Help me understand P4 walleye/sauger.

At the end of my 2nd year fishing P4 for walleyes. Overall my most productive area but I seem to be feast or famine down there. There are some things about Walleye behavior I was hoping someone would be willing to explain to me.

1. Why do they move out of the lake and back up the river in the fall? Is this already the start of their spawning run? Chasing bait?

2. I have heard during the summer there will be a migration to the dam due to bait/oxygen levels. True?

3. Do walleyes and sauger school together? Seems like I will either catch 95% walleye or 95% sauger.

4. Do Sauger out number walleye as far as population? Seems like 60% or more of the fish I catch down there are sauger, especially in the river.

Think of them as the guy that sits at the buffet for numerous hrs just slowly eating plate after plate until they are forced out of the feeding by some kind of significant force (manager) (mothernature). If they’re feeding is disrupted by a cold snap or by a major river level change then they will retreat back deep and not feed heavily again till mothernature steadys out for at least a few days straight. I tend to believe that fall time triggers some kind of false spawn habit for wallys only because the water temps are similar to spring patterns. I tend to catch alot more walleyes on the river and more saugs on the lake. Walleyes are usually on rip rap,on top of sharp sand breaks or points, or wandering shallow bays this time of year. Saugs tend to like current and deeper water all the time. When the current is fast and the river seems like it’s movin faster than normal I make sure to get as far out of the current as possible to find active fish.

1. they move up to chase bait.
2. some fish just never leave. or if they do end up right back. there are numerous amounts of baitfish that spown in tailwaters so fish will generally stick around. i dont’ think its a migration just where they live.
3. walleyes and saugers are catchable together in the spring and fall moreso than any other time in my opinion. spawn, postspawn, summer and late summer i don’t find that i catch a good mix. usually 1 or the other. sauger like current a bit more than walleye.
4. i would venture a guess that yes, there are probably more sauger than walleye in parts of the river.

Black, if you haven’t read this report yet, you need to.

It’s long and at times a sleeper, but it has all the secrets of Pool 4 listed.

Note: Start coffee before clicking on link.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/fisheries/investigational_reports/481.pdf

Good reads right there!!