Big Saugers

I was at the dam at Red Wing today giving my cousin from Ohio a tour of our beloved river. The usual pack of boats were stacked there, and boy were they slamming some really big saugers. Most were being caught in 14′-20′, and I did not see one released! I realize that most of these guys don’t get an opportunity to catch alot of fish, (most were from Iowa), and I believe if they knew how much harm they could do to the fishery taking those pig saugers, they would be less inclined to take them. I saw one stringer pulled in a boat with three guys in it that had 18 fish on it, most 20″+ saugers. I don’t want to whine, but maybe Beav. has the best idea, maybe that part the river should be closed! There are plenty of eater size fish to catch in other places. Just broke my heart seeing those beautiful fish killed, had to get it off my chest. By the way we caught, and released, a mess of fish. The river is as hot as James says it is. Keep it vertical.

Last weekend Nate and I were catching a bunch of nice saugers and all around us were people who didn’t like the idea that we put them all back. We can’t keep every fish caught or someday there won’t be any fish left. I don’t care how good a fishery is, it can’t withstand continual taking and not putting anything back into it. Keep a few eaters and put the rest back. That way there are fish to catch on the next time out. I guess we love fishing the river so much that we just don’t want to hurt it. Nothing wrong with catching and eating fish, just becarefull to not keep more than a person needs for a meal. To all who put them back-Thanks. To all who catch a meal-Enjoy and Thanks for not taking more than you really need. Thanks, Bill and Nate

i have a couple of comments for you guys…..first..you guys dont know how good you have it to be able to fish pool 4 often….i personally can only get up there about 4 or 5 times a year….i have a question for you guys….what does more damage to the fishery? the locals who take 2 or 3 walleyes SEVERAL times a year or the out of staters who take 6 fish a couple times….just remember that the dnr set the 6 fish limit for a reason….oh and i am all for catch and release too….i only keep a few fish at a time when i do get the chance to get to pool 4

SELECTIVE HARVEST…..If it looks to be a female, it goes back. I love to eat fish. I keep fish 15-17″. Anything fat goes back.

Ya Hey, Greatplains, This is Gofish from the “southern” pools. Don’t blame the tourists. I’ve been fight’n this battle with the IA DNR for years. And I guide on the pools that have very poor populations to begin with !! The problem we have is guys keep’n the “cigars”. It decimates the year classes !! Down here we advocate a 15″ length limit for all families of Eyes. I asked H2O to mabe run a pole and see where everybody stands.

Hey Beaver. It’s good to see anglers that set their own size limit. However, some may even think you’re self-imposed 15 – 17 inch size limit is a little on the small size.

KReading,

Beav beat me to the punch and ran his own poll on the sauger size limit topic. There’s been quite a few replies and votes for that matter. Good conversation….

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Smallmouth, I don`t care where you draw the length line. I just find that I catch plenty to eat in that range. If you want to keep fish up to 19 or 20 ….fine, but if they`re females, they should go back. It`s easy to see the females at this time of year. They`re already filling out with eggs. 3 or 4 fish in that 15-17″ range are plenty for me and my wife and daughter to eat.

So smallmouth, are you saying you/others would rather eat bigger fish then? I dont know anyone who’s sat down to the dinner table with a walleye fillet bigger than 18 inches who wouldnt prefer the 15 or 16 inch variety when presented with the choice. Its no contest. I will also assume that we’re talking about walleyes here and not another species. If there is another reason to keep bigger fish than to eat them Im curious as to what reasons those may be. I 100% echo beav’s eater size standard because I practice the exact same harvest standards as he. Here is another point that beav is trying to make this time of year, you can start to see these fish really put on the weight. Its getting easier to tell which ones are females. Their bellies are starting to show already. So regardless of the size, males still dont drop millions of eggs.

Steve Hougom – FTR Webstaff

It”s gotta be the Iowa guys that hurt the fishing! Who else could it be? Big IA. B

Edited by Big B on 10/22/01 10:49 PM.

Gentlemen,

Let’s not buy into the “across the border” finger pointing that can bog down an interesting and potentially constructive discussion about selective harvest. Having met the originaI poster personally I think its pretty safe to assume he was simply making an observation and adding detail to the post and not trying to lay blame on any one group.

I know some extremely responsible and ethical anglers from IA and the two worst fish hogs I can personally think of, or have ever heard of, are locals. We’re talking about the collective actions of individuals potentially harming a fishery so lets avoid any further stereotyping that would be certain to get us off track from the real topic of discussion.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Seeing that BigB is from Iowa, I can only assume that he was being sarcastic. James is right, a$$holes come from every state. In fact, I`ve been called some names because I was catching fish and letting them go while some guys in another boat were struggling to get a bite. I guess it all depends on your point of view.

I think the fact that we see so many short sauger is a good sign that the sauger population is healthy. Thats why I think it is important to protect that population with a lenght limit. If we take them now, thats it, they never spawn, and in the long run that has to hurt the population.

I see these fish being kept all the time, it’s sad.

