Walleye vs Sauger Behavior

[Sterling]

I had a thought while driving home yesterday.

 

Most large water bodies in Ontario are host to both walleye and sauger. For the newer people, a sauger is a close relative to the walleye. Saugers are smaller and have a few distinct features differentiating them from walleye. Generally people don't know they're catching sauger, and just assume they're on small walleye.

 

This begs the question - is there a noticeable difference between walleye/sauger behavior and habitat that could be exploited to yield larger or smaller fish?

 

Someone fishing Nipissing might want to avoid sauger, since small fish can't be kept on that lake. Outside of Nipissing, larger fish must be released (generally), so smaller fish such as sauger could be preferable.

 

I did a bit of research and it does seem that sauger and walleye have different depth preferences. Take this article for example (page 5).

 

I've never really tracked my sauger vs walleye ratios, but will start doing so this winter, see how it compares in different depths/areas.

 

So, do any of you guys take this into account? Is there any known way to target specific subspecies?

[manitoubass2]

On rainy river there is.

 

1-6 fow in the rapids and youll rarely catch walleye but tons of sauger.

 

They also go really shallow in the day, which ya dont see to often with walleye

 

Its kinda odd they stay small because they feed rather aggresively.

 

Biggest ive ever caught is maybe 14"s

[AKRISONER]

ive only found sauger in the winter while targeting eyes. Ive only ever caught them in one of my honey holes..so to comment on whether or not i see them relating to a particular depth is impossible.

 

As you mentioned, we didnt realize they were sauger until we looked closer and enhanced a photo that we had taken of one of the small "walleyes" that we had caught...

 

 

[mike rousseau]

From what I understand saucer are more light sensitive

 

They are generally found in deeper dirtier water

 

Only one I've ever caught was in 35' of dirty water

 

MNR said they hadn't seen one on lake st Francis in a LONG time when I reported it

[manitoubass2]

From what I understand saucer are more light sensitive

 

They are generally found in deeper dirtier water

 

Only one I've ever caught was in 35' of dirty water

 

MNR said they hadn't seen one on lake st Francis in a LONG time when I reported it

Interesting. Thats completely the opposite of my experiences. I catch alot of sauger on rainy river and there all shallow, either in the rapids or on shallow mudflats

[mike rousseau]

Interesting. Thats completely the opposite of my experiences. I catch alot of sauger on rainy river and there all shallow, either in the rapids or on shallow mudflats

Dirt water tho?

[manitoubass2]

Dirt water tho?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Water clarity on rainy river varies greatly with rising or lowering the water at the fort frances damn

[mike rousseau]

Like I said... there's not many around where I fish so I only know what I read

[manitoubass2]

Like I said... there's not many around where I fish so I only know what I read

Yeah, it could very well be different on different bodies of water too

[Joeytier]

I missed this thread...living next to the Ottawa river (full of sauger) I have definitely noticed differences.

 

The big one seems to be water temp preferences...in the spring when the walleye are in their typical shallow early season haunts, sauger are rarely caught, but the as the season goes on and the water warms up, sauger are caught more and more frequently in shallow water. I also find that they REALLY school up, maybe due to their small size, but usually if I catch one, I catch 3-4 more not long after.

[manitoubass2]

I just caught 30 or or so sauger in 4 fow of water tonight.

 

2 saugeyes in 20 fow

[jimmer]

I have only caught saugers in one lake that I fish and they seem to be in the same areas as the walleye.