1/8/06 pool 9

well my dad and i were bound for open water for the day today. It was great to take the boat out for the first time this 2006 season. We started up near the dam in a group of people. I used the depth finder to find about 20 feet of water and there appeared to be a few fish on the bottom. My dad dropped his line down before i even had a pole in my hand. His hair jig with a minnow hit the bottom and just as soon as it did, i saw my dad set the hook. Honestly, this was less than a minute after i had even cut the motor. The fight was on and it was pulling well. My dad brought it up boatside and i net the fish. It was a very nice walleye, 22″+ and probably around 4-1/2 to 5 pounds. I was really excited at this point, assuming that we were going to have a good day on the water. We took a pic of the fish, and let her go, as it was a little bigger than we were looking for as far as keeping goes. well we fished for a whole hour or so after this with nothing more than a few weeds here and there, and nobody else was getting much either, other than a small sauger every once in a while. Finally, i got my first fish of 2006 to hit. She hit it hard and i set the hook and brought her in. turned out to be a nice 17″ eater. We went the rest of the day without another fish it was a slow day, but a good day to knock the cobwebs off the boat. I think i will be back to ice fishing for a while now however

heres my dad’s eye…we were the only one catching walleyes at all today!

Thanks for the report Cade also the pics .

Good report Cade,
Is that fish you are holding a Saugeye? It looks to have the sauger blotches.

Thanks for the report and pics Cade. What did you catch your fish on? If this warm spell keeps up spring may be here quicker than we think.
Thanks, Bill

Bill, i was planning on using plastics for the day, we got some rinworms and kalins at the tackle shop, i was stocked up, but no body was doing anything on plastics and my dad nailed that fish right away on a hair jig w/ minnow, so i tossed on a similar jig with a minnow to catch my fish. it wasn’t just us having a slow day, we did better than the under cover game wardens that were out there the same ammount of time. It just wasn’t a stellar day on 9 i guess Oh well, now i can get over spring fever and hit the ice next weekend
Bret, i thought it might have been a saugeye at first when i caught it, but i am not confident in telling the difference, because i can’t say i have really caught a saugeye before. Here is a pic that has better lighting for you with the same fish.

that looks like an eye to me wouldn’t you say? that pic does much better justice of the fishes color markings, although the fins and tail resembled more sauger like markings, with the black mark on the dorsal, and the white spot on the tail, so it is possible that it could have been a saugeye.

My vote is a saugeye. Nice report Cade.

I cannot see the dorsal fin. If it is a saugeye, the dorsal fin would be spotted like that of a sauger.

I’m quite certain its a saugeye. Nice fattie either way!

was out on pool 9 as well on sat. fished from 11:00 to 4:30 had to work in the morn : started out with jigs and couldn’t get anything my father in law switched to a one eye and began catching a few sauger while i switched to a plain old split shot and colored hook and that seemed to work pretty well too. the fish seemed to get a little more aggresive later and then we landed a few on jigs and doos best bite seemed to be about from 2-4 in the afternoon, and all fish were pretty deep,27-32 ft all in all we caught probably 15-20 fish and kept 4 from 14-15 inches oh yea and shad everywhere!!!!

Bret, the dorsal was spotted like a sauger. Thats the first thing I noticed when it came up…the distinct dorsal and tail markings, but it wasn’t very blotched, although it looks like it is in the first pic, it really wasn’t, and it had the white tail and black on the dorsal…the only way that anyone could really tell that it was indeed a saugeye is by the tail markings. Yes, there were shad every where for us as well.

Saugeye. If you pull up the dorsal, Saugeyes have a set of blurry dots, not as well defined as the saugers. Saugeyes can have white dots on their tails, but most often have the sauger speckles on the tail.

Here is more info:

COMMON NAME: Saugeye

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sander vitreus x Sander canadense

IDENTIFICATION: Saugeye are a cross of the walleye and sauger. The dark bars on the dorsal fin are the best identifying characteristic for this fish. Sharp canine teeth, dark blotches on the sides, and a white tip on the lower tail also help identify the saugeye.

RANGE AND HABITAT: Saugeye have been stocked into many impoundments in Ohio. They can also be found in streams and rivers below stocked impoundments. Saugeye are highly adaptable to most lake and river environments and are tolerant of turbid waters.

LIFE HISTORY: Saugeye are created by crossing walleye eggs with sperm from a sauger. The result is a fast growing fish that has excellent survival abilities. This also makes it ideal for stocking into Ohio reservoirs and rivers; however, saugeye can create some problems. Generally, most hybrid species do not reproduce, but saugeye do occasionally reproduce with walleye and sauger. This can create genetic problems in the fishery.

ADULT SIZE: Saugeye average 1 pound and range between 13 and 16 inches in length. The state record fish weighed 12.42 pounds.

FISHING METHODS: Many saugeye are caught in tailwater areas downstream from the impoundments where they have been stocked. Crankbaits, lead headed jigs with hair, feathers, or plastic tails are good artificial lures. Live minnows and nightcrawlers are also productive. Winter is an excellent time to catch saugeye. See our chart on when to catch saugeye by season.

Ok then, after reading this post, I believe my kids best walleye to date is actually a Saugeye? I hadn’t given it a thought before, just seen the white tip on the tail and said “Walleye”, but it does hove the sauger spots. In max size, are Saugeye more commonly closer to walleye or sauger. This one was 25+” 5 1/2#. Is that big for a saugeye or just nice?

The fish in the pic is a saugeye.

A 5.5 LK saugeye is a good one. State record is right around 10 Lbs. I’d equate it to catching a 7 – 8 Lb walleye.

That is a very nice saugeye!