Sauger fishing
Sauger fishing uses a Jig or a Minnow with a medium spinning or casting rod for jigging and drifting bait through current, at dawn, day, dusk, and night. Sauger shows up just once in Michigan's own stocking records, a single 1988 release of 58,000 fish into Torch Lake in Houghton County, far more limited than the state's ongoing walleye program.
Sander canadensis. Three or more rows of distinct dark spots on the spiny first dorsal fin, unlike walleye's single solid dark blotch at its base.
Identification
- Three or more rows of distinct dark spots on the spiny first dorsal fin, unlike walleye's single solid dark blotch at its base.
- Fully scaled cheeks and dark saddle-shaped blotches across the back and sides, unlike walleye's mostly bare cheeks.
- Lower lobe of the tail fin lacks the white tip that marks walleye, or shows only a faint trace of it.
- Slimmer, more slender build than walleye and usually smaller, commonly under 20 inches and 2-3 lbs.
Active times
- dawn
- day
- dusk
- night
Top lures
- Jig (jig ): Bounced slowly through current seams and rock piles below dams, since MDC says walleye methods work for sauger too.
- Deep-diving crankbait (crankbait ): Trolled through current breaks along channel edges below dams, a walleye method that carries over to river current.
- Casting spoon (spoon ): Cast or worked vertically in slack water behind wing dams and current breaks where sauger hold below dams.
Top baits
- Minnow: Trolled slowly along the bottom in swift, rocky water just below navigation dams, the standard producer for the fall sauger run into freeze-up.
- Minnow: Presented near swift shoals, stream mouths, and dam tailwaters during the spring spawning run, when sauger stage close by and are most catchable.
Line & tackle
- Rod power: Medium spinning or casting rod for jigging and drifting bait through current
Stocked behavior
Sauger shows up just once in Michigan's own stocking records, a single 1988 release of 58,000 fish into Torch Lake in Houghton County, far more limited than the state's ongoing walleye program. Where sauger stocking still happens today it is mostly to rebuild river runs cut off by dams, such as the Allegheny River program that supplements a run the Kinzua Dam blocks from reaching New York.
Common mistakes
- Working open, lake-style water instead of the swift, rocky current seams and tailwaters below dams where sauger actually concentrate.
- Passing up murky, turbid stretches; sauger tolerate turbidity better than walleye and often keep feeding through cloudy daylight.
- Fishing away from shoals, stream mouths, and dam tailwaters during the spring spawning run, when sauger stage close by and are easiest to find.
State records
| State | Weight | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 3.38 lbs | Jeff Riddle | Horseshoe Reservoir | 2011 |
| Kentucky | 7.44 lbs | Rastie Andrew Jamestown, KY | Cumberland River | 1983 |
| Michigan | 6.56 lbs | – | Torch Lake, Houghton County | 1976 |
| Montana | 8.805 lbs. | Gene Moore | Fort Peck Reservoir | 1994 |
| Virginia | 3 lbs. | Ronald C. Davis | Clinch River | 2010 |
| Wisconsin | 6 lbs. 6.7 oz. | – | Mississippi River, Pierce County | 2009 |
| Wyoming | 7.50 lbs. | Tom Durst - Casper, WY | Boysen Reservoir, Fremont County | 2007 |
Sources: Colorado's official record page , Kentucky's official record page , Michigan's official record page , Montana's official record page , Virginia's official record page , Wisconsin's official record page , Wyoming's official record page .
Where it's stocked
2 locations shown. Click a pin for details.