I caught this dark colored one in the Kickapoo River last year.
Joel Ballweg caught this one last fall when we fished.
What is up with the extreme color difference?
If the Kickapoo River saugers have this color pattern….do they keep it when they get really large????
What was the state record sauger again?
If I was to chase a mythical extra large sauger from shore in the Kickapoo River what do you masters of sauger recommend to use?
I’ve caught Saugers with brown coloration and super dark spots, then caught much lighter fish 5 minutes later on the same body of water. I will say though, the fish that I’ve noticed being darkest colored are either the very small 5-10″ fish and the bigger 18+” fish.
Not saying I haven’t caught 10-18″ fish darker like that, but it does seem that the other extremes seem more common for that coloration. The only thing I can chalk it up to is a difference in diet, or even where they’ve been hanging out (depth and clarity wise). Put them in a white colored livewell for a few hours and see how they look.
My summer go to for saugers is crankbaits, but to be honest we don’t catch a ton of Saugers in the summer on pools 6-8. When I’ve attempted to catch them, I’ve had my most success near day markers where the flow is at it’s fastest and there’s deep water nearby.
I’ve caught good numbers a few times casting blade baits into 10-15′ of water near those daymarkers with good flow in the summer. I would guess any hole on the upstream time of a river bend (unless the current is cooking) would be the first place I’d look.
The 2nd picture looks like a saugeye. I’ve caught a few nice one close to shore at night on crawlers. Dark color vs light color means one fish is stationary and stays in a certain area while the other roams from structure to structure. IMO. Maybe the dark one was in rocks also.
As other fish, for example largemouth bass and walleyes often show this light and dark color tendency as well when caught from the same body of water, I believe it is caused by multiple factors to include water clarity and depth the fish was recently in.
Just found this on another web page (does not site the source):
“most freshwater fish have the ability to change color in a short period of time to match environmental conditions. Fish in more turbid water tend to be lighter in color than fish in clear water. Fish in bright sunlight can be lighter than fish in shadow. Trout have less ability to do this than some other game fish, however. Bass, especially smallmouth, can change color within seconds, not only changing shade (darkness or lightness) but also pattern (they can change from having very prominent bars and blotches to being completely unmarked in just minutes or seconds. In fact, those beautiful dark bars you see so often on smallmouth bass are often a reaction to the stress of being caught–the fish is very often almost unmarked when not stressed. They can also be a result of excitement, especially during spawning activity.”
I do not think either one of the fish you have pictured above are saugeyes. Both appear to be true saugers and the dead give away to that is the distinct rows of dots on their dorsal fins.
As for what appears to be a white spot on the larger saugers tail, I believe that is nothing more than light reflecting off the tail when the picture was taken.
I have caught quite a few saugeyes on Lake Wisconsin and have never seen a sauger display a true row of dots on their dorsal fin. Saugeyes do come in many, many different colorations and they will have non-uniform dots but not distinct rows of uniform dots on the dorsal fin.
I have also seen saugers with non-uniform dots but true saugers still seem to maintain fairly nice rows of dots along the dorsal. (I might add that none of this is exact science but it is stuff that I learned from an ex WDNR fisheries biologist)
Jointed #5 shad raps work pretty well this time of the year for saugers as do many other shad style baits. Firetiger, Red Craw and Blue Chrome with an Orange Belly would all be excellent colors to try.
I’ve. caught & seen a number of Largemouth Bass with similar BLACK Color Blotches.
Asked a Bass Fishing friend (High School Science/Biology Techer & former DNR Employee). He said this is normal and you’ll find it on varying lakes and varying times of year.
I read somewhere that sauger “chameleon” their skin splotches and colors to match the bottom conditions where they are hanging out in. That dark fish probably came from an area with a mud or dark sand bottom.
Second one looks pretty saugeye’ish to me too. Although the tail spot is questionable because of pic the skin coloration is very much like an eye.
If that’s not a saugeye I’m done fishing lol.
Unless the white tipped tail is a reflection and not a white patch.
Quote:
If that’s not a saugeye I’m done fishing lol.
I hate to see you have to quit fishing but sorry, but….that is not a saugeye.
