# saugeyes in LMR



## smith07 (Feb 28, 2009)

I just hear about smallies being caught in the LMR, I was wondering if anyone catches saugeyes in there as well. I want something to eat, but I release all bass. LMR is a closer than GMR


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## BMagill (May 5, 2004)

I catch them all the time on crankbaits. If I am targeting them, I will troll crankbaits behind my kayak through some of the deeper pools with some current. Haven't caught any monsters yet, but plenty of "eaters".


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

saugeyes are very uncommon in the lmr, I catch maybe a half dozen in a good year. however sauger are rediculously common, anywhere below corwin and your in them depending on the time of year. curly tails and smaller cranks in 3-6ft areas with mild current. this time of year the lower you are in the river the better(that stands pretty true for sauger all year though). also the walleye are making a comeback, if you catch one, or a really big sauger(over 20in) I ask that anglers release them please. you will catch more than enough 10-18in sauger than you could ever eat once you know where to find them. I liked it alot living near the river, if I felt like eating fish, a ten minute drive and 15mins of fishing and I had two really fresh sauger for dinner, all I needed.


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## smith07 (Feb 28, 2009)

what county is corwin in? i am new to the area


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## Ajax (May 16, 2008)

I've caught some nice sauger in the LMR. They are easy to catch too. I do believe that they are larger than what is usually caught in the Ohio. Their relative size is what makes people believe that they are Saugeye.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

stay below cc and you can find them, that should be easier, so the waynesville area down. best bet it morrow down to the mouth with loveland-milford having a good concentration that is easy to access.


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

Every now and then I get a Saugeye in the LMR, last year was the first time I've ever caught a Walleye there. But I'm with these guys... that river is laden with Sauger. I catch so many of them fishing for other species that they almost become a pain in the butt... but helps me to avoid a skunk most times, plus they can be fun on the ultralight.


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## fishymcgoo (Jul 20, 2005)

i catch those saugers all the time in the lmr but this is my best one


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## spiff (Jun 3, 2004)

I catch them mostly in the fall....LMR and Ohio while fishing for cats. I am usually using fresh shad and keep getting runs...eventually one swallows the whole shade. Caught 3 3pounders in a row last October before it got too cold (for me)....all on 5" fresh shad on the bottom. It drives me nuts...I get a strong run and then reel in a 3 pound fish on 85lb test line....I put 'em all back.

By the way, I've never caught one past 4 pounds....do they get any bigger than that, cause it's been years now and I haven't seen a bigger one.

spiff


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## Rocky Forker (Feb 7, 2009)

Quick question, I love the idea that the great walleye is making an appearance in the LMR. But, are you sure those arent saugeyes? I was at Deer Creek spillway every weekend in February, and what looked to be walleyes to me, the locals swore they were saugeyes. And I gotta say,I have fished at Paint Creek for most of my life and the ones in there could be differentiated from a walleye. Deer Creek saugeyes,at least that is what they said anyway,looked like walleyes to me.And I have fished Lake Erie,the Maumee, Ontario,and Rocky Fork over the last 25yrs. And caught many walleyes.Still what I was catchin in Deer Creek was supposedly saugeyes. But they had size,white tip on the tail and fin. But dont get me wrong I want to see walleyes in the LMR too they are my favorite fish without a doubt. Can anyone help me with my confusion? Because the saugeyes in Paint creek look a lot different to me than the ones in Deer Creek.


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## 1badmthrfisher (Apr 4, 2005)

There are definitely walleye in the LMR I have actually on at least one occurance in my life (which young whiskers can serve as my witness) caught all three species in one day. I will catch a walleye maybe once a year or so. The saugeye are not "plentiful" in my opinion but they are there. Sauger, however, are fairly plentiful and I would suggest targeting those if you wanted to eat a fish or two.

There are also a lot of catfish in the river and I would like to share this information for what it is worth. (Not trying to get people upset!! But this was interesting to me.) I Caught the same flathead 4 times within two weeks. It had a tumor on its tail that was absolutely unmistakable. I also caught several other flathead from the same pool that I had caught before because there were fresh hook marks in their mouths. With that said, the little miami river, in *MY* opinion, is very fragile in that those who practice catch and release are largely responsible for the reason the river continues to produces such amazing catches.

