# Finding The Heat In The Cold



## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

It's late November. Both air and water temps have been dipping down into uncomfortable ranges for a while now. There are two fish that I least enjoyed fighting in the warmer months that have really turned on and shown what they are made of. The crappie aka wet postcard and the saugeye aka wet towel. These are the best descriptions I can give when catching these in warmer water, but something funny happens when the temps go down, way down. Both suddenly find incredible power when all the other species lack a good fight. These two were built for this kind of water so I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise.
I have mostly been hitting various ponds in search of crappie this past week, but have managed to hit the river twice as well. The pond bite has been insane this past week. I have caught over 100 fish in a weeks time with crappie, dink bass and bluegill being the norm. November has been a month of both the hottest bite of the year and the most catches in a month(and in a week). The crappie have averaged 8-10 inches with multiple 11-12 inchers almost every trip too. Only one has hit 13, but I know I can find bigger. The bass in the 6-11 inch range have been on fire as well. I'm still shocked at how much fight an 11+ inch crappie has in cooler water when just a few months ago you could barely tell something was on the line. A Bobby Garland minnow under a bobber has been the winner almost every time. Depth varies each day so that has become the biggest challenge, but once found it's on! Here are a few...





A toy catfish!





700th fish of the year caught a couple days ago.




Now onto the river bite. As mentioned already, I have only hit the river twice this week. Before this week the river appeared dead. I couldn't even get a bite until just a few days back when I caught a little 16 inch eye. I missed a second fish and that was that. The rain came and the river rose so I gave it a break until today. It was still dark when I arrived. The air was warmer this morning than yesterday's 25 degrees, but not much warmer. Maybe 10 degrees better. I couldn't find any takers until right around sunrise when a flathead like hit punched and headed for deeper water. The crazy thing is that he hit roughly a foot from shore! It peeled drag unlike any saug I've ever encountered. This cold water has them very active and aggressive! As I pulled him out it coughed up a 3 inch shad. I'm assuming it was chasing shad right up to the bank and my pearl grub happened to be at the right place at the right time. It measured in at 23 inches and weighed 4.80lbs. It was a fatty. My 3rd FO saugeye of the year 



A little time went by and I hooked up with another good one. I'd say it was around 20 inches, but a head shake 10 feet out threw my lure. Within a minute I got hit again. I think it was the same fish because not only did it fit my size description, it had a measly, tired like fight. 

20 inches.



Later on I caught a bonus river largemouth. Strangely enough it had enough energy to make a full aerial. 



It has been cold and quite miserable at times however the hot bite has made every trip out worth it. Layer up and give it a go!


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Awesome report again! Looks like that little cat may be a bullhead. Have you eaten a saugeye yet?


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Nice report and Awesome fish !
Braving the cold tomorrow ? ?
I'm considering it.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

garhtr said:


> Nice report and Awesome fish !
> Braving the cold tomorrow ? ?
> I'm considering it.


Some may call me insane, but yes I hit it today lol I was surprised it was a balmy 32 out when I woke up. I fished the river for an hour. The wind was quite strong and I was having trouble keeping my lure down at times. At one point the wind grabbed my line and was skirting the grub maybe 6 inches down and a nice sized saugeye took a swipe at it and missed. Next cast I snagged an umbrella and most likely scared anything around off as I dragged it in Couldn't get any takers so I warmed up and hit a pond for another hour session. I managed 3 dink bass and a crappie a little under 11 inches. It fought like mad lol I guess it's better than the fish I would have caught sitting at home. Did you get out?



Chris, yes it's a bullhead. Probably perfect bait size too. I have not tried eating anything yet. The GMR still doesn't appeal to me as a clean water source to eat from. I know people do it all the time, but still... I have considered keeping a walleye if I catch one again though just to see if they really are any good. I have yet to ever clean a fish I have caught either. 

The temps dropped to 28 later on and the wind chill was brutal. I was definitely having more issues with freezing rod guides later on than when I first began.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Great job for braving the elements! Dress warm and keeping active helps cut down on getting too cold! Catching fish also helps tremendously! That's an advantage that shore fishermen have over boaters in winter! IMO. 

As far as eating fish, walleye, saugeye, crappie and bass are predators that feed on forage fish and crustaceans which don't have much at all or any contaminates that are in the water, which make them very safe to eat! Bottom feeding fish such as the cats, suckers and carp would be more likely to consume some contaminates.
So go ahead and try some walleye/saugeye or crappie! They are great table fare, and especially so coming from colder waters!


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Eatsleepfish did you see any other fishermen ? 
I managed to get out and fish a few hours below a local spill-way.Wind and cold was making it tough but I managed a few dink crappie and saugeye.
( beats not fishing)















Looks like a nice warm-up is coming our way, looking forward to more good reports ESF.
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Great report ESF! Way to brave the cold and find a good bite.,


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Nice Garhtr! You don't see many people targeting saugeye with fly rods on here. Pretty cool. 

Polebender, I think I might just bring one home one of these days. First I need to learn how to clean a fish lol

I didn't fish yesterday, but headed out this morning. It was 24 out with a water temp around 45. I nailed a nice saugeye on the first cast. I didn't get any pics or measurement as it thrashed around on the bank and plopped back in the drink after spitting the hook. Easily 20 inches possibly a little more. Too bad I couldn't get a pic as it had a sweet pattern on it. I fished the next 2 hours in a couple spots and failed to get another bite. The water clarity is superb btw.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

This morning I went out with a different approach. I decided to hit the water very early and try fishing in the dark with a jerkbait. It seems crazy to toss a chunk of plastic in the dark and expect a fish to find it and with the uncertainty of not knowing where I'd be casting I tied a husky jerk I found a while back. The moon was hidden behind clouds and only occasionally would it peek from behind them to light up the water. On the second cast I felt a hit and sure enough fish on! It was small, but hey this night time artificial lure stuff really works! 



I was thrilled and definitely feeling confident so it wasn't much of a surprise when #2 hit a few minutes later. The moon came out as I was getting him to my feet to reveal a nice eye around 18 inches.



I cast around for a while more and finally nailed the largest fish of the morning. It had the lightest hit of the 3 and at first I didn't realize it was even a fish. Once it knew it was hooked it took off and began thrashing and splashing around in the shallows. It measured in at 22 inches. I believe this is actually a walleye. The dorsal fin was clear and the body void of blotches, but the tail wasn't totally transparent so I'm not 100% sure. Either way a nice fish! Had I had something to bring it home with I would have eaten this one...



I over dressed a bit as it was actually quite warm. After the first fish I took my gloves off and was fine. For late November it doesn't get much better than this. Once it got light out I couldn't find anymore takers. I even tried the usual swimbaits and grubs without a hit. It didn't matter much since catching 3 in complete darkness was awesome. These jerkbaits really have my attention. One cool thing I forgot to mention was with the insane water clarity you could actually see the glowing eyes of the fish as far as 20 feet out once hooked. My red light made their eyes red. 
I'll be backpacking the next few days in NC so I'll miss my favorite moon phase for eyes, but you guys should definitely get out there. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


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## strongto (Apr 1, 2013)

Nice job man. Jerkbaits are the way to go right now. Only downfall is it gets expensive if you snag them. I've lost 7 of my rogues in the last 3 days but they work so its been hard for me to use anything else.


