# Saugeye growth rate?



## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Those of you who recall the first releases of saugeye fingerlings in Indian Lake, Alum, and other central Ohio lakes, how long was it before you could catch them? For fingerlings released in May 2009, roughly 20 months ago, how big/long should they be now? Assuming the little guys are "catchable" now, what would be your tactic and recommended choice of bait? Appreciate your input.......


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

2 yr. old Saugeye are generally in the 12" to 17" range. They grow differently in different lakes. O'Shay has the best growth rate of the lakes around C-bus that I fish. 2 yr. olds run in the 15-17" range there. Alum and Hoover 13"-15" after 2 years. Of course, there are exceptions. Delaware Eyes had really good growth rates too but they've dropped it from the stocking list.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

onthewater said:


> 2 yr. old Saugeye are generally in the 12" to 17" range. They grow differently in different lakes. O'Shay has the best growth rate of the lakes around C-bus that I fish. 2 yr. olds run in the 15-17" range there. Alum and Hoover 13"-15" after 2 years. Of course, there are exceptions. Delaware Eyes had really good growth rates too but they've dropped it from the stocking list.


Absolutely amazing growth rate! No wonder saugeye are popular to stock.......a wonder fish. And in a lake with no previous saugeye population, therefore population is all 2 yrs old or less, what bait tactics would you choose? I'm guessing maybe downsizing baits would be called for since no fish larger than 2 yrs?


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## killingtime (Apr 29, 2009)

try 2 or 3 inch twister tails from 1/16 oz. to 1/4 oz. in different colors. i do my best with pink jig head and green chartruse tails. i have seen 8-10 inch fish hit 4-6 inch tick baits also. everybody has there favorite colors so just keep changing colors until you find out what they want. use a double crappie rig also. you can use the size of jigs according to how deep of water you are fishing and then try 2 different colors at once until you find out what colors they want.


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

The following is from a study done on Pleasant Hill Reservoir:

"Growth did not differ between age-0 hybrids (Saugeyes) and Walleyes, either within or among years. Fish in both groups completed annual growth by mid-October, when mean total length was 235mm (9.25") and mean weight was 110g (0.24lb.) over all years. Mean lengths and weights did not differ between hybrids and Walleyes before age 2, when hybrids became consistently longer and heavier than Walleyes. By Fall 1982 (fall of 4th year), the 1979 year class of hybrids averaged 555mm (21.8") and 1,902g (4.19lb.), and that of Walleyes averaged 519mm (20.4") and 1,482g (3.27lb.). We did not capture enough fish identifiable by sex to evaluate differences in growth between males and females.
The relation of length to weight was nearly identical for hybrids and Walleyes over all years. We developed length-weight regressions for both groups based on data combined for all years."


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

I don't think I'd put much faith in that study.It may or may not have been close to the truth back 29 years ago and specific for Pleasant Hill.But I know it's not true today.I know the first 2 years of the saugeye's life in Buckeye average 6 inches plus per year growth and it slows down a small amount each year there after. I believe Hoover is pretty comparable as well with a study there by Ohio State a few years back.There are much too many variables to consider to be anywhere close,in my opinion.But I do know,they are eating machines & grow fast.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

killingtime said:


> try 2 or 3 inch twister tails from 1/16 oz. to 1/4 oz. in different colors. i do my best with pink jig head and green chartruse tails. i have seen 8-10 inch fish hit 4-6 inch tick baits also. everybody has there favorite colors so just keep changing colors until you find out what they want. use a double crappie rig also. you can use the size of jigs according to how deep of water you are fishing and then try 2 different colors at once until you find out what colors they want.


Thanks for guidance. I sometimes use 2" chartreuse twister tails on hot pink 1/16 oz jigs for crappies. Got it written down to try.


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## walleyejigger (Sep 29, 2009)

dont forget the 15" limit goes into efect on march first .im shure the dnr are just waiting for us


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## "Big" mark the shark (Jan 21, 2010)

Dick amen on the eating machines. Hope we can get together this year at buckeye.To learn some of thous secrets lol fatrap said you are the man on buckeye.


