dont know if it will work, but might be worth trying as a new look for the fish.

[M R Dux]

KFC,
Your best bet to learn about the sauger below the dams would be to contact Jim Doom in Grand Rivers. I don't have a number for him but he knows the tailwaters of all the dams like the back of his hand. I've been away from the sauger for a couple of decades chasing snow geese and ducks when the sauger were hot.

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

We fish for sauger at Pickwick and also a little further north using minnow tipped 1 to 1 1/2 oz bucktail jigs. We drift with the current and bump bottom. By the end of the day, the paint will be completely worn off the jig heads from bumping that rocky bottom. It's a lot of fun even if it is cold fishin!

[kycreek]

Same thing up here in the Ohio river. Bumping bottom with jigs/Minnows or blade baits. Little George’s will catch a few also.


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[callen]

Here are a couple of one ounce jigs I tie for Sauger. I put a trailer hook on them, and tip with a minnow. The pink and orange seems to work the best for me.

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[KFC]

Nice looking jigs. Ive never tried tying my own but they gotta be cheaper than the the ones i saw for $2.19 each. We bought some plain 1oz jigs and painted pink, red, purple, and chartreuse. Got some 4 inch curly tail grubs to go with them only bought 20-25 to start. Figured that was as good a place to start as any. Thanks to all for all the good advice and suggestions. If i have any luck hopefully can pass on my experiences to others.