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I decided to try em out from the bank again this evening. Started about 6:30pm until about 8:30pm. Same as Sunday they turned on right as the sun was setting. Ended up with 21 total. Crappies were still schooling and chasing minnows when I ran out of bait. Also tossed back a few undersized smallmouth. I did keep a sauger as I've heard they are good eating and have never had the privilege. Tight lines and roll tide!Attachment 275484
You have a honey hole their for sure ! Congrats
Nice catch! You are doing well. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!
Nice job!
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The sauger you caught needs to be 15 inches or over.it looks to be short. the law says 5 a day 15 inches an over.don't want to see you get a ticket for short fish
Nice catch man, looks like a good ole honey hole!
Hey I appreciate that. You must have quite the pair of calibrated eye balls lol. Sauger and some of the crappie were barely legal but I'll keep 9 inch crappie all day.Quote:
Originally Posted by drift wood
That's great production for 2 trips that close together. Expect to see more fish move in there as the water continues to cool. The morning bite is probably good there just as it's starting to get light as well. (Kind of the opposite of the evening bite) Sauger are great table fair, you'll like it. Like mentioned above, the game regs have changed and all sauger must be 15" or bigger. Hope this new reg will help to reestablish the sauger that were decimated a few years back in the TN river system. Congrats on a great trip out.
I agree! I fish this spot every fall and love it in the early morning hours. As far as the sauger go...I believe that the larger fish are females and you're in a situation where legally you keep the spawning females and release the males. That and the stripe in my opinion are what is hurting the sauger population.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob D
Nice catch! I hope to get back out this Friday am.
I've just started getting back into fishing more. I was thinking they'd made it 10" on the TN river reservoirs too? Have I been throwing back those 9 7/8" fish for no reason?Quote:
Originally Posted by CMack2525
Nice mess congrats
Well, it was for a good reason eminart, the 10" fish fillet better and are bigger/thicker than those pesky 9 7/8" fish!!! Lol
Not sure about Alabama but you could be ticketed in Florida for an undersized fish photo that indicates you kept the fish. I think the fine is around 200 to 250 but not sure . Sauger were changed from 5 fish over 14 inches to 5 over 15 inches last year. Before the change the limit was 10 3 of which could be under 14 but the other 7 had to be over 14. Were they still plentiful I would not be fishing for Crappie in the winter but after then for sure. They have slowly come back from a total fishery collapse between 2006 and 2012 which the state of Alabama never acknowledged. If the Bass in the big G had disappeared like the Sauger did , there would have been about 500 fishery biologist on the lake daily and a stocking program in effect. Not sure where the stock came from that has gotten a few back in the river but hopefully it will be given a chance to make the fishery strong again like in the late 90s and early 2000's
Alabama regulations state that crappie must be at least 9 inches in length except in Weiss Lake which has a 10 inch limit.
Lucky for me I freeze my fish to be cleaned the next day......Roll Tide
Sorry,I just didn't want to see anyone get into trouble.I apologize
Love the eyes on those things. When night fishing you can see their eyes cruising by or holding in the current, depending on where you're fishing.
I bet that is wild! I was surprised to catch one. My brother and I would catch them every now and again when we were boys. Hell it has been 17 years or so. Wish it had been a walleye.
About 30 years ago, my dad dragged me out to Guntersville a few times when it was 20 degrees outside to catch "jack" (sauger). He had lots of stories about how he and his friends used to load up on them, and how good they were to eat. After a few of those trips of breaking ice off my rod tip and having to break the ice in the minnow bucket every time I needed a minnow, and not catching a single jack, I began to wonder if he was pulling my leg. As far as I was concerned, they were unicorns. In the years since then, I've seen a few (only caught one myself while bass fishing). I heard they came back, went away again, and are making another comeback now. I've been thinking of giving them a try this winter, for old time's sake.
Well if you get on them remember.... Pics or it didn't happen haha. Roll TideQuote:
Originally Posted by eminart
I've been fishing Guntersville and the tailrace below the dam on and off for the past 31 years. Since I was old enough to drive. I have never caught a Sauger or seen on that I knew of.
What makes them so special? Are they truly that much better than any other fish to eat?
I've heard em called "Jacks" too.
Good eating right there.