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

You can bank on it Mark,we'll get together out there this year.


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## SwollenGoat (Apr 13, 2005)

walleyejigger said:


> dont forget the 15" limit goes into efect on march first .im shure the dnr are just waiting for us


And I for one am absolutely thrilled about this new law. I've always used the 15" size as a "personal" limit, and hate to see how many anglers keep saugeye smaller than that.


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

I am tickled pink with the new law.I can't wait to see the guys at Buckeye keeping the 9 to 12 inchers ,me taking their pictures & snitching on them.That has been the most aggravating scene to witness on Buckeye in the last few years.Wise decision on DNR's part & one long time coming.Beware if I see you, I for one, am ratting you out!


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Located a 2005 study in Pennsylvania comparing walleye/saugeye/sauger growth rates. Contains some interesting stuff. In the 3rd graphic which is Table 2, it states in 2 years a fingerling saugeye on avg would grow to .8 pounds and 13.5 inches. Walleye in 2 yrs reaches .5 pounds and 12 inches. 

A saugeye on avg will reach the new 15" DNR legal size in 2.4 years. A walleye requires 3.1 years to reach same length. Expect either to weigh in at approx 1.1 pounds when 15" and legal.

When you guys catch those 24" pigs, table suggests it took 7.7 years of gorging to reach that length and expected weight is 5.1 pounds.

Link is here www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/walleye/00walleye_overview.htm .


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## SwollenGoat (Apr 13, 2005)

Not trying to argue Zara, but I've heard growth rates far more aggressive than what you posted above. Actually, at a seminar I attended last year an ODNR spokesman stated something to the effect that saugeyes stocked in Hoover, Alum, Indian, Buckeye Lake, etc. could reach 8-12" in the first 12 months when stocked as fingerlings. However, much has to do with local environment, food source and seasonal/climate conditions.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

puterdude said:


> I am tickled pink with the new law.I can't wait to see the guys at Buckeye keeping the 9 to 12 inchers ,me taking their pictures & snitching on them.That has been the most aggravating scene to witness on Buckeye in the last few years.Wise decision on DNR's part & one long time coming.Beware if I see you, I for one, am ratting you out!


It has been happening on Indian for years as well! Some people even limiting out twice in a day when the bite is on.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

SwollenGoat said:


> Not trying to argue Zara, but I've heard growth rates far more aggressive than what you posted above. Actually, at a seminar I attended last year an ODNR spokesman stated something to the effect that saugeyes stocked in Hoover, Alum, Indian, Buckeye Lake, etc. could reach 8-12" in the first 12 months when stocked as fingerlings. However, much has to do with local environment, food source and seasonal/climate conditions.


SwollenGoat......I've heard similar claims for 1st year growth, but haven't seen formal data or report to support it. Sounds like anything from 6"-10" in first year is a reasonable expectation and 12" under great conditions.

What have you or anyone else heard or read about fingerling survival rate? What's the typical survival rate of saugeye fingerlings? Seems I read expectations that 5% of fingerlings would survive to 2 years, but it could be twice that.....can't locate anything formal. Of course it would be contingent on local environment, food source, seasonal/climate conditions, yada, yada. Any one have input regarding saugeye fingerling survival rates?


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

Survival rates very widely from year to year. Don't really see how you can put a percentage on it. Some years are almost total busts and some years it is pretty high. As you said, many reasons for it. 
I know it makes me happy when I'm catching a lot of dinks and worries me the years I don't.


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

Here's some good reading on fry verses fingerling stocking and additional info.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/saugeye

http://www.in-fisherman.com/print/4225

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/sauger/00sauger_overview.htm


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## SwollenGoat (Apr 13, 2005)

onthewater said:


> Survival rates very widely from year to year. Don't really see how you can put a percentage on it. Some years are almost total busts and some years it is pretty high. As you said, many reasons for it.
> I know it makes me happy when I'm catching a lot of dinks and worries me the years I don't.


I agree, fish stocking is often times more of an art than a science.  I've seen firsthand how fickle the results can be at my home lake of Hoover reservoir. Catching lots of small fish all year long is almost always a good sign that things are going right.


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