How to: Your Guide to River Saugeye and Walleye Fishing
In the cold, flowing waters of the Midwest, lives a creature so ferocious, it sends shivers down the spines of anything small enough to fit in its mouth. This toothy critter looks like it's straight from a sci-fi movie and it lurks in the current looking for its next meal. They might look alien, but the saugeye and walleye are right at home in our local rivers and reservoirs.
Many people struggle with the ability to consistently find these river wolves and it is my hope that after you read this article, you will have the tools to get out there and start seeing results. They are notorious for being elusive and finicky and all around misunderstood. After several years of putting in up to 200+ nights of fishing a year mostly targeting these fish, I can confidently say I've learned a thing or two and it's one of 2 species of fish I can repeatedly catch every month of the year, no matter what the weather is, and I'm happy to share my findings.
Whether you've had a hard time checking ol zombie eyes off the list or you are looking to up your skill set, hopefully you'll learn something here so let's get to it!
Walleye, Saugeye, Sauger. What's the difference?
Walleye
Up in the northern states of the US where the water is cold, clear, and clean, is where you’ll find the walleye. Part of the perch family, these fish grow significantly larger than their cousins and prefer the colder, cleaner water that is present up north. With a world record weighing in at more than 22 1/2 pounds, they can get pretty hefty and they are a prized game fish for their outstanding table fare.
Sauger
As you work your way down a little further south into the Midwest, the water gets both warmer and muddier. It is down here that you will find the sauger thriving. These fish, while similar to the walleye, are considerably smaller. With a world record of over 8 1/2 pounds, sauger are not even remotely close to what the walleye are capable of, but they still taste great and are commonly sought after in colder months.
Saugeye
The saugeye is a hybrid of the sauger and walleye. While they can and do happen naturally, the percentages are fairly low so these wouldn't be nearly as common to catch as they are if they weren't hybridized in a state program. This brings us to the question, why hybridize? The state of Ohio is full of muddy, man made reservoirs which are too warm and dirty to support a healthy population of walleye and the lack of current isn't a good fit for sauger. The Ohio Department of Resources decided to pilot a program in the 1980s and experiment with a hybrid that would handle the murky waters well like a sauger, but would also grow larger like a walleye and be at home in a lake setting as well. The project proved a major success and saugeye began to thrive throughout the state in any type of water. Today, millions of fingerlings are stocked in Ohio and many other Midwestern states. Whether it's cold, clean water, warm, muddy water, heavy current or no current, these fish have really taken off and with the current world record of just shy of 13 pounds, they have good size to them.
Walleye, Saugeye, Sauger Identification
All too often, the controversy of how to identify all 3 species comes up and when you fish an area that holds all 3, southwest Ohio for example, it brings up a lot of confusion. Add to the fact that most websites have drawings instead of photos or guys who don't know how to properly ID them and it's become a mess. Below is my almost foolproof way to know what you are holding and it's not nearly as confusing once you know exactly what to look for. Of course fish might be missing some of their fins or in the case of saugeye, a particular fish has stronger genes of one parent vs the other. The mood of the fish and water temperature also plays into how pronounced or subtle body markings are, but there are multiple things to look for in each species giving you a better chance at successfully identifying your catch.
Walleye
Walleye have 3 distinct features to look for. #1 A white tip on the bottom corner of their tail. #2 Vertical bars on the body, just like a perch. #3 The dorsal fin is typically foggy gray throughout.
Sauger
Sauger have 4 defining features. #1 Their tail is yellowish cream to pinkish along the bottom leading edge of the tail. #2. The body has 3 or 4 dark saddles that drape over the top and come down evenly on either side. #3 The dorsal fin is clear with rows of perfect black spots. #4 Unlike walleye and saugeye where the last ray of the dorsal fin on the backside is black, the sauger's is clear.
Saugeye
Being that these are a hybrid, they might favor one parent more than the other. For example, the tail, which usually looks more like a sauger, might have much more white and look like a walleye. Either way, they have 3 defining features to look for. #1 The tail is typically similar to what the sauger has, but it's more white in color vs the yellowish cream. #2 The body is full of dark blotches and spots. #3 The dorsal fin has small, elongated spots.
Saugeye Seasons Throughout The Year
Saugeye can be caught consistently, year round in all 12 months. While some of the shoulder seasons are slower, the main seasons are oftentimes hot with action. I'll break down this all more specifically, but let me reiterate that the bulk of my experience is in the Midwest region and more specifically southern and central Ohio. This should translate over to other areas, but with saugeye, learning their patterns is key so the actual timing of the seasons might shift a little or considerably depending on what part of the country you're fishing. Also, from here on out, I will largely be referring to saugeye, however, everything mentioned in this article can be crossed over to both walleye and sauger too.
