# Walleye or saugeye?



## twistedcatfish1971

I caught this out of the mahoning just down from berlin about 2 weeks ago...got to looking at it and saugeye crossed my mind ?

...I added this walleye I got same day same place. If it is a saugeye then I've caught my 1st ever !

Don


----------



## Saugeyefisher

Pretty fish! Looks like a saugeye ro me,with more sauger in it then walleye... could it be a sauger?


----------



## Shad Rap

Sauger.


----------



## Nick DeWald

It is a sauegeye, due to the white lower tip on the tail. This does not exist in saugers. It only exists in walleyes and saugeyes


----------



## twistedcatfish1971

After a little research I do agree with it NOT being a sauger. I am pretty sold on a saugeye though...also didn't think saugeye were up as far as Berlin? 

Don.


----------



## riverKing

#1 is indeed a saugeye. Btw white on the tail does occur on saucer though not as pronounced, however that dorsal is a 100% giveaway. The second is a walleye as you said


----------



## dcool

X2 on the saugeye


----------



## sherman51

just eat it as a saugeye because the white tail says so to me.


----------



## Shad Rap

The deep gold color/splotches indicates sauger to me...and yes, actually all 3 can have white on the tail...second pic is a saulleye.


----------



## bare naked

riverKing said:


> #1 is indeed a day gets. Btw white on the tail does occur on saucer though not as pronounced, however that dorsal is a 100% giveaway. The second is a walleye as you said


x2


----------



## Fisherman 3234

Saugeye. Nice job!!!


----------



## Nick DeWald

riverKing said:


> #1 is indeed a saugeye. Btw white on the tail does occur on saucer though not as pronounced, however that dorsal is a 100% giveaway. The second is a walleye as you said


Hmm interesting I saw this post this morning. I can't seem to find any information saying that sauger can have a white spot. In fact it seems that in the majority of places I have researched, having or not having a white spot on that bottom portion of the tail (caudal fin? I believe) was the main determiner in a sauger vs. saugeye or walleye. I just don't want to be identifying my fish incorrectly!! lol


----------



## Nick DeWald

Nice fish though!


----------



## Nick DeWald

And obviously black spots indicate sauger- saugeye as well


----------



## multi species angler

I know for a fact that the first pic is a saugeye and I believe the second pic is a saugeye also. Just a different color phase. The pronounced black markings on the spines of the dorsal fin makes me think it is a saugeye, although not as positive as I am about the first pic.


----------



## twistedcatfish1971

Thanks for the input...here's a picture with both ... caught same spot same day within an hour of each other. Now in my opinion the top is a walleye...I'm 99% sold the other is saugeye and not sauger. Either way has anyone caught saugeye/sauger as close as Berlin before? I personally have never heard of either caught this way up north...


----------



## Saugeyefisher

Nick DeWald said:


> It is a sauegeye, due to the white lower tip on the tail. This does not exist in saugers. It only exists in walleyes and saugeyes










plenty of id pics out there showing sauger with white tipped tails... ive also caught plenty with white tips on the tale.


----------



## Shad Rap

twistedcatfish1971 said:


> Thanks for the input...here's a picture with both ... caught same spot same day within an hour of each other. Now in my opinion the top is a walleye...I'm 99% sold the other is saugeye and not sauger. Either way has anyone caught saugeye/sauger as close as Berlin before? I personally have never heard of either caught this way up north...


Those fish are clearly different.


----------



## Shad Rap

Saugeyefisher said:


> View attachment 260045
> plenty of id pics out there showing sauger with white tipped tails... ive also caught plenty with white tips on the tale.


Imagine that...it looks identical to his fish...lol...I still say sauger.


----------



## Nick DeWald

Agreeing now with saugeye fisher and his thoughts. Here is a picture for comparison I found. The difference is a “spot” on the lower tail of the walleye vs. a white “line” along the bottom of the tail. Picture shows it great


----------



## Fisherman 3234

Walleye


Sauger


Saugeye


Congratulations on your first Saugeye!


----------



## Fisherman 3234

Saugeyefisher said:


> View attachment 260045
> plenty of id pics out there showing sauger with white tipped tails... ive also caught plenty with white tips on the tale.


The fish in this picture is a Saugeye. http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/species-and-habitats/species-guide-index/fish/saugeye. These fish can be pretty tricky to ID. Send the picture to the ODOW/ODNR and see what they think.