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Sounds like a good morning! Central area reports has tons of reports with jerkbait and many other lure ideas for nighttime saugfish.


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## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

How have you been rigging the Bobby Garland minnow? On a jighead or a plan hook?


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## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

*plain


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Great job ESF! The suspending jerk baits are one one of the best cold water baits by far! Did they hit on the pause or while moving? It's funny how one day they'll want it moving and another you almost have to dead stick them! It's always important to try both retrieves when fishing jerks until you get a strike letting you know how they want it. If you only fish one retrieve and not getting strikes doesn't mean fish are not there. They are very finicky about how they want there food!
Also the larger fish seems to be a walleye. You can make out the faint bars on its side. Congrats on your catches!


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## CincyDave (Jan 19, 2007)

ESF, you are a fishing machine. Great year... 700 fish...wow! Always enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Chris, I've spent lots of time in the Central forum reading all the great info. I would say they have the best and most active forum regarding saugeye.

The Fishing Addict, I have been rigging it with a 1/8oz jighead. I started with a 1/32oz which typically got me more strikes, but the smaller hook lost a lot of fish. The 1/8oz doesn't seem to get as much action however they generally stay on better. I fish it between 15-40 inches down depending on what the fish want that day.

Polebender, I was fishing in quite a bit of current so I kept a steady, but slow retrieve with a jerk here and there. They were mostly hitting on the retrieve, but I believe one hit on the jerk if I remember correctly. They definitely are picky eaters...


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

After a "long" break of no fishing I got out today to attempt catching my first ever December fish. I managed 2 crappie and 3 small bass. I can finally add December to the list. Just 3 more months to go...
Also, for any river guys wondering, I stopped by the river to see what it looked like. It's up a bit and kinda fast. Definitely fishable, but the clarity isn't all there yet. Maybe close to 12 inches.

First ever December fish.



The chunky 11 inch that came on the next cast.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

I found myself waking up even earlier than I have yet for this cold water bite. I would get much more dark time to play, but would the fish be out and about? Like yesterday it was very foggy with air temps slightly warmer at the start at 29 and water temps dipping to 44. Thankfully no wind. I started out with a chrome minnow crankbait and had my first fish on within 10 minutes. A very active and angry 20.5 inch.



I thought the big saugs were in to play so I switched to the jerkbait. After a little while with no action I went back to the minnow crank and caught this dink.



I wouldn't get any more action until the first signs of light came. At this point I was experimenting with a hard jerk and pause on the jerkbait in a slow, shallow pool. Taker #3 hit on the pause.



I continued trying different tactics until it was really light out. At this point I started targeting deeper pockets as opposed to right up along the bank and found this guy over deeper water. 



There were 3 more hits in about the last 20 casts, but I couldn't hook up with anything. They were all in the same area not far from where the last fish was hanging out. Whatever it was would bump the jerkbait on the pause. One hit was pretty hard, but nadda.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hit up the river for an hour in the evening. This was the first time I had gone out saug fishing in the evening so I'm not in tune with the bite schedule and spots like I am in the morning. The big difference with this trip was that I brought a cooler. Yes, I finally decided to take one home. My stipulations were that it had to be between 19-22 inches and I would only keep one. Never having cleaned a fish in my life and not knowing if I'd even enjoy it I wanted to keep it simple with one lol It only took 10 minutes with the minnow crank to bag a meal. A 19 incher. The rest of the evening was dead.



The most important lesson I learned is I need a real filleting knife. Long and very sharp. What I had at my disposal was too short and although new and pretty sharp, it wasn't up for the task of quickly getting the job done. Let's say it took a very long time....
The cheeks were easy to cut and the fillets weren't too hard to cut, but pulling the skin off was a joke. The two fillets lost a lot of meat which I scraped off and cooked up separately. 
Now for the breading. We had some Louisiana seasoned beer batter mix in the cabinet, but no beer and no club soda so my wife says, "there is a can of sprite in the fridge". Sprite? Um I don't know haha It was that or nothing so in went the sprite. I fried them up and it looked like this.



To be honest this was the second best fish I've ever had behind the fresh, smoked salmon I ate in Seattle at a fish market! I mean really this stuff is good! I'll eat some fish, but I'm not a huge fish eater and this saugeye blew my mind between the texture and the taste! As for the sprite, well it added a really nice lemon flavor which surprisingly went together very, very well. I am quite impressed and pleased. I saved some for my dad to try today too. Now don't expect me to go keeping every eye I catch lol If I ever get a real filleting knife I might keep a few a year because it really is that good 


Fast forward to today and I went out for a couple hours. The fog was extremely heavy and the air temp was at 23. Water was around 44 again. I tried the usual minnow cranks and jerkbait. Finally after an hour... jerk...jerk, jerk...jerk...tap...set the hook! This fish hit over deep water and put up a really fun fight since it hit maybe 40 feet out as opposed to 3 feet out.. My 5th FO saugeye of the year at 21 inches. The only fish of the morning.


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Looks like you are turning into a saugeye catchin machine. Glad you got to finally enjoy the taste of them too. Keep the pics comin man. If i could get myself to stop chasing deer so much i would get after those delicious fish also.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Great job again! Walleye/saugeye/sauger are one of the best eating fish there are. Especially from freshwater. There is a post in the Southeast forum called Neat way to fillet walleye/sauger. You may want to check it out! Lol! Very easy to get nice boneless fillets.


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## Cat Mangler (Mar 25, 2012)

You have been mauling them saugs bud! WTG 

Btw, the skin is easy to remove. After you fillet it, place it skin side down and make a notch in the tail end about .25" from tip straight down but not through the skin. This will give you some leverage to hold on to. Then all ya have to do is scrape/slice towards front end with your blade edge angled down toward the skin. 

My favorite recipe for saugs so far has been to rub the meat with some McCormick brand chipotle roasted garlic seasoning and the lightly rub in some chipotle flavored tobasco sauce. Coat in corn meal/ flour mix(2 parts corn meal to 1 flour) dip in milk, and coat a second time(this helps the batter stick) in batter and fry em up. YUMMY!!!

Also, if you didn't "bleed" it, do so next time. Tastes even better imo.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

You know Chris, you can't hunt in the dark and the saugeye are best at night so problem solved. Hunt all day and fish all night. Sleep from 11-5 every night and you'll be just fine  lol 

I'll have to check that video out Polebender and thanks for the tip CM. With you being a chef I'm sure you have all sorts of great recipes. 


I got out for a short session tonight with my 2 brothers. It was "warm" I guess you could say. The skies were clear for once and I even saw a nice meteor. All three of us were throwing minnow cranks of various colors. It was dead for a while, but I managed a little 15-15.5 incher. Right after the fish my wife called and said I had to go home so as I was packing my stuff up my one brother caught his first saugeye and first December fish ever. Not a big fish, but worth fishing the cold for. Brother #2 got nadda. They stayed another 20 minutes or so after me without any hits. This was their first time fishing the cold bite and well I guess you could say they are hooked. Oh what have I done lol


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

I debated on whether or not to fish this morning, but seeing that the rain was both light and pushing out of the area I headed to the water much later than usual. It was an awesomely warm 39 out with water temps still hovering at 44. Crankbaits were a bust. They wanted a veeery slow presentation with the jerkbait instead. The first hit came on a lengthy pause drifting along in the current. It was a lite tap at that. I actually thought I had a FO sauger with this one. It looked kinda different than most saugeye with much more dark blotches. The various id photos and descriptions online make it tough to id too because they contradict each other. So the main point is, can sauger have white along the full length of their tail or not? Some say yes, others no. What's the real answer? If so, I took more detailed pics to present if need be. It went 17 inches.





