sauger Time

I am aware this is a crappie forum. We love to crappie fish and caught 18 keepers just the other day. I know fall is a good time to catch crappie, but fall/winter is also a good time to catch sauger. While we have been successful in catching crappie all year, I would like to diversify and catch a few sauger. They are pretty fine eating as well. I do not have any experience in catching sauger, but have heard the dams are a good place to do it. If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how to fish for sauger I'm all ears.

Welcome Kentucky Fried Crappie. I fish for them below the dams and the water has to be just right on flow. Takes a few trips to figure that out. I use 1 oz. to 1.5 sauger jigs tipped with a minnow. I would highly suggest you go with an experienced person on the dams. They are very dangerous and require a lot of respect especially the Ohio dams!! Ifish the Ohio if the flow is below 25 feet of dam. Water temp in the low 50's is when I start. Here is a link.
http://www.lrd-wc.usace.army.mil/Ohi...xt/lourpti.rpt

Wish you the best of luck on your new adventure

In Alabama, below Guntersville dam is best on the coldest worst days. I've used black or brown bear hair jigs, 1/4 oz. down according to the flow. Tip with a minnow. Great eating...and Irish is correct, respect the water below these dams.

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Never fished Guntersville or Alabama, but I'm not prejudiced. I'll be happy to catch anybody's fish. I think traveling to different waters makes for a more well rounded angler. Learning different techniques may be successful on home waters. For instance, everything I've seen abt sauger fishing below the dams includes pitching heavy jigs tipped with minnows and jigging them back. We used to catch tons of walleye using a bottom bouncer with a spinner leader tipped with a minnow, leech, or berkley gulp. Those spinners ran abt 6-12 inches off the bottom abt 0.8-1.5 mph. If the current isn't too stiff at the dam might be able to go upstream drift down pulling those spinners. Dont know if it will work, but might be worth trying as a new look for the fish.

KFC,
Your best bet to learn about the sauger below the dams would be to contact Jim Doom in Grand Rivers. I don't have a number for him but he knows the tailwaters of all the dams like the back of his hand. I've been away from the sauger for a couple of decades chasing snow geese and ducks when the sauger were hot.

We fish for sauger at Pickwick and also a little further north using minnow tipped 1 to 1 1/2 oz bucktail jigs. We drift with the current and bump bottom. By the end of the day, the paint will be completely worn off the jig heads from bumping that rocky bottom. It's a lot of fun even if it is cold fishin!

Same thing up here in the Ohio river. Bumping bottom with jigs/Minnows or blade baits. Little George’s will catch a few also.


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Here are a couple of one ounce jigs I tie for Sauger. I put a trailer hook on them, and tip with a minnow. The pink and orange seems to work the best for me.Attachment 280720Attachment 280721

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Nice looking jigs. Ive never tried tying my own but they gotta be cheaper than the the ones i saw for $2.19 each. We bought some plain 1oz jigs and painted pink, red, purple, and chartreuse. Got some 4 inch curly tail grubs to go with them only bought 20-25 to start. Figured that was as good a place to start as any. Thanks to all for all the good advice and suggestions. If i have any luck hopefully can pass on my experiences to others.

Attachment 283632 No sauger today but a nice smallmouth.

Yes it is.

I am chomping at the bit to get back on the lake and wet a line. I really am wanting to learn how to fish below the dams for sauger. I keep hearing about going "when the water is right". does anyone know what that means and how do you tell if the water is "right"? I found a chart on a Army Corps of Engineers site that talks about navigation conditions. It has lots of info about the dams including Smithland, where I plan on fishing. I don't know what all that info means or how to read it. Planning a trip with Jim Doom in the next couple weeks and hope to learn more, but was just wondering if anyone knew what it means for the water to be "right" and how to tell.

Water is right means the river is at a certain level and flow rate. If they are dumping water thru the gates you don't want to be on the river. You wait till it's "right".

Veteran fishermen of the river watch the gauge level. I have buddies who catfish Smithland and they will look at the Corps info every day. Once it gets to a certain level and flow, it's game on.
I just happen to have zero idea of what is "right" for their liking.

I would ask the local bait shops. They should help you.

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I used to wear out the McAlpine Locks below the fossil beds in Jeffersonville. Some fantastic fishing here for multi-species including sauger. I did well fom 15-19' and you don't have to go too fancy. Jigs or bladebaits (if from a boat so you dont lose too many). You can bank fish w/some waders as well and believe it or not again in June brought many limits as well. ;)

502.775.5056 - forecast and current flow

I have to get my butt back over there soon!
Wess