# Are saugeyes extinct??



## Jayfisher (Mar 11, 2012)

I've been almost every trying to catch some, but cant seem to hook into any! anyone know where i could do good at? or is everyone else having the same problem?

THanks!


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## Jayfisher (Mar 11, 2012)

everywhere*


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Try fishing for smallmouth. Sometimes that fools them and you catch the saugeyes.


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## jlami (Jan 28, 2011)

They can't go extinct... ODNR will just make more!!!! HAHAHA I was having some good luck on Alum up until last weekend.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

This time of year they tend to be solely nocturnal. Occasionally you will pick them up in the evening but for the most part they are most active after dark. Start fishing @ midnight and you should find them, the big girls usually will come on around 2 or 3(am).


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Jayfisher said:


> I've been almost every trying to catch some, but cant seem to hook into any! anyone know where i could do good at? or is everyone else having the same problem?
> 
> THanks!


Close but not completly,seen one 10 incher last nite in 4 hrs of casting


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

acklac7 said:


> This time of year they tend to be solely nocturnal. Occasionally you will pick them up in the evening but for the most part they are most active after dark. Start fishing @ midnight and you should find them, the big girls usually will come on around 2 or 3(am).


most of the Biggest saugeye I've been catching are during daylight hours.










Haven't been many, but once the lights go out, the hawg smallies and smaller saugeye come calling.

edit* this was last week. no fishing at all this week.

Just keep trying bud, you'll find em.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Close but not completly,seen one 10 incher last nite in 4 hrs of casting


Was gonna ask how you guys did. Not so well I take it


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Have you tried Indian lake?? I don't see how you could NOT catch a saugeye there! It's stocked!!! Its a nice lake, but that place is a breath away from being a paylake... Throw a worm in and wait, heck green jig anywhere in there!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Fishlandr75 said:


> Have you tried Indian lake?? I don't see how you could NOT catch a saugeye there! It's stocked!!! Its a nice lake, but that place is a breath away from being a paylake... Throw a worm in and wait, heck green jig anywhere in there!


That easy huh? 

massillon, yea it was a long nite out ther


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Yep.. That easy... I have NEVER been to Indian lake and NOT gone home with my limit of 6 eyes... Casting , trolling, drifting.. Don't get me wrong, I LPVE that lake and it's a good fishery... I have made about 4 trips this summer so far.. If weren't over an hour drive for me.. I'd make it more often!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Fishlandr75 said:


> Yep.. That easy... I have NEVER been to Indian lake and NOT gone home with my limit of 6 eyes... Casting , trolling, drifting.. Don't get me wrong, I LPVE that lake and it's a good fishery... I have made about 4 trips this summer so far.. If weren't over an hour drive for me.. I'd make it more often!


Cool! i thought buckeye was a great fishery, Im gonna have to learn indian


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## jshbuckeye (Feb 27, 2005)

"They can't go extinct... ODNR will just make more!" That satatement may not be true, I read somewhere that they have stopped the saugeye stocking for now, because they are getting into tributaries that hold walleye and sauger that are naturally producing there, but with the introduction of the saugeye it is disrupting there natural reproduction. I looked for the article again and couldn't find it.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I just seen #s for this yrs stocking i thought? LOL this would be very bad news,but think it would of been posted everywhere,unless this is the plans they have for the near future. 
And if the reason was the fish mixing i think they would just select a few lakes to quit stocking in. ohio river already has all three, and dont know of any saugeye lakres that lead to erie. eries the one they would be concerned with


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Saugeyefisher said:


> LOL


My sentiments exactly


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## jshbuckeye (Feb 27, 2005)

Sweet cause I love fishing for them and I have been searching for that article continuously, must of been a nightmare after a long stretch of not catching any.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

jshbuckeye said:


> Sweet cause I love fishing for them and I have been searching for that article continuously, must of been a nightmare after a long stretch of not catching any.


LOL had to be a bad dream, a very bad dream...... Ok a ? for someone that might know. Do saugeye make the state money overall??


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## injun laker45 (Jun 28, 2011)

Well theoritically what is a good saugeye lake would become a poor one by over harvest if the stocking were to be halted. They are a "put and take" resource fish and a lake could get "fished out". 
The State does not make money on the fish. 
We the people, taxpayers and sportsmen that buy permits and licenses pay for them.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

***** laker45 said:


> Well theoritically what is a good saugeye lake would become a poor one by over harvest if the stocking were to be halted. They are a "put and take" resource fish and a lake could get "fished out".
> The State does not make money on the fish.
> We the people, taxpayers and sportsmen that buy permits and licenses pay for them.


A good saugeye lake would be a no saugeye lake eventually if they stopped stocking. Over havested or not... If they did stop stocking it would be nice if they tighten' ed up on the limits so they would last a little longer.. Cause its not a matter of could but a matter of would eventually.

LOL we need to stop all this talk about no saugeyes. Its got me thinking crazy things


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## Big Chief201 (Aug 13, 2010)

No look at this little guy I caught this morning...


Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Big Chief201 said:


> No look at this little guy I caught this morning...
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Cute little thing. Hard to believe how fast that thing will reach 14-16 inches. Little critters are eating machines!!!


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

***** laker45 said:


> The State does not make money on the fish.
> We the people, taxpayers and sportsmen that buy permits and licenses pay for them.


The state does make money in that through fees they employ people who grow and stock the fish, water control officers, etc. who pay taxes. All of the businesses around Indian Lake benefit from boat, gas, bait, tackle, etc. sales. The government takes its cut off of that. I'd say it's an excellent example of how fees and taxes can boost the economy. If you own a small business that depends on fishing, thank government for providing the infrastructure that helped make it happen. You built the business, but government built the dam, docks, ramps, roads, stocked the fish, etc. 

