What do you use to catch saugeye?

Asked by: James Gray

Like their parent species, Saugeyes can be taken with light spinning and bait casting tackle using spinners, spoons, or live bait like minnows or night crawlers. These fish can often be caught at night and are considered to be excellent table fare.

What is the best bait for saugeye?

Saugeye rarely forage above the bottom, so baits designed to be positioned on and/or dragged along the bottom are the best bet for catching Saugeye. Jigs tipped with minnows, night crawlers, or leeches are often most effective, particularly in the early spring. Deep-diving crankbaits and spoons can also be used.

What colors do saugeye see best?

‘Eye color: Walleye/Saugeye/Sauger see yellows, oranges, and greens better than other colors. Most of the time, baits based on these colors will consistently outproduce more natural shades.

How do you catch saugeye Ohio?

Try fishing just off the beach area at Pleasant Hill Reservoir (Ashland and Richland counties) in 10-15 feet of water for saugeye measuring longer than 15 inches. Another tactic is to try fishing along the shoreline at night with a jig tipped with a live minnow near the bottom.

How do you catch saugeye Atwood Lake?

Below the dams, saugeye can be caught using a variety of baits including jigs tipped with twister tails or minnows, blade baits and jigging spoons. Crappie, catfish, white bass and yellow perch may find those baits tempting as well, he said.

Do Saugeye have teeth?

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.

Are saugeye fish good eating?

Saugers taste incredible. The firm white meat of a sauger is sought after. Some locals will tell you they like the sauger’s taste better than the walleye’s, as they believe the meat is a bit sweeter. Regardless of opinion, they taste good.

How big can a sauger get?

Size. The sauger is small to medium-sized. The biggest Sauger that was ever caught weighed 8 lbs and the longest was 21.8 inches. Their average size is 12-13 inches in length and weighs 1 lb.

Can saugeye reproduce?

A small percentage of saugeye can reproduce and will do so with one another or either parent species if they are present in the same water body. Walleye, sauger and saugeye scatter their eggs over a hard bottom and provide no parental care for the young.

How fast does a Saugeye grow?

The saugeye has growth rates of up to 2.0 grams/day, which is three to four times higher than those of yellow perch.

What is the difference between a sauger and a saugeye?

The sauger is native to large rivers like the Kansas and Missouri. Both sauger and saugeye are better adapted to high flow and turbid water than the walley; saugeye establish fishable populations below impoundments when flushed.

What is the size limit for saugeye in Ohio?

Special Fishing Regulations for Ohio River – East

Can you use goldfish as bait in Ohio?

In Michigan, goldfish are not a pest species, but the state has prohibited their use as bait. Ohio does not have a similar ban.

Is cut bait legal in Ohio?

Your practice of dumping “bait” into any body of water is now frowned upon, especially in your part of the state. You need to rethink that. True, but the way it was written now makes it illegal to use cut bait all over the state.

Is noodling illegal in Ohio?

That is NOT legal, kept or not kept. Two reasons its not legal to hand fish/noodle.

Is fishing with corn illegal in Ohio?

It is perfectly legal in most states to use a hook baited with corn at locations where bait is allowed.

Can you use bluegill as bait in Ohio?

The following species, if legally caught by fishing, netting, seining, trapping, or dipping, can be used as both live and dead bait: Minnows, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, carp, sunfish, gizzard shad, sculpin, white and longnose suckers, yellow perch, and rainbow smelt.

Is night fishing legal in Ohio?

All public bodies of water can be fished at night. Problem: Accesses are what close at night. For example: Maumee River, I can fish that place 24 hours a day from a watercraft, and drink as well.

How many rods can you fish with in Ohio?

A fishing boat leaving mainland on Lake Erie. Beginning in January 2020, Lake Erie anglers fishing Ohio waters will be allowed three rods for the first time.

Are treble hooks illegal in Ohio?

(2) It shall be unlawful for any person to set, use, or maintain in excess of fifty set or bank lines, or attach more than one single hook to any one line. Treble hooks are unlawful.