The Fall Bite
Easily the most popular time of year for river wolf fishing, the fall bite can be amazing. Generally this takes place between the end of October and runs into the first or second week of December. The highlight is a 4 week stint starting the week of Thanksgiving and running into mid December. With days turning shorter and the water temps cooling, it becomes a signal for the fish to head upstream to stage in their spawning grounds. It is no secret that dams are great places to fish because they stop any further upstream progress, however, if you fish the dams too early in the season, you risk having little action because they are still making their way up to the dam which just so happens to be around Thanksgiving. In the early part of the fall bite, I prefer to go downstream and work through channels and rocky flats. These become fish highways and it's not uncommon to see the saugeye bust the surface on their way upstream. You have to be willing to move around a lot during these early weeks, but it can pay off. Swimbaits and shallow running crankbaits will catch the majority of your fish here, but that will soon change. As you get into the Thanksgiving to mid December timeframe, another transition happens. The fish start coming closer to shore. With each passing week, you'll notice the majority of your hits are within 6 or so feet of shore vs 20 to 60 feet. The absolute most exciting hits are when you're pulling your lure out of the water and they decide to bite. Boom! The size grows substantially as well into the late season. While the early season has many sub 20 inchers to contend with, the late season has the longer, 20 plus inch fish moving in and it can be an absolute blast. It's during the late season that the jerkbait becomes increasingly potent and irresistible. We'll delve into lure selection later on so keep reading.
The Winter Bite
The dead of winter is about the most difficult time to fish and you truly have to want to be out there with a strong drive if you want to be successful. You will notice a pretty drastic decline in activity as you pass the mid December timeframe and head towards Christmas. The conditions can get gnarly with extremely cold air temps, well below freezing wind chills, icy shorelines, and water cold enough to kill you quickly if you accidently fall in, it's no joke and fishing this time of year takes a bit more thought and planning. There are payoffs for doing what 99.9% of fishermen won't do. To begin, January is a long, dark and cold month to be hitting the water. Many hours will be put in with little to nothing showing for it, but there is something about fishing when you know there shouldn't be anything out there. Water temps are below 37 degrees, maybe I'm wading out in the now crystal clear river while it's snowing and for some reason there is that small inkling that something else alive is out there. Cast after cast takes place. Rod guides freeze up on every cast and require chipping the ice off of them. Fingers and toes are cold and yet perseverance promises the smallest.....tick. It's that subtle tick on the other end of the line that makes it worth it. Catching saugeye in the dead of winter is an experience unlike any other time of year. You’d think there wouldn't be any other creature out there. Afterall, there isn't a soul around and yet this time of year proves otherwise.
As you head into February and March, it becomes trophy season. If you want to catch the largest, fattest trophy of the year, it's likely going to take place in the 6 week window of February through mid March. At this time of year, the females are full of eggs and have gorged themselves on bait fish for several months. The target here are the spawning flats which in my experience, usually consist of a flat area extending from the shore to maybe 10 to 30 feet out with water no more than 2 feet deep or so. On the end of the flat you will want to look for a drop off. The water here might not be substantially deeper, say 3 to 5 feet deep, but still deeper than the flat. Generally, the flats hold the overly ambitious males who will slam the lure with gusto. These guys are small and typically don't exceed 15 or 16 inches, but they will crush the lure and provide screaming runs and even jumps. If you want a trophy, you'll need to target where the shelf drops off into deeper water. The females hang out here until they are ready to spawn. When they engage, it's with the lightest tick, but when the hook is set, it feels like the hook was driven into a log. You will have to try much harder to get these because a well balanced jerkbait to hang in the water column is almost essential and likely the difference between catching or going fishless.
Snowmelt and rain oftentimes raise river levels substantially during this time of year throwing heavy current, debris, and murkiness into the mix which will ruin a lot of fishing providing many excuses as to why not to go. For the relentless fisherman, this is your time to shine and pull that eye with a softball in her belly out of the frigid water.