I had one other very light tap and then nothing for a while. It was about time to head home, but I wanted to make a few more casts(of course) so a couple more casts later I feel a very light tap. I wasn't sure if it really was a fish so I gave the reel a spin and then tap tap. Set the hook on a chunk. It hit over deep water, but was up by the surface as it splashed around after getting hooked and then dove for the bottom where it fought for most of the battle. I realized it was a nice fish and also noticed it was barely hooked as it rolled around in the shallow rocks, but all ended well. Another FO eye @ 22 inches and 4.03lbs


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

You getting it done man ! Those Saugs sure are delicious. One of my favorite fish to eat!!!


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## strongto (Apr 1, 2013)

Man those big ones are a blast. I had one that was 22" and I guessed it to be around 4 pounds and that thing was peeling drag and giving me all kinds of hell. Looks like a great morning!


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

What a weird outing today...
Air temps a nice 39 with water around 45. I have a BPS suspending minnow that I jacked the rear treble on a snag a while back and haven't used it in months. I put a new treble hook on it which is too big for the lure so it noses up and sinks after a pause. I figured I'd give this a go and after about 15 minutes I nearly pooped myself when a topwater explosion happened 3 feet out as I'm pulling the lure out. It missed because the lure was out of the water a split second too soon, but man was my heart racing. Those types of hits make me jump every time, but add darkness and the fact that it's December and it really comes as a surprise lol So now that I know a fish is in the area I try for it again with no luck within 20 feet of me. I tried my best to cover the pocket for the next 5 minutes before trying much further out to a spot that generally only holds fish when it's light out. That's when I get a bump and fish on. It didn't feel huge and as I reached up to turn my headlamp on the fish ran toward me causing slack and with my hand on my head instead of the reel it got loose. Ok let's try this again. A few more casts to the same area and another bump. This fish was big and peeling drag as it gunned downstream. Kinda odd, but I guess it's an active saugeye I thought. Still, the fight was different than most eyes, but I'll never know what it was as this one too popped off after about a minute. Really? This sucks. A minute later to the same area and fish on again! This time I got it to my feet and turned the red light on. The look on my face was probably pretty priceless when the light turned on and I didn't see teeth. 

This happened....





Wow I definitely was not expecting this! It's not the first time we've met. Actually this is the 3rd time I've caught it. The size(16 inches) and the diseased body confirmed it as the same fish. It's insane to catch one in the river in December as it is, but in the dark to boot is just plain nuts! I lucked out too as the hook was barely in its lip. It must have taken a light hit on it. 
A few casts later to the same spot again got another faint bump and fish on, but this too popped off after 30 seconds. I'm really thinking I found a school of feeding smallies. They were barely hitting the lure which is why they were popping off. Instead of the typical saugeye tap or hard jerk these were more of a soft bump with weight. The odd non-saug like fights make more sense now. If these were in fact all smallies and I had landed them all, it would have been 4 in less than 10 minutes in December! I'll never know...

As for saugs I had two hits from them, but failed to hook up. Yeah I was catching smallies instead of saugeye this morning haha


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## strongto (Apr 1, 2013)

I would be extremely pleased with that trade off. Wish I would have gotten out of bed this morning to join you.


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

This whole thread screams epic.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Sounds like it should have been a really good day! You might want to invest in a good hook sharpener! Lol! You would think with 6-9 hooks on a bait, the fish wouldn't have a chance to get off! Treble hooks especially seem to dull a lot faster.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Yeah idk Polebender. I used the same lure today and had zero issues. I'm thinking they were just barely hitting the hook. My hook was fully in the smallmouth, but maybe only 1/8in inside the lip as if it barely tapped it. Even still I do need to buy a hook sharpener.

Yesterday I accidentally overslept. Working 11 hour shifts until midnight and getting up stupid early catches up to you I guess. So I went to Dick's and bought some saugeye baits. 4 husky jerks for $12.55 including tax! I had another $10 cash coupon from F/S(which can be used at Dick's too) and they are running a buy 3 or more lures and get 20% off. Pretty stoked about that deal  Here's to many more winter eyes!

With today being a new moon I was getting up early no matter what. The air temp was a whopping 54 degrees! Water was at 46.5. No snow hat, gloves or coat   
I met Strongto and we fished for a while. Caught some and lost some. Honestly the action was the best I've seen all week. I have to keep this short so my fish went like this...




I was tossing around when my lure gets smashed. I set the hook and the fish goes nuts pulling like mad and then guns down stream at a very rapid rate. It didn't fight like any saug I've ever encountered and with the amount of tug and fight it had I was thinking either this is a massive saugeye or something a bit different. As it got within range of my red light, the surfaced fins gave it away. No way!



Yep a solid 19 inch stripey thing  This was definitely another awesomely cool surprise. Some time went by and I hooked into a legit sauger. My first sauger ever that I know of now that I know how to id them.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

I'm loving the warm weather, but it is messing with the saug bite. 64 early in the morning in December is unheard of. Water was at 48 this morning, but checking on the USGS site it's now at just under 51 degrees! It shouldn't be this warm until the spring lol The action was rather slow, but this fish made it worth it. Being my 7th FO saug this year it is apparent that there is a healthy population of 21-23 inchers in the GMR. If people continue practicing catch and release we'll have some real monsters in the coming years. I'm hoping to find the big girls(24+) soon.

21.5


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Air temp a warm 55 with water just under 51. The slow bite continues, but they were aggressive. The fish only wanted to hit with a slow retrieve just under the surface. Pauses and jerks were unacceptable to them today. My new blue chrome husky jerk was the ticket. All fish were hanging out very close to shore. I first got a hit which threw the lure out of the water right in front of me. A few casts later to the same area got me a nice 21 inch saug. Some time after I had another really hard hit, but failed to hook up. At least when they hit there was no denying the fact they wanted it. It's worth getting up early for fish like this...


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Temps are dropping again which means happy saugeye, sad fingers and toes. Hit the water early today with air temps starting at 33 and dipping below freezing just after sunrise. Water was 51 and heading for 50. With rare clear skies I was able to see a few Geminids meteors as I fished which was a bonus  
I had my new xps clown minnow tied on and on the first cast the lure was dragging the surface roughly 4 feet out to avoid some rocks and I get my first topwater saugeye blowup! It hammered it just like a bass! At 19 inches it wasn't too bad of a fish either. I've been toying with the idea to throw actual topwater lures for saugeye in the moonlight next week. If they get really aggressive I might just try the sexy dawg jr or pop-r...



