# When to start walleye /saugeye fishing?



## TimG

Hello everyone, I'm a musky guy from SE Ohio who also does a little catfishing. I've been interested in walleye/saugeye fishing for years but only ever tried it once with no success. What I'm wondering is when you guys start fishing for them in the lakes. I know you can catch some now in the spillway, but what about the main lakes? Any hints would be greatly appreciated; I'm trying to learn everything I can. Thanks.


----------



## musikman43155

I, too would like to be educated. Last year I tried to focus on bass fishing, but, I much rather try to catch those tasty saugeye..


----------



## Muskarp

All year long. They can be caught right now if the ice is strong enough to hold you. Try low light conditions for best results. Usually morning and evening are best. Minnows under a bobber near bottom, jigging baits tipped with a minnow head or crawler, vibes. Once the ice breaks up try Fuzze grubs or curly tails tipped the same way. Cranks and sticks are always productive in open water. Good luck. I expect a 50% finders fee for all fish caught. I will meet halfway to pick up fillets.


----------



## TimG

You might be waiting awhile if I'm forced to catch them on a jig LOL, as it's not a technique I'm great at. Thanks for the advice. BTW, is there any sort of seasonal movement to the headwaters etc.? I know they like gravel bottoms to spawn, but do they run up the lake or at least into the creek arms?


----------



## Fish Assassin

If you want to catch saugers this time of year a sure fire way to doing that is going to the dams on the Ohio River. They are moving up to spawn and I have caught fish all winter out of the river. I have also caught several out of the creeks along the river.


----------



## TheCream

Saugers are pretty simple and can be fished right now if the conditions are OK. We went a few days before Christmas on the Ohio, but only managed a few fish. I like fishing below the dams from a boat, vertical jigging. The locks sides seem to be the easiest to fish, hold good numbers, and few snags. There are fish in the tailraces, but the fishing is usually tougher and there are lots of snags. I say I like vertical "jigging," but the truth is, there's not much jigging involved. Basically drop your jig to the bottom, I like 1/8 or 1/4oz heads with 2" grubs on UL spinning gear to start, and very slightly lift the jig to maybe 12-15" off the bottom and let it fall on tension so you can feel a strike. I get a kick out of what I call the "power-jiggers" ripping their baits off the bottom 4' with each rod lift with an outfit big enough to handle a 15lb catfish...they catch a few, I'll give them that, but subtle jigging and keeping your bait close to the bottom will get you a lot more fish. When the bite is slow on jigs/grubs, tip with a minnow, and be prepared to run a stinger hook in the tail of the minnows. Saugers are notorious short strikers, in my experience. Strikes can be as subtle as added weight or as obvious as a solid thump.

And on a side note, if you are on the Ohio River, don't expect to see a ton of walleye. I do this every winter/spring, and walleyes are rare. I think between my fishing buddy and I we caught less than 10 walleyes last year and hundreds and hundreds of sauger. Saugeyes are also not that common, expect 80-90% of the Ohio River fish to be saugers.


----------



## ironman172

if not thru the ice as soon as the ice is gone...middle of march and on...off the rocks at Hoover or Alum Dams for central Ohio...shortly before dark....I've been there casting a lure and the next cast was on top of the ice...just that quick the lake skinned over with ice....well time to go!!!....you will know form all the people there!! thats when the old state record was caught from Alum Creek 12.84lbs....before it was broke at Antrim lake..14 lbs


----------



## Mr. Moony

below any dam or creek mouth along the ohio river,jig and minnow.feb.starts some fantastic action!!!!


----------



## musikman43155

I'll probably mostly be @ Lake Logan. Any good info tips on saugeye fishing there?


----------



## Fish Assassin

I agree that sauger are the majority of the fish that is caught on the river. If February is any better than November and December then it is going to be awesome. I have caught several 3 pounders already.


----------



## Mr. Moony

as things start to warm a little and get a little rain and melt off things really start to pick up on the river.once you learn where to fish during high water periods this place is hard to beat.but one must remember the big o is a major river,she is in constant change,once you learn to deal with this constant change you can have some real good times.as long as the weather stays some what mild she should really start to fire up.


----------



## ironman172

musikman43155 said:


> I'll probably mostly be @ Lake Logan. Any good info tips on saugeye fishing there?


the beach area I hear....I worked with the guy that caught the old state record there...BEACH


----------



## Fish Assassin

I have heard that the size of the saugers really increases in February due to the big females being the last to move up to spawn. Is this true, Mooney? I know by the pictures you have posted that you know the Ohio pretty well. I agree it is in constant change and a person has to be flexible. Being flexible is also varying your approaches. A lot stay with the same methods, but I have found that certain things improve your catch but also the size.


----------



## Fishin365

The answer to the original question is NEVER STOP. I have caught them in every month of the year. The best time I have found for big eyes in lakes is in May at night.