The Spring Bite
One of the most exciting and action packed times of year is from the end of March up until early June. As the spawn runs its course, all of the females haven't eaten in weeks and they are aggressively feeding. Their eggs have been laid and having gone without food for so long, they are extremely skinny with sunken in bellies. Your opportunity at a heavy trophy has passed, but during the early part up through the end of April or so, you will find fish stacked up along seams, in heavier current, and in pools with gentle current. Essentially everywhere. Water temperatures are warming so the transition to faster moving crankbaits and swimbaits happens gradually. I have found they are less likely to hit a still lure as much when you're into May and beyond. At this point in the year, target shallower areas with gentle or stronger current at night and deeper pools during the day. It is the easiest time of year to catch saugeye during the day and in my experience have found it best to bounce swimbaits and curly tails off the bottom of the deeper pools. Knowing where a ledge is and letting the lure bounce, bounce, and then freefall is a sure fire way to finding those daytime eyes.
The Summer Bite
Contrary to popular belief, saugeye are active and easily catchable year round. I've talked to many fishermen who believe you can really only catch them in colder months. This is completely false. The summer bite is in fact extremely hot. At first, as you head into mid to later June and into July, the bite is quite slow. All fish have settled down after the post spawn bite. You'll pick off 1 or 2 here and there, but it's not great fishing. The prime summer bite is towards the later part of July, all of August, and into September. The name of the game here is find the absolute fastest water you can in a riffle. Interestingly enough, I don't recall ever catching a saugeye beneath a dam in the boil during this time of year, but rather it's always been much further downstream in quick current through a riffle. Oxygen levels have dropped considerably and fish will head for areas that are richer in oxygen which means areas of great surface agitation. Avoid stagnant spots as you'll find nothing but rough fish in those areas. Because water levels historically are lower in the mid to later part of summer, the fastest water is also usually the shallowest. I have learned that it is never too shallow. I've pulled 23 inch fish out of 6 inches of water with their backs sticking out of the water! Large fish have been caught in this manner on several occasions so it's certainly not a one off. Below is my brother's first ever saugeye caught several years ago. It was a 23 inch brute hanging out in about 1 foot of water.
Fishing from shore is certainly doable, but my recommendation is to get out your wading gear and head for 2 specific areas. The first spot is roughly 50 to 80 feet above a riffle. The idea here is to find the fish hanging out in the heavy current before the water hits the larger rocks and drops in elevation. The water is smoother up here so stealth is key. The second spot is to position yourself on top of a riffle and target the fish below it. The proper technique is essentially the same in both zones. Cast downstream and slowly work the lure back upstream. Both swimbaits on a jighead and very shallow running crankbaits are rock solid tools in this scenario and if the water is very shallow, you'll need to point the rod tip straight up and possibly hold the rod well above your head. Reel it slowly. If you are bound to bank fishing, I'd suggest applying the same thought process as above where you want to target both upper and lower portions of the riffle, but be prepared to snag up in the zone containing the largest rocks which lie in between both areas.
Lastly, any rise in river levels will help fuel the bite and it doesn’t take much. 2 to 6 inches is enough to get fish actively feeding again if the bite starts to wane. If you are fishing during an active rise, the switch from natural colors to brighter colors might become mandatory as the water becomes more stained.
Now that I've covered a general overview of the seasonal bites, let's talk tactics.
The 2 Biggest Secrets to Saugeye Fishing
I have put in countless hours targeting saugeye and here is my first secret to success. Change it up early and change it up often. This species can appear finicky and unwilling to commit to a bite time and time again until you realize that success comes from being willing to always change up your lure type, color, presentation, and speed as well as both the location and angle from which you are fishing it. While it seems like a lot, it can become easier and I'll explain in a bit, but back to changing, I have a rule that if I don't get a bite in say 10 minutes, I will change something up. It could be any of the variables mentioned above, but I will change it. Maybe I have tried 3 different colors with various presentations in one spot with nothing to show for it. Now it's time to either move or go with an entirely different lure or both. I will keep changing things up until I find a fish. If it's a one and done with no action shortly after, I will move on relatively quickly and the reasoning will be shared shortly as well. Seriously, do not be lazy and use one lure in one spot for 2 hours if you have nothing to show for it.
My second secret to saugeye success is patterning. Believe it or not, saugeye are highly predictable creatures IF conditions remain the same. In order to learn their patterns you must log what you catch, how you caught it, time, conditions etc. The more often you fish, the higher the accuracy. This won't work as well for the once or twice a month fisherman vs someone who goes out multiple times a week, but it all holds value. I have proven this theory many times over the course of a decade and have gotten bite times down to the minute, literally.