I fished and fished and fished some more without a single hit. I figured the first cast fish jinx was upon me after zero action for a looong time. Then, out of nowhere another fish makes its presence known, but it's merely a solid hit. This time I'm throwing the blue chrome husky. Half a dozen casts to the same area, which is a really snaggy spot, the lure gets bumped ever so lightly. I thought it was a rock so I stopped reeling hoping it would float up and clear the obstacle. The line didn't move so I assumed it was hung up until I gave it a little twitch to pop it free and then the line began to move lol Sometimes it's impossible to know the difference between a hit and a rock with these fish so pay attention to your line! This one went 19.5 inches...



It was getting "late" at this point and usually the bite would be done, but I thought I'd tie a pearl grub on and try in a deep hole. Another little tip that I've both read and experienced a number of times is use jerkbaits/crankbaits in the darker hours and downsize to grubs when the sun is up. It wasn't long before it got hammered by the smallest fish of the morning. A little 17 incher. 



The bites were few and far between, but the aggressiveness is picking up. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bundle up and give it a shot.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

First of all, fantastic thread. I've really enjoyed reading. Secondly, can I ask what part of the GMR is best for targeting saugs? I've been trying the last month or so around the Dayton area without any luck. Am I too far south? Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks and keep the good stories coming!


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## strongto (Apr 1, 2013)

Brandonw, you are definitely not too far south, they are in all stretches of the river.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

brandonw said:


> First of all, fantastic thread. I've really enjoyed reading. Secondly, can I ask what part of the GMR is best for targeting saugs? I've been trying the last month or so around the Dayton area without any luck. Am I too far south? Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks and keep the good stories coming!


Brandon, Just as Strongto said they are in every stretch of the GMR. Both north and south of Dayton has good populations. I would target within 1/2 mile of any lowhead along the river as well as any spots that have islands, eddies and good current seams. Try to fish in the dark or right around dark and keep it shallow. If you fish in deeper water stay toward the top of the water column. Most fish are hanging up there anyway, but if it's dark they need to be able to see the bait silhouetted. Also, don't be afraid to fish right along the bank as they will come right up to the shore. My largest saugeye was caught a foot from the bank in a foot of water so don't overlook super shallow, super close areas. As for lures, I've had good success with jerkbaits and crankbaits(grubs and swimbaits should work too). The color and technique can be different every day so be prepared to use it all. One day they might want it moving at a medium pace and the next they want it just sitting there at 7 second pauses at a time. If you found saugs somewhere earlier in the year chances are they are around the same area now, just in the shallows. Good luck!


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Thanks for the good info. I was out early this morning in the tailwater of a low head south of Dayton and didn't have any luck with the saugs. I did land a nice pike however so I was happy with that. Not giving up on the saugs. I plan on being out again soon and I'll use your advice. Can't wait to get my hands on one. Heres a crappy pic of the pike and I (24.5")


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Nice pike young man! Congrats on your catch!


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Dude that's an awesome pike! Especially for south of Dayton. I'd take that over a saug any day. Feel free to post your results/finds here.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

A quick update. It had been a slow week catching about 1 eye(14-17in) each morning until yesterday when the water temp dropped and clarity got closer to 4 feet. Yes, it really is that clear! It was absolutely freezing especially when the wind picked up. Finally after about 40 minutes I hooked up with a pig. I got it to my feet, but lost it. The rod was stretched high over head and this monster was thrashing about like a maniac in the rocks. I bumped it with the net twice, but failed to get the net under this heavy fish and it finally popped free. A conservative estimate would have been 24 inches easy. It was a long fish yes, but the girth was unreal on this fish. Thick all the way to the tail with a big pot belly. Surely my new pb had I landed it. 10 minutes later I caught the only fish of the morning. A dink 14.5 inch. What a slap in the face 
Fast forward to today and you could say I had the best saug day of the year so far. I went 8/9 during a short morning session and a quick evening session. The morning temps were brutal, but without the wind like the day before. Water started at 43 and dropped to 42. On the first cast after about 3 cranks I get an ever so slight tap. The first fish of the day was a nice 21 incher.



The treble hooks were deeply embedded in the net which quickly froze solid. I spent 15 minutes trying to get my jerkbait undone before I snapped the line and left it on the net to worry about later. After a couple casts I hooked up with #2 around 12 inches and the very next cast got me one around 16 inches. Too cold for pics lol

Tonight I went out for an hour and they were on fire! First cast my lure was probably in the water a full 1.5 seconds when it gets hit by a 17 inch. I lost another one around 18 inches and really fat maybe 3 feet out just after. A few casts later and this 21.5 inch/3.90lb fatty slams my jerkbait.



Another dink followed and then I hook up with yet another FO. Unfortunately no pic or measurement of this fish. A treble hooked into the top of the net which didn't allow the fish to sit in the bottom of the net. It popped free and went nuts on my boots. He slipped out of my hands, bounced once and plopped back into the water. That fish was crazy lol. I'd say it was somewhere in the 21.5-22in range. A solid fish for sure. About 5 minutes later I caught the 5th and final fish of the night which went around 15 inches. Of all the fish since yesterday only one hit was truly detectable. Most were extremely light and a couple I didn't feel at all. Most also hit on the pause up to 7 seconds. They want it slow for sure.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Unfortunate losing the fatty but overall a very good week for the saugs id say. I'd love to have a week like that. Nice work. 

Those light hits have me nervous. I already have a hard time distinguishing between structure and fish. I've got a 6'6" medium action ugly stick with 20lb braid. Any advice? I've been thinking about moving to a 7' medium or a 6'6" light and maybe that might help. Or maybe I should quit blaming my equipment and get more experience under the ol belt.


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## strongto (Apr 1, 2013)

Brandonw, experience definitely helps more than anything. I fished with ugly stiks for years and still fish with one for certain conditions and lures. Ugly stiks are good rods but they aren't the most sensitive. I use a medium or medium light, fast action rod for saugs but that's what I am used to using to work the lure the way I want. It isn't necessarily the best. My recommendation would be that you look up all of the aspects of what makes rods different and in the mean time I'd just get as much experience in as possible. I think experience trumps expensive equipment.


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## Flannel_Carp (Apr 7, 2014)

brandonw said:


> Unfortunate losing the fatty but overall a very good week for the saugs id say. I'd love to have a week like that. Nice work.
> 
> Those light hits have me nervous. I already have a hard time distinguishing between structure and fish. I've got a 6'6" medium action ugly stick with 20lb braid. Any advice? I've been thinking about moving to a 7' medium or a 6'6" light and maybe that might help. Or maybe I should quit blaming my equipment and get more experience under the ol belt.


I found this guide very helpful when I first started parsing out different rod builds for different purposes:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/guides/rodselection.html

I was using a 6'6" medium rod for all tackle, but now use a fast 7'-7'6" Medium light for most all treble hooked lures (cranking, Pop-Rs), and a fast 7'-7'6" Medium Heavy rod for my heavy hooksetting (jigs, spinnerbait, zaraspook with large trebles). Todd is spot on about the Ugly Sticks, they are known for their lack of sensitivity.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Thanks for the replies everyone and apologies to eatsleepfish for unintentionally jacking your thread.

