# GMR Sauger question



## bnt55 (Nov 15, 2009)

I have been catching a few here and there on the GMR near the O.R. lately and the question I have is where do these fish go once they get into the GMR? I noticed that the water gets reall shallow after a mile or so from the mouth, do the fish just keep migrating up in the shallows or what? Just curious because I thought that sauger/saugeye and walleye were a deeper water fish and these rivers are not deep once you get away from the mouth area.....

Bill


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## TPfisher (Aug 31, 2009)

I don't know this for a fact but I think there is a good chance that a lot of those fish will make their way down to the damn. but some of them do go up the tribs. I fish the LMR a lot and there are a lot of sauger in there and some very nice size ones. I catch them when I'm catfishing a good deal. also catch em jigging for smallies.


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## dacrawdaddy (Aug 31, 2008)

I am not familiar with the GMR but I can tell you that sauger and walleye stay in the Guyandotte River above Huntington year 'round and it is not a very big river either. Deep water is a relative thing, once sauger move into a tributary they will use the deepest water available but that may only be an 8ft. hole near a bridge pier or a creek mouth. They don't need to have 30ft. of water to survive but they do become very nocturnal in the small river environment. I used to live near the Guyandotte River and I wouldn't even bother to start fishing until an hour before dark because they just wouldn't bite during the day.

I would guess that if you investigated a little upstream and found a deep hole or two that you would have some good sauger fishing all to yourself. If you can't get them to hit a jig try drifting a minnow near the bottom on a slip float through a deep hole. Good luck!


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## bnt55 (Nov 15, 2009)

I guess I was just wondering why and where they go when they hit the Ohio river tributaries...I realize they are making their spawning run upstream, the question is how far upstream and what constitutes good spawning ground for these fish. Looks like a good in depth web search is in order for me

I believe the dams are a popular fish stopping point because of the physical barrier to moving upstream, but if there were no dams I wonder how far the sauger and saugeye would go and where?...hmmmmm inquiring minds.


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## blackxpress (Nov 20, 2009)

I'm new to this area and am Jonesing to get down there and catch some Saugers. This will be my first year on the Ohio. All my Sauger fishing experience was on upper Kentucky Lake and I'm eager to see if my tactics will work on the Ohio. 

Down there you'd catch them in the main river channel just outside the mouth of a tributary. One spot we used to fish a lot was the mouth of Spring Creek. Spring Creek was about 12-16 ft. where it emptied into the Tennessee River. Right there at that spot it dropped off to about 30 ft. Just a little ways out from there it dropped to about 60 ft. (main channel). The best depth for the Sauger was about 25-28 ft. They'd be right on that ledge where it dropped off into the main channel. I used to position the boat right in the mouth of Spring Creek and start bumping bottom as I let it drift out into the main channel. Once I got out into about 30 ft. of water I'd turn the boat down river and try to keep it at that depth. Once I stopped getting bites I'd turn it around, head back to the mouth of Spring and make another run. Something about that spot was real attractive to those Sauger. 

I'm interested in this GMR discussion. The closest ramp to where I live is Tanner's Creek. My plan is to put in there and head up river to the GMR and fish the mouth. If that doesn't work I might head up into the GMR and find me a spot where shallow meets deep and then bump bottom while I drift back downstream.

Sound like a plan? If not I'd sure like to know before I go down there and make a water haul. It's too damn cold up here for water hauls. If I can't catch fish I'd rather sit in the house and watch football.


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## AnglinMueller (May 16, 2008)

You'll should definitly be able to catch sauger around here right now. Although i'm not sure i would take a boat up the gmr from the ohio. You wouldn't make it very far because it gets really shallow not too far up it. I'd just save myself the trouble and head to one of the major dams on the ohio or you could even try a couple on the gmr.


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## bnt55 (Nov 15, 2009)

Blackxpress

I fish this area extensively, as in a couple times a week lately...work has gotten slow which is bad on one hand but nice on another. For a typical boat you will only make it about a mile up river on the GMR, however if you have access to a small outboard and a small jon, your fishing can continue farther upstream. I dont know what the fishing is like past the shallow spots because I run a 20 ft jon with a standard propped motor and cant get in anything less than 18" or so (not that I havent tried, just ask my beat up propellers). I would be happy to give you some tips since these fish dont stay in one area long, I am pretty sure what's in today is out tomorrow. For some reason I have become obsessed with these toothy critters and just enjoy learning about them and finding out where they are from one day to the next. Good Luck 

Bill


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

just on the depth of water note. donnot limit yourself to deep water, though the fish hold in deeper water much of the time I have had many very larger sauger eat baits in 1-4ft of water this time of year, actually all times of year, like any fish they will follow the bait.
as far as how many miles they run up the rivers to spawn. I am sure that this has changed with all the crap we have done to our rivers but right now I can tell you that sauger run as far as 37 miles up the gmr and 50.6 miles up the lmr, where the first dams are. But the largest numbers of sauger never get above 15 miles up in the lmr, I am not sure about the lower gmr. On the same note, the bigger fish in the rivers seem to be resident fish that stay far upriver year round, aside from a short time period where a bunch of big ones move up from the ohio I dont see big sauger in the lowest portions of the rivers with consistancy. also, if the dams werent there some fish would swim until they couldnt find any good habitat and stop at the last good spawning area, pretty simple


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## blackxpress (Nov 20, 2009)

AnglinMueller said:


> You'll should definitly be able to catch sauger around here right now. Although i'm not sure i would take a boat up the gmr from the ohio. You wouldn't make it very far because it gets really shallow not too far up it. I'd just save myself the trouble and head to one of the major dams on the ohio or you could even try a couple on the gmr.


Where would you put in if you wanted to fish the tailrace at Meldahl? Like I said, I'm new to these parts. Tanner's Creek is the most convenient ramp to where I live but it's a long run from there to the dam.


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## bnt55 (Nov 15, 2009)

There is a ramp in Foster KY (I think) off of AA hwy you should be able to find it pretty easily there is a train track nearby and it is relatively hidden but it works. Just google map a satellite photo and look below the dam on the KY and you will see the ramp then map to it...easy peasy.


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## Bassky (Oct 7, 2008)

blackxpress,
Try fishing the mouths of Tanners, Hogan and Laughery creeks too. If you are close to Tanners, Markland would be closer than Meldahl. Are you in Indiana or Ohio or Kentucky?
Bassky


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## bnt55 (Nov 15, 2009)

fished Tanners the other day and came up empty, there were a few caught at Laugherty but they are really spread out right now. Below the dams are a best bet but not a guarantee


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