Skeptical? Let me explain. From my observations and experience, saugeye have small feeding windows for a particular area. What I mean by area doesn't necessarily mean a large port of the river. It could be spaced out even 100 feet or so between zones. It all depends and this is where your time on the water and note keeping comes into play. Generally speaking, a feeding window lasts on average 5 to 15 minutes. It can last longer during special circumstances, but they average 5 to 15 minutes. A feeding window might only happen once in a night or it could be spaced out for a certain time. Let's say the first window is at 8:43p and lasts 10 minutes followed by a second window exactly one hour later also lasting 10 minutes. This will hold true if the conditions hold the same. Let's say, for example, it's mid summer and water levels and flow rates are the same across a couple week period. The moon is also not visible during this time so conditions are relatively stable across the full 2 week timeframe. If you mark fish at a certain time and place one night and have the ability to go back the next night, see if you get bites at the same time and place. If so, and you have the ability to go back yet again within the next night or two, see if it holds true. Once again, if anything changes, you probably won't find them at the same location or at the same time. If it rains hard and the river is up a few inches, that pattern is likely broken. I have found patterning saugeye to be most successful in both summer and fall because river levels are the most consistent. Spring conditions can change wildly and winter likely doesn't work well because the fish tend to eat less with their metabolism being so slow. If you are fortunate enough to live close to the river and have the ability to go as often as you’d like, this opens up the possibility of precision to the minute. At first I thought this was a fluke or just luck, but after the same results occurred year after year and even after bringing other people along to help test the theory, I realized the truth in the situation. I fished so much that I knew, down to the minute, when the bite window was open for a particular spot. During one summer, I was even able to string several locations together across a roughly quarter mile stretch and knew where/when each bite zone was. This is the extreme and really only afforded to those who can fish all of the time or in my case, well over 200 days a year (this high frequency lasted just 3 years). Over the past couple years I've been back to a more normal frequency so my accuracy is usually only good within an hour or so, but this is still very good in determining what timeframe to fish if I'm limited.
Since I've now shared my 2 greatest secrets for saugeye fishing, it's time to talk about lure selection.
Saugeye Lure Choices
Almost all fishermen have entirely too much tackle. It's a given we buy at least one of everything thinking the new one we just discovered will be the new secret weapon. What ends up happening, however, is all of those lures end up sitting in the tackle bag or basement more often than not. The good news for you gear fanatics is that each lure is a specific tool for a specific purpose and in the world of saugeye fishing, there actually is a solid reason and use to owning 1 or 4 of each. Here are my top 4 choices of must have lures. Yes, there are others, but if I'm going to narrow it down to the absolute 4 most important, it's these below.
1. Jerkbaits
There are so many brands out there, but I'm going to keep it simple and say you can be very successful with these two. The Rapala husky jerk and the Smithwick rogue. The husky is a shallow jerkbait and the rogue is deeper running. Both of these will handle anything you'll encounter.
As for technique, it depends on water temperature more than anything. I only use these for the fall bite, winter, and very early spring. When water temps are above 47 degrees, a slow retrieve is sufficient. Maybe add a jerk or pause here and there, but keep it moving most of the time. With water temps between 47 and 42 degrees, I start adding pauses of 2 seconds and increase the time the colder it gets. A standard jerk, jerk, pause or just a single jerk followed by a pause are good. Below 42 degrees pauses are going to be 12 to 20 seconds for me and that's largely dictated by how strong the current is. Remember, the colder the water, the slower the fish are so the longer you'll need to keep the lure in front of them to initiate a strike. If you want to up your game further, learn how to properly balance your jerkbait by adding weight to get them to hold a certain depth. Many people use a variety of ways to accomplish this, but I personally use Christmas ornament hooks and wrap them around the hooks. I'm somewhat lazy and test these in cold water with some ice in the sink to get a decent buoyancy, but the real pros will tune their lures while at the waterway. This requires a lot of time that I don't have so I do my best by tuning in a sink. Tuning lures becomes especially important when the water is extremely cold. as you don't want the jerkbait to have a slow rise or fall if sitting in the water column for well over 10 seconds.
2. Shallow Minnow Crankbaits
These will be a staple in warmer months from mid spring to mid fall and are one of the most versatile lures you'll own. Standard 3 to 4 inch long bodies work well and like everything else, there are way too many brands to mention. My go to crankbaits are the Cotton Cordell minnow (aka saugeye slayer and no longer made unfortunately) and the Bay Rat Lures crankbaits. The latter is made in the US and are very high quality (sadly these went out of business in 2022 although you might still find them in stock here and there). I definitely recommend these if you can find them!