God bless the USA!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Yea i was wondering. I figured, why stock them if its not going to bring in the bucks, weather that be through gas,hotel,food,ect. and of coarse like said governtment gets it cut of that.


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Fishlandr75 said:


> Yep.. That easy... I have NEVER been to Indian lake and NOT gone home with my limit of 6 eyes... Casting , trolling, drifting.. Don't get me wrong, I LPVE that lake and it's a good fishery... I have made about 4 trips this summer so far.. If weren't over an hour drive for me.. I'd make it more often!



When was the last time you went? I suppose if you stayed out all day you may be able to limit here in late July. Much past the end of June, the 'eyes become a bit more picky. I got a couple trolling tonight, and missed one. But that was in 3 hours, and on lures that guys like Saugmon pounded them with this year. 

So, I dunno- maybe you're a better fisherman than I, but limiting each time is impressive


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

My sentiment as well 4 times for the summer is not enough to say you can limit everytime out especially now from shore.But never say never if you can congrats more power to you! lol i know don't get me wrong you can limit from shore i know a couple locals who have the past week. Actually i love fishing indian this time of year it is more challenging but there are patterns going on right now with the saugeyes in that lake and it has do with the lower numbers of saugeyes being trolled up in main lake now. Hmmm maybe they are moving elsewhere now!! Another statement i disagree with sorry A.J. maybe you are referring to river eyes and i stand corrected then. But now is the time to get eyes right in the middle of the day in the heat on flats and edges in 8-12 foot of water. Jigging and vertical will produce but best is some form of lure with some meat on it. Saugeyes in lakes feed for short periods of time through mid day hours and if you find them it is a party. Last year at this time and thru August a jig and minnow or chunk of crawler caught many eyebalsl in a couple of central Ohio lakes, Alum and Indian. So don't be a fraid to try for them in the day but stay on the move until you find them. Also vibes or trap baits burned fast thru the water with brief pauses as you reel can be deadly on eyes as well as the schools of bass largemouth and smallmouths. I am geting ready to start a assault on Indian and Alum this coming month. Plus i gotta get a load of crappies for a big annual fry so head ringing or not i am coming!!lol


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

fishlim, i'm curious- what do you think would produce more fish right now, jigging or trolling. like i said earlier, I was out trolling and NOBODY was out there with me. one of the few times I can say that. on one hand, its nice that i have the main lake all to myself, but then again, there's probably a reason for it...lol.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

fishslim said:


> Another statement i disagree with sorry A.J. maybe you are referring to river eyes and i stand corrected then.


Yes, I was referring to River/Skinny water eyes, and the more I thought about it I should have started my post off with "during the blazing heat of summer in skinny water" (92+ high temps for a week straight). Honest to god I was going to correct my post but said to myself "Eh Troy is going to know what I was getting at and chime in here in a bit" 

I will stand by my statement that those big girls (23"+) only seem to feed after dark up until the water cools a bit come mid-september.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

fishslim said:


> Also vibes or trap baits burned fast thru the water with brief pauses as you reel can be deadly on eyes


Shallow Shad raps are deadly with this technique too, litterally crank then as if you're trying to snag something, then just stop them dead, right when you go to crank again they will be on :B


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

one interesting thing that starts to happen this time on year IMO is the fishing pressure starts to die out in many places. Dont know if its the heat or the pleasure boaters being too much, but I always think its funny how many people put their rods up for the year right around mid august when the bite finally starts to pick up with the coming on of cooler nights and shorter days. So when you have the lake to yourself for the first time in a while you may start to think, " If the fish were biting there would be more people out here" So you start to second guess your tactics and whether you should even be trying.


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Went back to Indian tonight. Got skunked! Marked some fish, but no bites...I was trolling. Its crazy how they are on one day and off the next. Threw the whole box at them, but not even a bite. I guess thats fishing, and what keeps you motivated to keep going back.


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Northern i would say both if fishing in main lake trolling gotta cover the water to locate them jigging would be way tougher slower presentation less water covered. But if fishing elswhere  i would be jigging or vibing looking for strong areas of shad would always hit area with some water movement first tends to motivate them alittle more in the heat. Bait and current even if it is a breath of current can mean all the difference at shallow water lakes like Indian and Buckeye.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Northern1 said:


> When was the last time you went? I suppose if you stayed out all day you may be able to limit here in late July. Much past the end of June, the 'eyes become a bit more picky. I got a couple trolling tonight, and missed one. But that was in 3 hours, and on lures that guys like Saugmon pounded them with this year.
> 
> So, I dunno- maybe you're a better fisherman than I, but limiting each time is impressive


Well... I guess if I lived close and were fishing Indian on a weekly basis.. Limiting out each time probly wouldn't happen . My first three trips this year were in may and the last trip was in early July( 1st week). I did almost the exact trips the last few years in a row and had same results each time... Limits.( and I don't keep 15" ers, I think the size limit recently imposed was a good idea but a 15 incher still needs more time to grow!) Maybe I just have been lucky and timed it right. I'm SURE there are a ton of guys who know that lake WAAAAY better than I do.. But I can almost always count on a couple nice ones from the hole at the end of moundwood channel ( bass size Minnie on a 1/4 jig head), and I always am able to pull at least one from dream bridge) the rest usually come from drifting with crawlers on a floating jig head with weight about 18" from bait. I get my fair share of cats too, no doubt there! 
All in all... Indians a great lake and I got nuttin bad to say about it


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Haha, yeah you will get your fair share of cats fishing for the saugeye over there. I'm pretty new at it, and there are plenty of guys that know how to fish that lake much better than I do as well. The way you all are saying, I might have to try my luck with jig heads, minis and crawlers, or maybe some harnesses. I'm usually a trolling guy but sometimes you have to teach a dog some new tricks.


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