Good luck catching those eyes'! Twistertails seem to be my best producer.


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

1badmthrfisher said:


> With that said, the little miami river, in *MY* opinion, is very fragile in that those who practice catch and release are largely responsible for the reason the river continues to produces such amazing catches.


Well put.

As for the Walleye/Saugeye confusion.... are Walleyes the ones that are silver with black stripes?  Just kidding. I fished Erie on more than one occasion growing up... if I can't tell what a Walleye looks like by now I better go back.  I've only seen 2 out of the LMR, caught one in early spring last year and my fishin buddy caught one about a month later.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

I may have to go back and check my ID on those eyes I dunno.., no they are walleye, and better yet they are the native strain, very green with alot more blotching, the downside is they are even harder to tell from saugeye for most. I know a few years ago my friends and I probably caught over 50, but it has slowed since. but there is a good chance of getting all three in a day.

and yes take heed of badmthers words, I have been on that river a long time and it has never seen the pressure it has in the past few years. good ethics will help keep that rivers incredible comeback as a fishery.

and badmther its wierd you say that about the flattie, that river has alot of fish that I seem to catch over and over. it has a bunch of fish move in waves from the ohio but there are also alot of homebodies, I know in 06 I caught the same smallie 7 times, he lived on the same side of a boulder, I cant remember what I named him now though.


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## Rocky Forker (Feb 7, 2009)

Go where? Maumee,erie, or canada?


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## BMagill (May 5, 2004)

I gave up trying to tell the difference between the two "saugs", mostly just guess by location. I know everything I caught last year in the LMR was a saugeye or sauger, with the exception of 1 definite walleye.


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## Rocky Forker (Feb 7, 2009)

The ones in Deer creek look more like a walleye to me,I am color blind and have to rely on the white tip on their tail and fin and their patern .I cant see their color but the ones in paint look a little different than DC.


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## fshman_165 (May 26, 2004)

I just wanted to throw this out there...a pure strain Walleye will have one dark blotch at the bottom and back of the spiny dorsal fin, but no other spots/lines on the dorsal. If you see more than one black blotch at the base of the dorsal it is either a hybrid or a sauger. Hope this helps


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## fishingfoolBG (Oct 30, 2007)

Interesting Thread, I have caught both saugeye and sauger in the LMR around Waynesville. The saugers didn't have much size to them but what I believe was a saugeye went 21'' 3 pound 7oz. Here is the pic


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

that one may actually be a saugeye,
here is how you tell them apart, first, forget the white on the base of the cadual fin, yes walleye are more pronounced and at times it is a great help, but all three have some white on the tail.
the dorsal is where its at, if it has one spot at the base it is a walleye, if its a mess of black running along each spine with no spotting whatsoever, its a saugeye. if it is spotted, wheather the spots are round pretty ones ot random jagged ones it is a sauger.
color though usefull is a bad ID charactor, I have seen sauger mis-id'd as walleye in muddy water conditions, this is probably why the eyes at deer creek look like walleye(I have noticed that as well). 
BG if you had a shot of the dorsal I could tell you for sure but that fish looks like a saugeye, but dont use size as the factor, I have seen 5in saugeye and 22+in sauger in that river, it has some toadly sauger, similar to your beastly catch there.


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## Slogdog (May 15, 2008)

Any pointers on how to fish for the LMR saug's? Crank or bottom, rapids or deeper? Usually when I've caught them it has been by "accident".


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## Ajax (May 16, 2008)

Slogdog said:


> Any pointers on how to fish for the LMR saug's? Crank or bottom, rapids or deeper? Usually when I've caught them it has been by "accident".


I have a tip. You can catch them 1/2 hour before sunset through twilight in the shallow riffles at the end of the chute. I catch most of mine on crank baits.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

you cannot be to shallow in the summer time, we got some on zara spooks in inches of water last fall


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