----------



## husky hooker

mr moody could be telling you about the ohio and is really fishing the mississippi.....lol....really got to know him lol lol


----------



## Mr. Moony

you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink


----------



## Mr. Moony

swollen pre spawn female sauger start to migrate to the dam's and creek mouth's in feb.i prefer creek mouth's, you will get bigger fish on average,plus a little more elbow room. the same holds true for walleye. dam's will be more consistant, when creek mouth's are on there on!!!! secret, during high water fish creek mouth's,but first let the creek calm a little and back up from the main river. when you get this condition ain,t nothing like it.


----------



## st.slippy

I don't know the southeast lakes, but if you are a bass fisherman, and want to catch saugeye. Wait until late april till early june, and throw your cranks. You can cast them right up almost on shore, and that time of year, it can be the middle of the day in 1.5 feet of water. I'm not a believer in low light being the only time to catch saugeyes. A good majority of mine come in the heat of the day, with the sun as bright as can be. I will say they will tend to be a little deeper, with exception of the time I talked about above. Once you get to summer like mid june through august, if you wanna throw crankbaits you'll have to fish at night, for the most part. Fishslim has a couple hot summer afternoon tricks if you do some searching on here. Saugeye more often come up in the water column at night after a bait. I think they can see very well at night, but they are not scared of the sun, by any means. Early spring, and I mean before most people have their boats out, jig vibes in deep water and throw husky jerks after dark for a chance at some. Hope this helps some.


----------



## Mr. Moony

you talkin lakes, that's gonna cost money. piedmont is real good in early spring if ice is good the road bed by the dam is good.as soon as ice out comes fish the rocks by the dam.you want to fish lightest jig possible, water still cold slow downfall is key.once april comes rain falls water rises fish will leave the deep water and go shallow,then it's time for husky jerks in the back water's.secret, if you get real high water this time of year head for county rd. 100,have caught some scary lookin saugeye then. that was like sharing my wife with you.


----------



## Fish Assassin

Moony are you fishing suspending jerks. I fish a lot of creeks mouths especially in the fall. Never really tried much in spring except by dams. Do you catch sauger all year in the river? What is your biggest walleye/sauger out of river? What are your tactics when the big o is up?


----------



## Mr. Moony

Starting nov. Then all winter long ,on into spring.now i am talking the big o,come late spring the spawn is over the fish disperce down river.when i fish below dam,s i throw jigs mostly.when i fish the creek mouth's from boat mostly i use blade baits vert.spoons and jigs.at sun down is when you get the jerk's out.


----------



## Fish Assassin

I have had most of my luck fishing creeks mouths in the evening as they are coming up to feed. They seem to be totally different in the mornings. What are your takes on that issue Moony?


----------



## lil goose

Mr. Moony said:


> swollen pre spawn female sauger start to migrate to the dam's and creek mouth's in feb.i prefer creek mouth's, you will get bigger fish on average,plus a little more elbow room. the same holds true for walleye. dam's will be more consistant, when creek mouth's are on there on!!!! secret, during high water fish creek mouth's,but first let the creek calm a little and back up from the main river. when you get this condition ain,t nothing like it.


Mr.Moony when fishing creek mouths do you have any prefernce as to if they are upstream of a dam or downstream? For example at new cumberland locks and dams yellow creek would upstream and cross creek would be down stream. Thank you!


----------



## Fish Assassin

Now is the time to supposedly start catching them. Fish the Might O today and didn't catch a sauger. First time skunk has been in the boat all winter. Was catching limits plus lots of culls all winter long. Can only attribute it to the rapidly dropping river levels. The water was very dingy and stained this morning. Hopefully after she settles it will be on again!!!!!!


----------



## Muskarp

lil goose said:


> Mr.Moony when fishing creek mouths do you have any prefernce as to if they are upstream of a dam or downstream? For example at new cumberland locks and dams yellow creek would upstream and cross creek would be down stream. Thank you!


Yeah, but isn't Cross Creek upstrem from Pike Island? And isn't Yellow Creek downstream from Montgomery? UH OH!


----------



## Mr. Moony

First off the water is too low for the creek mouths right now. When the waters at this level you must go to the damns. The perfect condition for the creek mouths are when heavy rains fall the first to blow out are the creeks. After a couple days the creeks mellow and then the main river blows out. The creeks clear somewhat, the main river backs up creating a mud line at the confluence, which is where the creek meets the main river creating a mud line which is a great ambush point for predatory fish. Plus a place to escape the raging river. I like 18, 19, 20, 21 even higher water levels. Once the main river starts to mellow fish pull back and dispurse back into the river. If you remember, I told you before, damns are more consistent but if you hit the creek mouths just right its on! You're a few days late for this. One must keep a close eye on water levels to get this right. A few days ago conditions were perfect because the rivers been on a steady drop from 30 some feet. When it was around 22, 21, 20, 18 is prime time. This holds true for all creek mouths above or below the damns. But I have my favorite spots. I'm going to show you what i look at as a guide to know when to hit the creek mouths. http://newweb.erh.noaa.gov/ahps2/river (For New Cumberland Damn)
Once you get this condition just right you still have to figure what the fish want. This early in the year minnows are a big help. and basically use ice fishing techniques. A vexlar helps too