Here’s Len’s report from our trip last year.
Len Harris – Lake Wisconsin Sauger Fishing Report
Take notice how all the saugers have the same, almost perfect rows of spots along the dorsal fin.
As I recall, we never caught a walleye or saugeye on this trip but to be sure, I will go and check my records later tonight.
I will also see if I can find a good picture of a sauger to post so that you can see what I’m talking about with the almost perfect rows of dots along the dorsal fin.
That was sarcasm, I will never stop fishing/ being on the water. Len you take some nice pictures. I thought Saugers didn’t have white tipped tails but I could be wrong. Either way they both look cool. Those darker Saugers have some crazy markings sometimes.
Quote:
That was sarcasm, I will never stop fishing/ being on the water. Len you take some nice pictures. I thought Saugers didn’t have white tipped tails but I could be wrong. Either way they both look cool. Those darker Saugers have some crazy markings sometimes.
I believe Joel has said twice already that the white tip is more to do with the sun. Look how it’s hitting the pectoral fin.
Thanks targaman
I still think its a saugeye. Don’t have to tear my head off cause of my opinion.
I’m with you Jake. Saugeye.
Description
Saugeye are intermediate in appearance between their two parent species, the sauger and walleye. The best character to look at for identifying this hybrid is the dark bars or oblong vertical spots between the spines of the first dorsal fin. The membrane of this fin in the unmarked areas is often a dusky color and not as clear as that of a sauger. A large dusky spot at the rear base of the first dorsal fin is usually visible on a saugeye but not as clearly defined as it is on a walleye. Saugeye have dark laterally oblong blotches on their sides but they tend to be smaller than those of a sauger. Saugeye also have white tips on the lower part of the tail and anal fins. These are more defined than the very thin light colored margin of a sauger but less defined than the large white tips found on a walleye. The over all body color of a saugeye is also intermediate between the gray to silver color of a walleye and the bronze or brown color of a sauger.
I have absolutely no doubt that its nothing more than light reflecting off the tail and I also have no doubt that means nothing to those of you who “Know” this is a saugeye.
Quote:
I’m with you Jake. Saugeye.
Description
Saugeye are intermediate in appearance between their two parent species, the sauger and walleye. The best character to look at for identifying this hybrid is the dark bars or oblong vertical spots between the spines of the first dorsal fin. The membrane of this fin in the unmarked areas is often a dusky color and not as clear as that of a sauger. A large dusky spot at the rear base of the first dorsal fin is usually visible on a saugeye but not as clearly defined as it is on a walleye. Saugeye have dark laterally oblong blotches on their sides but they tend to be smaller than those of a sauger. Saugeye also have white tips on the lower part of the tail and anal fins. These are more defined than the very thin light colored margin of a sauger but less defined than the large white tips found on a walleye. The over all body color of a saugeye is also intermediate between the gray to silver color of a walleye and the bronze or brown color of a sauger.
By the description above, every sauger I’ve ever caught would qualify as a saugeye in some way.
In the end, it is whatever you want it to be.
We catch a lot of saugers down here in Nebraska in our canal system, and I see the color difference as well that you refer to. Only thing I can think to attribute it to is water depth and clarity. I think it’s their ‘camo’, more than anything. We’ve caught all sizes recently that have shown themselves to be from really light to really dark. I have some pics posted in the walleye pics thread under this forum, and you’ll see the difference. All were caught in the same 300-400 yard area, but some were 15′ down while some were only 8′. Water is really going thru the system right now for irrigation, so it’s dirtier. Here in a few months the water will really clear up, and I expect the fish to look a little different.
Oh, and I definitely agree, that second fish is a sauger, not a saugeye. The spots aren’t shown very well on his body, and I think that’s the glare of the sun as well. Sometimes they don’t always show their spots real well, but you can always look at the dorsal for ID. Plus, a saugeye’s body is much more similar to a walleye than the torpedo shape of a sauger.
also agree 100% sauger. 
Quote:
also agree 100% sauger.
X2.
John has caught many small saugers with me as a witness… 
Maybe the OP can chime in here with more insight or info because the picture is running short of a thousand words.
there was no white spots on Joel’s tail.
Was camera trick.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