It’s all in the mind set – I come from places where keeping fish is the goal to fishing, on this board I know i’m in the minority but it’s always in the back of my head? Maybe because I’m a guide and I get great satisfaction from seeing customers leave with fish, i do!

When I get guys who want to release everything, I don’t seem to enjoy it as much, It turns into a touchy feely experience a sort of politically correct hunt, If you will.

One point – all summer long the majority catch on the croix is eaters, so I don’t run into the big fish issue until It’s pool 4 time. So in a way my commentary applies some what diiferently since the main issue is about bagging HUGE 20+ saugs!

I do release fish when my possession limit is near, that’s the law!!!

There is a lot of things tied up into my take on the issue – such as the “modern day expert” who always “bangs” them and of course releases all of them – all the time, and fishes alone. Stereo types die hard especially about how we stretch the fish tales – hence the word – Fish story?

I can’t count all the times fisherman talk about catching 17-18″ inch white bass left and right!!! B.S.!! try 15-16 inches! 17″es is a trophy, start measuring. (pet peave)

Anyway….

Keep Catchin’

Turk

http://www.croixsippi.com

Having moved to Wi. from Iowa, I definately meant no insult to anyone. Like Beav says, they come from everywhere. Like Turk, I grew up filleting and eating everything. I understand that eyes taste wonderful, and keep my share. I also understand that a fair share of FTR contributors earn a living on our river systems. One of my points is that maybe we all have to become more involved with educating our fellow anglers. Don’t ask me how. I realize those of us fortunate to live close to 4 and the Croix have an advantage, as well as a responsibility to protect, that the visitors don’t have. Maybe we just have to keep setting examples. I don’t wish to deny anyone the right to keep eaters, or even a trophy, even if I could. Turk carrys a camera, I’ve seen his pictures in Beanies. So do I , and I cherish those pictures, especially knowing that those fish swam away right after I took their picture. Selective harvest, thats all. Keep it vertical.

And the reason that there are no pheasants in Iowa this year is the hunters from Minn. shot them all last year. Heck, we have to blame someone.

We only shot the roosters!!!! LOL

Hey Turk Like your statement on the inches.. the other one that gets me is Oh yea we caught 100 fish..Well I’m not a pro but my best with a counter and I have one in the boat..myself and my nephew..last Oct.. 76 walleye and sauger any size some were 8 inches..and that was an eight hour day.. and we were busy..So when guys say they catch 100 a day well I think fishsy stretch…..LOL not saying it does not happen just not that often..

I would like to see something like the regulations that are on Mille-Lacs except maybe not so stiff. Like maybe having the slot be 15- 19 and one over 28 walleyes and sauger. In my mind I believe the river has the same potental of producing big fish as Mille-Lacs and probably better. Also we talk about if we should keep fish or not. If we eat what we keep and do not waste that is fine. But I have to wonder if the people that keep everything they catch eat everything they keep. Jerry

I agree strongly with the need to practice selective harvest, on saugers and eyes both. Our population on pool 14 is fair, but word has gotten out about a local stocking program and pressure has increased dramatically the last 5 years. I also see the piles of cigars taken from the tailwaters in fall and spring and it is not a pretty sight.

I have a personal limit 15-20″ on eyes, 13-17 on saugers. It is not set in stone however, and I recently had a zealot tell me I could not keep a 22″ fish that I had caught with my brother from out of state. He had not tasted walleye in over 15 years, and we were having a very bad day, so I was dropping a fish I would normally release into the live well when this conscientious fellow pulled up to insist I release it. It was not an effective approach!

The moral being, I think the best we can do is set a good example, make plenty of noise off the river and with the DNR, and continue trying to educate, without forcing our views on others. That guy REALLY p’d me off!

To the best of my knowledge, what he did was illegal. If someone came up to me and insisted that I release a perfectly legal fish, I would politely explain the situation and tell them to leave me alone. If the persisted in some obnoxious way, then I would consider it “harassment of someone who is legally engaged in an outdoor sporting activity” (or something like that) – illegal in Iowa.

I’d hate to head down that path, since I don’t want people calling the DNR in to arrest me for driving by and asking, “How’s the fishing?” Unfortunately, some people leave few options available.

Can’t help but to chime in here. It is hard to swallow when you see nice fish (18+) being filleted. I’ll remind all that we’ve come along way on this topic. Many generations took what they could-whether they needed the meat or not. I grew up in a household where the cooler was filled when the situation presented itself. I learned from it and now keep only what I can eat without freezing fish. My point is that we can only set an example to do what we feel is right. It’s catching on and it’s working. Look at Mille Lacs (what a great fishery). Look at the Rainy River, Rainy Lake, LOW, Pool 2….it continues. Selective harvest is more and more the excepted way of fishermen. Does everyone do it? No. We are, however; making big strides. We’re getting smarter and smarter about conservation. We enjoy some of the best walleye fishing in the world (and it’s not just walleyes) and more and more people are seeing the benefit of selective harvest.