----------



## Mr. Moony

fish asassin,next time conditions are right i will pm you.will have to get together and hit the creeks.i will have to blind fold you first.hopefully this storm coming will raise the river.fishing should be good at pike is. or new cumberland right now!!!!! LIKE I SAID CONSTANT CHANGE


----------



## TimG

I live about a mile from the Ohio river, but I really never thought about fishing it for walleye. There is a lake about an hour and a half away that has a nice 'eye population in it along with a few musky so that was what I had in mind. I wanted a nice mess or two of saug/walleye this year. They say you can eat the ones out of the river, but I'm still leery.


----------



## Fish Assassin

If the fish out of the river are bad for you then you better not eat steak. They are some of the best fish I have eat. I don't let that bother me. They would serve it at long johns if they could. Don't worry chow down.


----------



## Fish Assassin

Moony, how far you live from Maysville? I have caught some decent fish from creeks. You fish the creeks from boat? I got a nice boat and can hit them at any time. I was always under impression higher water moves them deeper. But from your post I can tell you know your fishing. I am looking for that pm.


----------



## Mr. Moony

fish assasin i live in the steubinville oh. area which is about 4000 miles from ya, i'll have to make a reconesence run first to make sure they are biting,then we will talk. by the way we will be fishing the pike island pool, which is one of the best pools of the 981 miles of river for walleye.we catch some real nice walleye out of the river.


----------



## Mr. Moony

fish assasin i foregot to mention these fish are deep any where from 12 to20 feet deep. the creeks i fish carve out a nice channel where it meets the main river, but every creek also has a sand bar on the up stream side of the creek channel where it meets the river,once evening sets in the fish will move up on the sand bar and bite my husky jerk.and if your still trying to catch them in 12 to 20 feet like you did all day,i'll let you use a hj.


----------



## Fish Assassin

So Moony is it safe to say you do most of your creek fishing in the evenings? You fish at night as well? I agree with the water depths but it seems like the creeks I fish as soon as night comes
they quit biting.


----------



## Mr. Moony

creeks offer great fishing all day long ,once evening comes fish move shallow,changing what you were locked into all day.when fish are deep they seem to be more concentrated then evening comes they scatter in shallow water for the evening feed bag.you will not get as many at dark ,but the average size increases.if you stick it out you can get some real hogs.


----------



## Fish Assassin

The river runs about 34 feet on average here in Maysville. I fish several creeks along this stretch. What would be a good number to represent what you are talking about. It is going to rise to about 35.5 due to all the rain. I hate just setting around waiting on perfect conditions. I know fish are biting but presentation and technique differentiate all the time. Help me out!!!!


----------



## saugeyesam

In the spring for Saugeye I mostly fish Atwood I usually start the last week in April and fish the South shoreline trolling a 1/32 oz jig tipped with a piece of crawler or a minnow head. Sometimes a pull a bottom bouncer with a crawler harness. SLOOOOOOOW is the way I go early in the spring. Once I get into May I still fish the jig but I go a little bigger usually 1/8 oz with a twister tail tipped with a small minnow. or half a crawler. Colors vary so I carry a wide range from black to white, pink, lime, orange, yellow, and chart. Towards the middle of May and even the earlier part of the month I will troll shad raps off the public beach at night. I also use hopkins spoons, vibe's and husky jerks too. It just depends on what they want. As for Walleye's in the rivers, I am one of those crazies that fishes the Maumee in the spring I usually make 2 or 3 trips each spring. I also fish the Muskingum River mostly Devola dam area. We have caught some real pigs down there. I think the Muskingum is under rated for it's sauger fishery. A small white leadhead and twistertail works really well. Plus if the Saugers aren't biting you can try for the hybrids or white bass. I have hooked some hawg hybrids on ultra lite tackle down there. What a hoot! 

Mr. Mooney, I see you mentioned fishing county rd 100.... I hit that area from time to time down there and have pulled some pigs earlier in the spring. It's a dynamite spot if you hit it at the right time. But you already know that I'm sure


----------



## collegekid

musikman43155:

I am going to try and catch some saugeye at good ol lake logan this year. As soon as ice out i will start. Never caught a saugeye or much of anything at that lake, but I am up for a challenge. Let me know if you want to meet down there sometime. We went to highschool together i believe.

Thanks to everyone else for all the info. It means a lot to people trying to learn to catch new species.

Keep the tips comin...probably the best tip is to stay away from lake logan as that place seems to be cursed...a couple huge fish and tons of tiny tiny fish... but it is the best close option for many like myself.


----------



## fishing_marshall

I've spent quite a few hours trying for Logan saugeye when I was going to school down that way. I saw two big ones (23",22") caught beside me and I caught one dink. You are better off fishing the Hocking in athens or going to the Ohio River for eyes. Deer Creek spillway isn't really that far either.


----------