I'll keep reading, researching and experimenting. During early January I'll probably start my own thread for personal educational, motivational and documenting purposes. Thanks again! Great information.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Brandon, you're not hijacking the thread so post away! If you haven't already checked out the "rainy jerkbait limit" thread in the central forum do so. It's chalk full of years of info from many, many people. There is more info than you can shake a stickbait at  It would be nice to have a similar thread for us SW guys with info on water/conditions closer to home. That's partially why I'm trying to keep this thread going. 

As for detecting bites, I have two rods. A cheapo $8 6' medium action Walmart special and a cheopo $20 6'6" medium heavy Shakespeare Excursion. Both can detect bites, but in the dark I'm not looking at my rod tip. Since I use a Zebco 33, my thumb/pointer finger pinches the line just before the reel. First by doing this any knots or twists get taken out before entering the reel and secondly I can detect even the slightest bites through the line. Bites that my rods wouldn't pick up I can feel with my fingers. Even still there are "bites" that just can't be felt and it's not until you bring in the slack that you realize either a fish is on or you have a snag. 
While fishing with jerkbaits/crankbaits I generally don't fish deeper than 18 inches down or so. Even in deep water. So if I feel any sort of tap I'm swinging. If I'm in the really shallow water around known snags and rocks and I feel a tap I'll pause and wait to either feel another tap or feel the fish pulling out and then set the hook. Experience goes a long way, but then again I barely have any myself as I just started fishing this way around Thanksgiving lol


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Wow I'm shocked at your equipment inventory. The way you catch fish I never would've guessed you have 28$ worth of rods and a spincast reel. Impressed is an understatement. I'm going to try "pinching the line" on my spinning reel and see if it applies the same way. Anyone with spinning outfits ever try this and had success?


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

brandonw said:


> Wow I'm shocked at your equipment inventory. The way you catch fish I never would've guessed you have 28$ worth of rods and a spincast reel. Impressed is an understatement. I'm going to try "pinching the line" on my spinning reel and see if it applies the same way. Anyone with spinning outfits ever try this and had success?


Expensive equipment won't catch you more fish, but it might make it easier  I guess you could call me a budget fisherman. 
I doubt you could fish a spinning reel like that because it hangs underneath the rod. Since most guys fish with spinning reels the quality of the rod might make more of a difference for detecting bites? I don't know. With my setup I use line feel over rod tip watching in every season. 

I haven't fished the river since Monday and with the rain we've received/will be getting I doubt it will be fishable until a week from now if not longer  Perfect timing for the full moon...


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

I started this thread about a year ago and I remember it well... That warmish Thanksgiving morning last year that made me a believer in night jerkbait fishing for eyes. I've come a long way this past year. Everything from solid fish ID for all 3 species to figuring out patterns for all 3 in every season thus far. My techniques have expanded and so has my stick bait collection. So with the water temps back in the 40s I thought it would be a great time to pull this thread from hibernation and share 3 big events of this past week.

#1 One random evening I experienced the best saug hour of my life. 65 minutes of pure quality eyes. The very first cast I don't think my clown husky was in the water for 2 seconds when a 20.5 inch takes it down. Just 2 casts later and I have a very nice fish on. It went for a screaming run and my line broke. It was day old line, but there had to be a nick in it or something because new 14lb test line shouldn't break that easily. Bummed that I lost my only clown husky I tied on a chrome with blue back husky and the first cast gets me a nice 18in. Maybe 2-3 minutes go by and Ms. 21.5in comes in to say hello. It wasn't long before her twin sisters, a pair of 19s, stopped by as well. After this the bite quit with the exception of a missed fish for maybe 10 minutes. I decided to tie the firetiger rogue on and the very first cast gets pummeled by the fattest 20.5 I've ever seen. It weighed in at 3lb, 9oz which isn't bad for a fish this length. The pic doesn't do her belly justice. a few casts later gets me yet another heavy fish, but the fight was short lived during the headshaking frenzy. I missed one more and then got one of those jumping saugeye. I've experienced it before, but yeah eyes really can fly. This went airborne a full 2 feet doing a somersault less than 10 feet from me. It was only 17 inches, but what a crazy fighter. I ended up with 7 eyes(17-21.5), 2 hefty losses, and 2 misses in just 65 minutes. The bite shut down after that and I had no need to continue chasing.





#2 Another outing produced some eyes, but the highlight was this 22 inch. She became my 20th FO saug of the year...



#3 On yet another outing I found a number of eyes and ers, but this was the first outing I completed what I call the triple crown on the same trip. A sauger(12in), a saugeye(17in), and a walleye(20.5in). During the summer I caught all 3 in the same day, but they were during 2 separate outings. This time I caught all 3 in one shot.


I am compiling loads of info which will one day be shared with the masses. I am out of time at the moment to share recent findings, but one day maybe I'll write a "book".


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## Cat Mangler (Mar 25, 2012)

That's some awesome fishing bud! Grats on the triple crown!


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## FishermanMike (Nov 28, 2012)

You really are the Saug and Eye whisperer, great job!


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Til it started warming up recently I've been doing fairly well. Total of 6 saugs in 4 short trips. I won't be posting exact locations for obvious reasons but I will say I reside in Dayton and fish the GMR typically anywhere within 30 mins north or south of the city so that'll give you all some geographical perspective of where my fish are coming from. 

Two weeks ago I made it out to a spot I haven't fished since Winter of last year. It's a high pressure spot but I've pulled good fish from there before regardless. The temps were finally starting to really dip and I knew the fair weather fishermen would most likely be coddling the fire inside. We all know this has been a warm Fall so I had a good feeling the frigid temps should get the saugs feeding as well. I fished for about an hour or so with little luck til I ventured little further downstream. I casted a silver curly shad on 1/16oz jig and it was inhaled after a few turns of the handle. Hook set. Decent fight. 14" saug pictured below. Picture and release. Two casts later I feel the same friendly thump. Hook set. Better fight. I welcomed the drag peeling from my reel as I only had 6lb test. Fish came off as I pulled it onto land and I was able to grab it before it got away. Phew. Measured to be about18". Threw it in the cooler and headed home. No pic, I was just excited I think. 


















Last week I made it out again, same spot and had probably the best saug night in my short saug fishing career. I believe this was the night of the full moon or maybe a day or two after it. 4 bites, 2 fish. The reason it was the best night was not because of the 2 fish I landed but for the 2 fish I lost. I ended up landing a 16" and 20"er. Both good fish, both caught on silver curly shad on 1/16oz jig, zero complaints there. The first fish I lost I barely felt the first 3-4 seconds it was on. I felt a very subtle thump but not the familiar thump of my bait hitting the bottom or weeds or wood. I remind myself that hooksets are free and proceed to do as such. I don't feel the weight of the fish. Confused, I continue to turn the handle and a few seconds go by before I feel the rod end twitch and BOOM, drag peels. I smile immediately and it feels like a very good fish. I fight for probably half a min before it simply pops loose. I curse, moan, groan, etc and continue to fish. Somewhere during the night I switched to a clown colored husky jerk which provoked my second loss of the night. I was using a slow retrieve when my bait got slammed. I set the hook but for whatever reason I don't feel like it was as hard as I should have. Regardless the fish was on for a good minute. This minute was bliss and I smiled the whole time. The fish pulled and yanked and I was adjusting the drag setting tirelessly. Keep pressure on the fish, keep tension. It didn't matter. At the end the fish simply popped off and won and I just continued to smile. Didn't curse this time, I just smiled and tipped my hat to the fish and thanked him for the best fight I had had in awhile. Anyways, here are the fish I managed to land:


















This past weekend. Same spot. My girl tagged along in hopes she would land her first saug and she did exactly that. A nice 19"er and I was happy. Success. I threw out a 3" silver curly tail grub on 1/16oz jig and got a 16"er right before we left. 


















