# Atwood Saugeye Report



## Saildog

Fished Atwood on Saturday from about 1:00 to 5:00 with pretty good luck for only being out in mid-afternoon for a few of hours. Started with the standard jig tipped with crawler and fished that for a couple of hours all over the lake without a single bite. Then tried drop-shotting a crawler with no luck either. Then switched to trolling, using a bottom bouncer and crawler harness. Almost instantly started catching fish...four saugeye and one white bass in under an hour (everything C&R). Two of the saugeyes and the white bass were very small...could hardly feel them behind the bouncer...one of which I probably dragged around the lake for ten minutes until I happen to reel in to check the rig. 

How heavy of a rod do you all use for bouncers? I only had my "jigging" rod with me (6'6" medium action spinning rod) and with the 1-1/2 oz bouncer it was a game of trying to decipher the difference between feeling the bottom and feeling a bite. Would a heavier rod help? I'm thinking of rigging my baitcaster (6'6" medium-heavy) for bouncing and leaving the spinning rod for jigging.


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## JIG

I love trollin with the cast reel. It ables you to pan out line easier to set the depth you troll. I keep a heavy jig set up with 8-10 lb mono or super braid tied on my spinnin reels for the back-troll. Makes for 4 poles ready to go!
Another tip is to use the drop-shot like a down rig and go in both directions. Saves time from not havin to turn the boat.


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## fishing_marshall

I use a 6' 6" medium action with a baitcaster. Try to let out the least amount of line you can and still be able to bump bottom. Also holding your rod at about a 45 degree angle helps. Thats a good day at Atwood!! I never catch anything there.


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## Fishing-Miller23

Yeah, same here. the best day we had was on my birthday. We caught 6 fish, I think 2 or 3 were saugeyes.


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## saugeyesam

i use to do very well here for saugeye back in the late 90s limiting out almost everytime i went here . useing 1/16 oz tinsel jigs tipped with a crappie minnow . but i keep hearing about jig and worm combos how heavy a jig what color and how much worm my set up is a 6' light action spinning rig loaded with 8 lb test trilene xt ive been useing this setup for years and never had a fish break off i like the light rig because i can feel lite bites easier its just my personal preferance what about crankbaits for eyes on atwood its one technique ive never tried here i usually throw shad raps or hot-n-tots at erie and catch walleye but im in much deeper water than what is found in atwood im gonna try and get down there on saturday if im not working. :B


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## Fishing-Miller23

> i usually throw shad raps or hot-n-tots at erie and catch walleye


I have caught 2 saugeye this year there with shad raps. People who do good there usually fish with minnows. That's why I think when the bite turns on, shad raps will be good to use. 

Let us know how you did. I was going to go there on Saturday, but my parents have to go to a wedding, we might go on Sunday. What kind of boat do you have and what color, next time out I will look for you. I know a good spot that in the spring in fall will be good for saugeyes. If you have any good spots tell me. If yoiu don't want to share them in this post, just PM me. Good Luck Saturday, I you catch a :B


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## saugeyesam

i dont mind sharing i do good trolling jig/minnow along the south shore line usually in 7 to 12 ft of water if no luck there i hit the flat in front of the public beach and then work my way around past the boaters beach heading towards the cemetary baystopping to drift/troll the humps between the boat beach and cemetary from there i cut across the lake to hit the point across from the boaters beach and troll on along the rocks in front of the lodge and work my way back towards the launch at the dam thats the same route i take every time i fish there but the last couple years havent been so good for me here so im just gonna start trying differnt things till i find another more productive technique. :B


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## saugeyesam

oh yeah i have an older flat bottom style boat its green and grey with an 18 hp evinrude on it i drive a grey 92 chevy blazer.if ya see me give a hollar.


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## Fishing-Miller23

Those are a lot of the places I fish too. Do you park at the Boat Ramp in the East? I think that is what it is called. We will either be in a 1996 red Ford Explorer or a 2001 Grey Dodge Ram. What is the biggest saugeye you have caught there?