Slow retrieved in the colder months and while fishing the summer riffles or burn them in at higher speeds when the fish call for it. These will consistently catch fish anywhere. You can even fish them topwater style with the occasional twitch and watch saugeye bust it on top. Yes, saugeye will bite topwater!
3. Swimbaits and Curly Tails
It doesn't get any easier or cheaper than soft plastics and you'll find yourself throwing these in all, but the coldest months. My personal favorites are the classic 3 inch Yum curly tails and the 3 1/4 inch Big Joshy swimbaits. Big Joshy have phenomenal action and are irresistible to anything that has fins. If you are getting a lot of short strikes, downsize to a 3 inch curly tail and you might get a fish to commit. In my findings, short strikes occur because the fish aren't that hungry, but if it's small enough, they'll eat it.
Technique wise a standard retrieve with erring on the side of slower is unbeatable. Adding some up and down action can help at times and don't be afraid to hit the bottom and bounce off the rocks. Snagging up is part of the process and something you'll have to learn to deal with because you'll leave a lot of fish untouched if you won't make bottom contact.
4. Hair Jigs
When the bite is especially light and difficult, the hair jig under a bobber might just come to the rescue. This setup has saved me from many skunks. If short strikes are all you can find with increasingly smaller lures, tie on a hair jig. The tiny profile is oftentimes the ticket for a saugeye snack and using a bobber allows for it to float freely in the current at the same depth.
This kind of fishing is as easy as it gets. Cast out and ever so slowly retrieve. Target seam lines, eddies, riffles, channels, anything. This setup is especially potent in the coldest months when fish are slow to respond and they might not want to engulf an entire meal.
The Importance of Color
Night fishing is interesting. For years, and long before I got into saugeye fishing, I always thought fish needed sound or scent to hone in on bait. I thought artificial lures would be a waste of time especially if it didn't at least make noise and to me back then I also thought colors were more of a gimmick. This couldn't be further from the truth. Saugeye and the like are well adapted to finding food in any and all conditions and do so most frequently under the cover of darkness. Clear water or chocolate milk, they need to eat regardless. As I got into river wolf fishing, the importance of color became blatantly obvious. Trip after trip, year after year, the same colors under the same conditions would perform consistently. After sharing with others the colors below and they too have had success, I am a believer that colors are of high importance. To test this theory, I have had other colors of the same lure tied onto a second rod to use as a control and still the fish would more commonly go for the one vs another or would only hit the one color exclusively. It would be really interesting to know if this works in other parts of the country, but at least in Ohio, here is what I've learned. I will stick to hardbaits for this, but you can use the same principles for softbaits.
Blue/chrome or white: Best under clear skies and average to good water clarity.
Firetiger: Clear skies and especially when there is orange in the sky either after sunset or before sunrise. Water clarity from clear to chocolate milk.
Gold or orange: Heavy cloud cover and or foggy. If skies are clear, but water is muddy, throw it.
Standard clown: Very versatile, but excels in either clear skies with stained water or cloudy skies with stained water.
Blue/glass: A favorite when the lighting is gray just before sunrise or shortly after sunset. It's hard for me to explain, but it's about a 10 minute window that this lighting occurs. Skies can be either cloudy or clear. Also a good choice under stronger moonlight.
Pink: If all else fails, pink has proven the right choice time after time.
There are so many color choices out there and I could go on for a while on this topic alone. That is not necessary here and only the most important colors are mentioned. If you are just starting out and can only afford 2 colors, I'd go with blue/chrome and firetiger. These 2 colors are going to net more fish than anything else the majority of the time. It's also wise to have more than one of each color on hand so you have backups.
Conclusion
With so much more to write about these interesting fish, that will have to wait until another time, but it is my sincere hope that you got something out of this article. The only way to truly get to know saugeye is by experimenting throughout the seasons. Who knows, maybe you’ll just crack the code on a future mystery.
For additional reading I can not recommend enough checking out the “Rainy Night Bite Jerkbait Limit” thread in the Ohio Game Fishing forum. It is absolutely jampacked with years of info and it’s still active. Some of the greatest saugeye fisherman report on there including Troy Becker, aka Fishslim, who I would say is one of the OGs of fishing for this species. It’s a wealth of knowledge and I can’t say enough so go check it out! https://www.ohiogamefishing.com/threads/rainy-night-bite-jerks-limit.133673/#replies
As always, B.E. Adventurous!