Most recent adventure was yesterday. I hit one of my go-to panfish spots on the river while it was still daylight. I usually go to this spot with the intent of catching a few decent crappie (enough for a sandwich or two if I'm lucky). Spot produced 3 dinks, all near 7.5" mark. My personal minimum for crappie is 9 1/2" on the river. Any less than that is not worth the time cleaning for the amount of meat, FYI. I got probably 15-20 gills and a few small smallies. All caught on itty bitty swim-r plastics on 1/32oz jigs. It got dark after an hour so I knew it was time to head to my recently hot saug spot. Water was about a foot higher than normal and moving a little quicker than normal. I thought little of it and began casting my inventory of saug baits- husky jerks of all colors and sizes, curly shads, and curly tailed grubs. I came out with nothing. Probably close to 2 hours of fishing and I had gotten 2 bites but both fish came off shortly after hookset. I think the hooks were slightly dull after examination. I'm honestly not convinced either were saugs, felt more like smallies. I could blame the warm temps but honestly I'm just glad I've had a relatively successful last couple weeks. Water temp was 50*F and outside temp was 58*F. 

I'm going to attempt to keep better record of my saug adventures in this thread thanks to ESFs blessing. Don't expect similar results though! He really is THE saug whisperer. Im lucky to catch a quarter of the quality fish he does. Everyone else is welcome to post saug adventures as well. The more the merrier and I love learning all I can about these fish. Tight lines!

-B


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

The plan today was to hit CJ Brown after work today for walleye but the fish were nowhere to be found. I tried 5 different spots with numerous baits ranging from curly shads to husky jerks to rattle traps. Nothing. Conditions seemed ideal for eyes - cold, windy, overcast - but results said otherwise. I left frustrated. It was one of those trips where it seemed like it didn't matter what bait I tried, what technique I used or which location I was at I had zero confidence after not getting a bite in the first hour or two. 

I was headed home when I decided, hell its not too late, I have time to hit the river and redeem myself. I only stayed for about 45 mins but I managed a fish. I didn't care that it was only a 13" smallie, it was the best 13" smallie to me. Caught it on a gold HJ10. I felt better, packed my crap and left. No walleye, no saugs...always next time. 

Water temp: 48.2*F (down 2* in 2 days)
Air temp: 39*F
Water level: High (ft or so)
Pressure: 30.04
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent day 4


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

Very nice report. The only thing I would take issue with is eating anything out of the GMR. I've fished that river for over 25 yrs and the things Ive seen and smelled in that river has convinced me that no matter how much I love the taste of fish, there's absolutely no way I'd eat anything out of there. After the things Ive seen and smelled just letting that water touch my flesh gives me the willies.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Brandon, your hard work and persistence is paying off. Keep up the good work and posts!

I've been catching fish myself, but nothing too exciting. They were getting really hyper just before the rain earlier in the week and weren't afraid to pound a lure and go for a run or 3. Color didn't matter much just as long as it was moving. After the rain, the river went up a bit and got pretty fast. I tried a number of areas that are considered rising water spots with no luck. I found a couple more on a very early morning run today and they only wanted a clown husky with a 2-3 second pause. 3 fish this week have gone 20-21 inches, but no pics. Those dinks weren't photo worthy in sub freezing temps or rain lol


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Mean Morone said:


> Very nice report. The only thing I would take issue with is eating anything out of the GMR. I've fished that river for over 25 yrs and the things Ive seen and smelled in that river has convinced me that no matter how much I love the taste of fish, there's absolutely no way I'd eat anything out of there. After the things Ive seen and smelled just letting that water touch my flesh gives me the willies.


Huh.....I consider the river cleaner than I've ever seen in 45 years. tons of craws....helgramites , Eagles , otter, Beaver , ospreys.....all live and eat out the the river now..herons....30 years ago I never seen these species .


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Mean Morone said:


> Very nice report. The only thing I would take issue with is eating anything out of the GMR. I've fished that river for over 25 yrs and the things Ive seen and smelled in that river has convinced me that no matter how much I love the taste of fish, there's absolutely no way I'd eat anything out of there. After the things Ive seen and smelled just letting that water touch my flesh gives me the willies.


Are you close to the ohio ?


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Don't eat out of the river PLEASE........









More for me!


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

SMBHooker said:


> Don't eat out of the river PLEASE........
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was not trying to convince anyone to stop eating any fish that they catch from any body of water. I was just giving my personal opinion based on my experience. Some of the things I've seen and snagged on my line cant be mentioned on here because it would be blocked. Eat up! I'm headed to the promised land, Tennessee, next week for huge hybrids and stripers and smallmouths. Probably wont eat a one, but thats just my choice. It seems that peoples experiences while fishing are encouraged on this forum so that young fellas can learn from it. I've given my opinion on eating fish from the GMR. What you do with it is up to you. Enjoy! I love to eat fish!


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## fishwhacker (Jul 16, 2010)

If you have no problem catching what you want for dinner from cleaner waters more power to ya....i have no qualms about eating fish outta grand lake st marys but i catch enough outta brookville and erie i dont even have to worry about if the fish are ok or not


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## FishermanMike (Nov 28, 2012)

I really enjoy this thread. It convinced me to get out way before the sun in the middle of winter last year and had the same effect today. I caught one Saugeye at a low head dam on a black Shadow Rap, right off of the boil by the dam. Fish came well before sunrise, and nothing after that.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Nice looking eye there Mike, but how do you lip those things?! 

The eyes seem to be getting into their cooler water feeding habits now even though water temps are at 49. While I did find one via 3.5in silver curly shad, all others have been on a HJ10 clown with 6-10 second pauses. Drag the lure down, give it a twitch, and experiment with different length pauses until you find what they want. They aren't going for slow retrieves or 2 second pauses anymore and the bites are extremely light. Last year they weren't really doing this until the water was in the 42-45 range. I've missed a couple and found a few in the 18-19.5in. Once again experimentation is key. Try moving the lure along, but if that's not working start adding pauses until they tell you what they want.


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## FishermanMike (Nov 28, 2012)

Eatsleepfish said:


> Nice looking eye there Mike, but how do you lip those things?!
> 
> Ha very carefully and not quite intentionally. So used to Smallies that I almost always start teaching into their mouths before realizing it's full of razors


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

Heard someone caught 23 eyes today at CC. Don't know where or on what. Not much help, am I?


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

MuskyFan said:


> Heard someone caught 23 eyes today at CC. Don't know where or on what. Not much help, am I?