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## saugeyesam

i park and launch at the dam on rt 212 my biggest here has been an eyelash under 9 lbs but it wasnt caught on the lake it was caught right below the spillway. a guy at work just told me today that the secret to saugeye is to keep your bait on or very neer the bottom letting it drag with an occasional hop he uses nothing but jig and worm this guy is a suageyeholic its all he fishes for year round . i caught that fish back in 1999 it seems like every year the fish keep getting smaller its a trend i first noticed in 2001 even the crappies arent as big as they where in the mid to late 90s but i keep on fishing. :B


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## Fishing-Miller23

> i park and launch at the dam


Yeah that's what I meant by the east, by the dam. The biggest I have seen caught was the 18 incher my dad caught in July. But we just got our boat in July. I had a big one on at Tappn though. We try to keep the bait near the bottom. I have heard that the spillway is good to fish. The last 2 saugeyes I have caught have been on Rapala's. I put a big sinker on my line, so it will swim deeper, plus they go deeper when you troll. What did you catch the 9lber on? That is a Hawg.


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## saugeyesam

i caught it on a black jighead with just a big minnow i think it was an 1/8oz jig i was fishing for pike with a minnow under a bobber and got bored stareing at the bobber and decided to toss a jigjust for change of pace i just dropped it over the side till it hit bottom i pulled up on it a bit and thought i was hung up on something till mi line started moving up stream i set the hook and it just reeled right in that was valentines day 1999. since then the biggest one has only been 18 inches.


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## Fishing-Miller23

I was going to say that there were pike in there. Have you caught any, if so with what. Have you caught any in the lake. I can't wait for the bite to pick up. The live bait I usually use are crawlers, but everyone seems to do good on minnows, so I think I will try those next. Where is a good place to buy them. I know Jim Corey has them at Cripple Creek, but that is too far away.


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## saugeyesam

if you were going to tappan id say go to cripple creek but i usually go to the marina right up from the dam ive caught a couple pike before but just hammerhandles my stepdad has one mounted from the spillway he caught it there back in the 80s i usually walk way down to the fork and fish a creek chub under a bobber the last couple times fishing with minnows ive not caught a saugeyes just dinky crappies.


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## Fishing-Miller23

If you come up through Somerdale, there is an Aaron's bait shop, I think they have them in there. I might try to catch a pike, never have caught one. I wnat to catch a BIG saugeye. The people that I have talked to say they do best when the wind blows from the Dam. I guess the shad go out onto the Table Rock in the middle of the lake before the cemetary. I heard that wind from the west, fish feed the best.


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## saugeyesam

heading out to atwood in a few minutes i'll post my results later today should be a good day we'll see . well time to make the doughnuts. later .


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## Fishing-Miller23

Hope ya do good. We need a good report from Atwood. I'm gonna try to go out next weekend. Parents are going to a weeding this afternoon and tomorrow we are going to Cabelas in West Virgnia.


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## Fishing-Miller23

SaugeyeSam, How was the fishing?


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## ttomcik

Sail dog I am a new member in this site and need some help not to sure on what Im doing dont know how to start a thread? Can you help?


Saildog said:


> Fished Atwood on Saturday from about 1:00 to 5:00 with pretty good luck for only being out in mid-afternoon for a few of hours. Started with the standard jig tipped with crawler and fished that for a couple of hours all over the lake without a single bite. Then tried drop-shotting a crawler with no luck either. Then switched to trolling, using a bottom bouncer and crawler harness. Almost instantly started catching fish...four saugeye and one white bass in under an hour (everything C&R). Two of the saugeyes and the white bass were very small...could hardly feel them behind the bouncer...one of which I probably dragged around the lake for ten minutes until I happen to reel in to check the rig.
> 
> How heavy of a rod do you all use for bouncers? I only had my "jigging" rod with me (6'6" medium action spinning rod) and with the 1-1/2 oz bouncer it was a game of trying to decipher the difference between feeling the bottom and feeling a bite. Would a heavier rod help? I'm thinking of rigging my baitcaster (6'6" medium-heavy) for bouncing and leaving the spinning rod for jigging.


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## misfit

just go to any forum and click "new thread" at top left.


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## ttomcik

Saildog Im new to the site and not sure if you are going to get this message,but was wondering what is the average size of saugeyes at Atwood?


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