summertime sauger?

[J White]

Can anyone give me some hints about catching hot-weather sauger?
I have heard some interesting rumors, but so far have
only been able to catch one here and there, and small ones at that.
Most people around here only fish for them in the tailrace in the dead
of winter - kind of like people used to only fish for crappie in the spring.
I'm starting to get a little bored with summer crappie fishing, looking for
the next big challenge! I fish Pickwick in the MS/AL/TN corner, far as
I know we don't have walleye, but I know the sauger are there.
Hints on what depths and type habitat they prefer, feeding habits and
active times would be appreciated. Jeff

[ShilohRed]

Jeff best I can tell you is... Move north...LOL
I do catch a few in the river in the summer time. All comes from gravel bars and there not many at that.
Best bet is they are staying in cooler water. But I know they have to feed and just need to find them.
Pete

[ShilohRed]

Moose they are like walleye. but here they don't act like the walleye.
I have talked with lots of people that walleye fish. And they catch a lot of sauger also.
SO I asked and listened to what they had to say.
Sure wish I could work this out also.
I do think they move back down river and stay in the deeper water. But like other fish they have to eat.
Pete

[J White]

Boy, the "fishing" on this thread has been slow - I almost forgot to look
back at it! But thanks for the replies. Since I first posted that, I have
been doing a little reading, don't think I've learned a WHOLE lot, but did
find it interesting, seems Sauger have even more sensitivity to light than
Walleye. So far in my limited trials, I have scored maybe a half-dozen on
maybe 10 different trips, trolling Bandits on the river channel edges, but
caught more smallmouths and blue cats than Sauger. Not a terrible problem,
at least not the smallies, but not what I was after! Tried a little northern
style dragging of a nightcrawler off in the deep water of the river one time,
it was hilarious - caught all sorts of fish, some of them sauger - only thing,
all of them were about 4" long! If I had been wanting to stock an aquarium,
I would have been in business. I always see fish on the sonar Deeep in
the channel, I'm talkin 40, even 50 feet deep, and can't get them to bite -
may have to get one of those cameras to spy and see what they are.
Place in Sheffield where I bought my motor, said they caught lots of big
"Jacks" off humps up around Bear Creek - maybe there is hope yet.

[ShilohRed]

Jeff better late than never... LOL WE have a guide on Pickwick for walleye. So there has to be some if we have a guide..
Pete

[J White]

I'm interested to see how that goes!

[ShilohRed]

Jeff he has walleye listed on fish that he guides for and It has been on there for a few years.
As for his catches I would like to see that. I do know in the river we catch a few walleye every year. And some times there good ones. One guy had a 4 5 and 6 lbs ( He thought sauger) that were nice walleye. HEHE I told him what he had. And he laughed that there was not any in the river. But a little while later when loading my boat the warden were telling him sure is some nice walleye there. And then he found out what he had.
Just would be nice to fish for them right.,
I do have a guy over in Middle Tn that is going to take me Walleye fishing over that way. and you can bet I will be going.
Pete

[Roberta]

We've pretty much switched from fishing for crappie to saugeye (walleye x sauger) this year. They're a heckuva lot more fun to catch - even the hammer handles.

Our best fish have been caught on a Culprit Lure green/chart body with an orange tassle tail tipped with a crappie minnow. I usually use a a 1/16 oz jighead in a firetiger pattern. We cast out and retrieve it a little quicker than for crappie. Here's the key - these fish are pursuit fish, so when they get close, they actually push the lure ahead of them, so you'll feel a slight slack go in your line, then they hit it and you're on.

We ahve also caught saugeye on minnows under a bobber and on deadlined nightcrawlers, but cast and retrieve with the Culprit has put the big ones on the table. We don't keep anything under 14". - Roberta

[volfan]

Iknow there a few guys who trolls Center Hill here in Mid-TN for walleye. Mostly bandits, bee's, deep-wee-r's, etc. Mostly 20-25' water on points in the lower part of the lake.
I believe the Hill is a lot different than pickwick, but walleye r walleye. They don't know what lake they are in. Them yankees think they are the only ones who can catch these things. But they still think smallmouths are trash fish. We don' need to tell them any different.

[ShilohRed]

I fish for Sauger here in West Tn starting in Late Nov. Love to fish for them. and love to eat them more. I like them better then crappie for eating. Winter time in the river we use a 1 or 1 1/4 oz sauger jig tipped with a minnow and also has a stinger hook. but best fish come off above jig tipped with big plastic jigs.
WE catch a few here in the summer months. Most will come off Worms and gravel bar's in 12 to 15ft of water./
WE also have the Walleyes and catch a few saugeyes. But not that many.

Wish I had an ideal where they all go to after the spawn here.
Also as Roberta stated there a soft bitter and until you figure out the bite will miss a lot of them.

Pete

We've pretty much switched from fishing for crappie to saugeye (walleye x sauger) this year. They're a heckuva lot more fun to catch - even the hammer handles.

Our best fish have been caught on a Culprit Lure green/chart body with an orange tassle tail tipped with a crappie minnow. I usually use a a 1/16 oz jighead in a firetiger pattern. We cast out and retrieve it a little quicker than for crappie. Here's the key - these fish are pursuit fish, so when they get close, they actually push the lure ahead of them, so you'll feel a slight slack go in your line, then they hit it and you're on.

We ahve also caught saugeye on minnows under a bobber and on deadlined nightcrawlers, but cast and retrieve with the Culprit has put the big ones on the table. We don't keep anything under 14". - Roberta