 I'm not sure how the Lake fishing was today but the river bite was outstanding, I caught several this morning before 10 a.m. when unfortunately I had to come home and move Christmas decorations out of our attic
Thankfully my wife gave me a repreive around 3 and the bite was still very good until well after dark and pair of nice saugeye now have a date with peanut oil tomorrow afternoon.
Good luck and Keep Fishing !


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Made it out in the rain and cold last night. I did alright considering I ventured to a new spot I had never been. It's a pressured spot but I knew with these conditions I likely wouldn't see anyone else fishing. I was right, only me, peaceful and calm. I fished from around 7-9pm and managed a 15 1/4" saug and a 25 1/2" pike. I got the saug on a milky white big joshy paddle tail on 1/16oz jig. Before I was getting ready to leave I was throwing around an orange/pink 3" curly tail on 1/16oz jig. The pike didn't smash it or really take it that hard just a light familiar thump and I set the hook. I felt like I dragged the fish in rather than fight it in, which was weird for a pike. I really didn't know what kind of fish to expect. The fish got closer to the bank and I saw it was a pike and I got pretty nervous. I've only caught 2 pike previously but read enough to know that they like to come unbuttoned at any time. The fish made a final small run before I was able to get it close enough to net. Boom, in the net!! Sure enough, the jig hook popped out of its mouth almost right after. Wa-la! I wanted to get a couple more pictures but my phone started acting up but at least I got one before it gave me the "dead battery" image. Not a bad evening and I got some good intel on a good spot. 

Conditions: Overcast, night, light rain
Water temp: 45.5*F (down 3* in 3 days)
Air temp: 36.8*F
Water level: Normal
Pressure: 29.88
Moon phase: Waxing Crescent day 7


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

My favorite thing about winter Fishing especially at night is the fact you probably aren't going to fish in a crowd!
Nice job on the pike.
Good luck and keep Fishing !


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Well I made it out again last night to a spot where I've had most of my success. Started out with a purple big joshy on 1/16oz jig and only took a few casts before I got saug 1. A chunky 19 3/4"er. I moved around a little more and nothing. Tried a jerkbait, nada. I've only had one saug hit a jerkbait so far this season and that's it, which leads me to believe I may not be using correct/effective techniques but I've been experimenting regardless. I'm much more comfortable with jigs ive noticed which ultimately leads to more time casting jigs and more fish. Plus a jig hook and soft plastic runs me around .75$ whereas a husky jerk anywhere from 4-6$. I believe I'm simply hesitant to lose my jerkbaits and hence don't fish them as well as I could. Oh well. I'm learning. In the meantime, I change out my HJ to a silver 3" curly tail grub and cast to the same spot I had been casting the HJ and it gets hit second cast. Boom, hook set. Second fish and it wasn't a bad one either at 18". If I don't start catching some fish on jerkbaits I'm starting to think they may just end up becoming nice wall hangers... conditions and pics below.

I believe I'm taking tonight off. Taking the girl to a movie and finish up some Christmas shopping. Shout out to her for putting up with my fishing addiction! I know it's probably not easy sometimes but I DO love you more than fishing, even though you may not think so . I'm sure a lot of guys on here can relate. 

Conditions: Clear skies, night, light wind
Water temp: 44.6*F (dropping a degree a day consistently)
Air temp: 38.1*F
Water level: Normal
Pressure: 30.00
Moon phase: First Quarter day 8


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## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

brandonw go buy some cheap jerk baits to practice with. If you lose some it's not your good ones.


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## FishermanMike (Nov 28, 2012)

Nice ones Brandon. I got out tonight too. I'm a Saug rookie, but I know that a rising river and a changing front is supposed to be good for them. Got to the river after work and stayed until well after dark. Caught one at about 16" on a silver HJ a few casts after arriving. Unfortunately, the easiest place to catch Saugeye seems to be close to dams, which is where I was, and with the dam comes tons of snagged line which snowballs over time and ends up getting bigger and nastier. As fate would have it, that first fish came right by one of these big snowballs of snagged line, and I couldn't help myself but to keep casting to it. I lost the silver HJ, put on a silver Shadow Rap, lost that, and then switched to a silver curly shad to cut my financial losses. I caught a random Smallie on that and then lost it too....then I moved downstream a ways to escape all the snags. I put on a perch colored Shadow Rap, and ended up catching an 18" fish in a couple feet of fast moving water. Called it a night after that.

Lots of lost lures, but worth it for a few nice fish in December. I'm liking this cold weather Saugeye thing.

Brandon, I'm also in Dayton if you want to meet up and chase Saugeye sometime.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

I'm falling behind here! When the choice is fishing or post on OGF it'll be go fishing every time lol So here is a small recap on this past week's festivities...

As Garhtr mentioned, the saugs were feeding nicely on Saturday. I made a point to not throw the jerkbait much. In fact I only threw it for 10 minutes with zero action so I stuck to gold and silver curly shads at first. This was knocking them nicely however I was getting a ton of short strikes. After getting sick of the amount of short strikes, I decided to try a new direction. This technique is not new at all, but for saugeye I haven't heard of it being used. I basically used a crappie setup. A 1/8oz marabou hair jig in yellow was attached 2ft under a float. I either tossed the rig out into the current and let it drift on downstream or I would slowly retrieve it in slack water areas. It only took 2 casts to find the first fish on the new setup, a very skinny 19. Over the next 15 casts I caught a couple more and missed just as many(I think this was user error though because if I set the hook on the initial hit I'd miss the fish, but if I continued reeling in after the hit and waited until there was weight I'd get them). And just like that the frenzy was over. I experimented with this technique over a few trips and here is what I have found so far. If the jerkbait isn't getting touched drop down to a smaller bait(curly shad, grub, swimbait). If they are hitting this, but you are getting a lot of short strikes, tie on the marabou hair jig under a float and your catch rates should go up. If they are extremely aggressive they won't touch the jig so don't bother. I'm anxious to see if this technique will be my go to when water temps dip below 40. I could always swap the hair jig out with a grub or curly shad if they like the presentation, but want a larger profile. I plan on trying this setup more often in the really cold weather so stay tuned for updates.

Look ma it works!





Another night I got out really late and ended up hitting 3 different spots with no luck. I threw a little bit of everything and couldn't buy a single bite. It was getting late and the moon was trying to pop out from behind some cloud cover. In a last ditch effort to beat the skunk I put on a chrome/blue back HJ10. I started with 8 second pauses and the lightest of hits was felt shortly after casting, but I missed it. Another dozen casts to the same general area produced yet another extremely light tap. I waited to swing until I felt a second, stronger tap and then I swung. This time the husky's hooks drove deep into a nice fish. I'll take a 23.5 inch skunk buster any night!



Last night, although brutal, produced some nice action too. The wind was really ripping and while I was catching fish in the current with jerkbaits and a gold curly shad, the big fish of the night, a modest 20.25 came from casting parallel to shore when winds were really gusting. The jerkbait fish all wanted 2 second pauses last night and this fatty was no exception. Get out there and play peeps cause the action is hot!

Mike and Brandon, it's really cool to see things are paying off for you two. I remember you guys struggling last year to find them and now all of that time you're putting in is paying off. Keep up the great work! Maybe that 25+ will come and stop by.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Good info "eatsleep"! I tried fishing with my spinning rod last trip and had a tough trip, only one fair saugeye, looking back I honestly believe I was fishing under the fish with the soft baits I was using. I've got a lot to learn, most of the. Cold weather fish I've taken have been caught on xraps and HJ's . I hope to fish a lake this W/E if I can't handle the weather.
Good luck and Good Fishing!


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## FishermanMike (Nov 28, 2012)

A lot of my very limited success is thanks to the great information you've shared.

Sounds like you've been having some good outings, and I like the Maribou Jig/float idea.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

FishermanMike- I messaged you my contact info. Hit me up anytime. 

Patrick- I agree with Mike. A lot of my success is from talking with you and observing your success so thank you good sir. 

Got out last night at my usual time (7-9ish) to my usual spot. I spotted something unusual however and that was another guy fishing. Dang, secrets out, I must be posting too much information. This will be my last post...

JUST KIDDING! But there really was someone else in my spot. He was a nice fellow though and we talked for 15 or so mins. Exchanged some good info. He told me he got a couple dinks and a 25"er. Ugh. Whether it was, in fact, 25" or not is debatable but I'd be ecstatic with anything within a few inches of that number. Good to know biggins dwell at my spot even if I didn't catch it. 

So I began the evening with a milky white big joshy. Fished around for 20 mins or so and nothing. Switched to a silver curly shad and got my first and only saug of the night, a chunky 19 1/2"er. I pulled the fish to my net and within milliseconds of netting the fish the hook popped from its jaws. PHEW. Very close to losing that one. No doubt, if I didn't have my trout net clasped to my belt loop and ready to go I would not have landed that fish. Lesson of the day- If you don't have a small-medium sized net attached at the hip (literally) I strongly recommend you get one. It's proven itself time and time again. Even though it's somewhat small it's handled fairly large fish. Even if the fish only fits halfway in, it allows me to just move it away from the water and means of escape. Anyhoo, where was I? Fish netted, success. I cast the curly shad a little more and fail to connect with some short strikes but decide to try a HJ. I try two different sizes and colors and the only sign of life I got was a fish just miss the bait after I pull it out of the water. I saw it turn around and dive back down immediately. Dang. With hopes of getting one more I desperately try a gold twister tail grub but no luck. No skunk and the fish I did get was decent. No complaints here. Water temps still dropping and will continue to with even colder air temps expected throughout the next week. Get out there, fight the cold and catch some saugs people!

Conditions: Partly cloudy, night, light wind
Water temp: 42.8*F
Air temp: 35*F
Water level: Little high
Pressure: 30.17
Moon Phase: First quarter 49%


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Nice report brandonw, thanks but no net , it's grab and hope for me and if I lose one it's just an excuse to go back on another nite. The best thing about this saugeye Fishing for me is the fact my wife encourages me to go fishing- she loves eating them and I'm certainly not about to keep to many that she gets tired off them. I'm wishing for a warm-up
Thanks for the info and Good luck and keep Fishing !


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

I'm glad you guys are getting some useful info...

Garhtr, don't be afraid to stay in the upper water column. Saugeye, walleye and even sauger will all hit topwater. I don't bounce the bottom much unless fishing the day bite. 1-2 feet under the surface seems to produce good results for me at night  

With this cold weather blowing in don't be afraid to give those baits some long pauses. Like uncomfortably long. Last night diving the husky down a couple feet and pausing for a full 20 seconds between each twitch seemed to be the ticket. Just make sure those jerks suspend well. I also finally got my first topwater at my feet blowup of the fall last night as I was about to pull my lure out of the water. It missed, but man does that send your heart rate up a few notches lol Last year I got plenty of those, but I think the unusually warm weather has spoiled most of that until now(I hope).


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Not a ton to report from me recently. Zero saugs in my last 3 outings. I believe they've simply quit chasing baits almost entirely. Yesterday I hit a local GMR spot which consistently produces panfish and small smb. I managed 3 black crappie, probably a dozen gills and 4 small smb. Caught all these on 1/32oz jig with Bobby garland itty bitty swim-rs. Crappie were all small- 7.5" or so. Few of the gills were nice sized. All smb were dinks. This got my confidence back up enough to hit a couple spots for saugs. Skunked at first spot and after another desperate hour at the second spot I called it. Taking a few days off. Hoping you all are having better luck!

Sunday 12/11 
Conditions: No wind, overcast, light rain, night
Water temp: 37.2*F
Air temp: 38.6*F
Water level: Normal-High
Pressure: 29.89
Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous 95%

Yesterday
Conditions: Overcast, light wind, night, snowing
Water temp: 38.1*F
Air Temp: 29.9*F
Water level: Normal-High
Pressure: 30.21
Moon Phase: Full Moon 99%


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Good stuff Brandon! Any fish in this weather is a good fish! Just remember...slow and steady 

I've been getting out while I can as well and it has been really tough. The extreme cold has made it not just uncomfortable to fish in, but annoying as well. Saturday morning had a consistent wind with wind chills in the 13-15 range. It only took the first cast to have iced up line and guides. After 2 hours of that nonsense my reel was completely encased in ice and I couldn't even use it. I had to go back to the car for 20 minutes just to thaw it out to keep at it. Friday evening wasn't much better and it took 3 long, snowy, frigid hours to even find a bite. Then it was 3 bites in 3 casts. I lost a very heavy saugeye after a brief hookup and ended up landing the coolest camo scheme eye I've ever seen. I was so numb I didn't bother with a pic. Just happy to not have suffered for nothing so I made a quick exit. I continued to pick up a saug here and there over the past few days. Oddly enough I found some in a summer area. When things got tough I went to an area which held them in the summer and guess what, they were there on a couple nights. Deadsticking has been key. Just drag the lure down and let it ride with the current. The water is cold enough I doubt they are really chasing much so work the bait with the current and be prepared for something to happen. Another thing I have found this past week is that the bites are exceedingly light. Resist the urge to set the hook if you do feel the slightest tap. Wait until you feel another bump followed by pressure put on the rod before you set it. I missed a number of opportunities this week until I waited until the fish had it completely. 
These temps will keep me inside believe it or not. Below zero wind chills and frostbite are not worth it, but if any of you still fish in that good luck! lol 

And since we all like photos... here is a 19.5 which found a table rock shad rogue the last time I was out.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Not a ton to report lately. Got out today after work for a little. Not on the river. Got a 21 1/4" quillback carpsucker that weighed in at 6.4lbs. Caught it on a Bobby garland baby shad on 1/16oz jig. I'm happy with anything this time of year. Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season.


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Dude that is a huge quillback!


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

That is a dandy Quillback. I found a school of them by accident once while fishing below a spillway for carp. I kept getting these strange bites but could never hook them. I gradually downsized my bait and hook size until I started catching them. Now that's fun for a teenager. Figuring out how to catch a fish that kept steeling my bait.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Thanks it was a fun one! My second quillback of the year actually. My first was in February on a jerkbait! It was no comparison to the one I caught Monday though. That thing was pure fun on a crappie setup. 

Quillback from earlier this year:


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Those quilles are fun to catch, nice job.
Early spring you can often sight fish for them and occasionally they are very aggressive , sadly on other days they seem impossible to catch, but that's the fun part of chasing them.
GOOD luck and keep Fishing !


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