----------



## Shad Rap

Nick DeWald said:


> Agreeing now with saugeye fisher and his thoughts. Here is a picture for comparison I found. The difference is a “spot” on the lower tail of the walleye vs. a white “line” along the bottom of the tail. Picture shows it great


A Sauger and a Walleye are clearly different looking, really has nothing to do with the tail but they all have white on the tail...a Sauger is even different looking than a Saugeye...thats why the one pic the OP posted is clearly a Sauger IMO.


----------



## Shad Rap

Fisherman 3234 said:


> The fish in this picture is a Saugeye. http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/species-and-habitats/species-guide-index/fish/saugeye. These fish can be pretty tricky to ID. Send the picture to the ODOW/ODNR and see what they think.


Yeah I think he meant to post the one above it.


----------



## bubbster

Who cares, they taste the same! lol


----------



## twistedcatfish1971

I get what you mean...but I DO care.

Don.


----------



## buckeyebowman

I'd want to know as well. I've never heard of sauger or saugeye being this far upriver. In the past I've advocated for saugeye being stocked in Berlin and Milton. The drainage does not connect with Lake Erie, which is one of the problems with Mosquito. The other is the walleye egg harvesting program. I'm sure the fisheries division wants to keep Skeeter as "pure" as possible. 

But Berlin and Milton are impoundments on the Mahoning River which flows into the Beaver River in PA, which then flows into the Ohio River where saugeye are already present. 

Of course, with the water quality improving in the Mahoning seemingly by the day, I feel pretty sure that these will make their way further upstream all the time.


----------



## Saugeyefisher

Shad Rap said:


> A Sauger and a Walleye are clearly different looking, really has nothing to do with the tail but they all have white on the tail...a Sauger is even different looking than a Saugeye...thats why the one pic the OP posted is clearly a Sauger IMO.


Opps posted wrong fish up. Lol but still claim saugeye that looks more like a sauger then walleye....


----------



## Shad Rap

buckeyebowman said:


> I'd want to know as well. I've never heard of sauger or saugeye being this far upriver. In the past I've advocated for saugeye being stocked in Berlin and Milton. The drainage does not connect with Lake Erie, which is one of the problems with Mosquito. The other is the walleye egg harvesting program. I'm sure the fisheries division wants to keep Skeeter as "pure" as possible.
> 
> But Berlin and Milton are impoundments on the Mahoning River which flows into the Beaver River in PA, which then flows into the Ohio River where saugeye are already present.
> 
> Of course, with the water quality improving in the Mahoning seemingly by the day, I feel pretty sure that these will make their way further upstream all the time.


If you're saying they can come from the Ohio River then it's definitely a sauger...its sauger that are in the river...some walleye and sauger...at least that's the way it was years ago.


----------



## riverKing

Ok I'll be more clear, in the original post the first pic is 100% a saugeye. More likely a hatchery mix up than upstream migration from the ohio. when I electrofished the Ohio saugeye were the least common of the 3 and I don't recall seeing any that far up river.
The second pic is a walleye, the dorsal spot at the base is the giveaway.
Walleye have one dorsal spot at the base of the spiny dorsal, sauger have a mixed array of spots that varies with individual but the classic is "cigarette burn" spots. Saugeye have a spot at the base of the spines and bands along the spines, the original post pic is an excellent example.


----------



## joebertin

When you have a water system where both species spawn in similar areas, at the same time of year, it's kind of hard for me to believe that the system can "naturally" maintain any kind of purity in either species. 

Walleye and sauger are both broadcast spawners. Which means lots of milt and eggs drifting around the same areas, from both fish. God only knows what milt comes in contact with what eggs, in what percentages.

This could be resolved by Jerry Springer and a genetics lab. However, without child support issues and other government interference, there is probably not enough motivation to determine who "daddy" is...

That having been said, you can tell when the genetics get a little mingled, like other species. Kind of like mules, humans, and jackalopes:


----------



## Pooch

Be hard to get that far up river with all the lowhead dams if suggesting it made its way from the Ohio. With birds in play helping it may be possible, but not swimming. Just thoughts in my head, could be wrong.


----------



## Saugeyefisher

Pooch said:


> Be hard to get that far up river with all the lowhead dams if suggesting it made its way from the Ohio. With birds in play helping it may be possible, but not swimming. Just thoughts in my head, could be wrong.


We are fishermen,we are never wrong


----------



## dirtandleaves

Saugeye. Zero doubt in my mind. Don't know how it got there, but that isn't the question. I live right on the ohio river and have caught tons of sauger. Every one has had distinct black dots on the dorsal fin, like fisherman 3234's pic above. The op's pic the dorsal fin is more mottled and not distinct. Saugeye...


----------



## equyst

Saugeye. good job!!!


----------



## odell daniel

left picture sauger, saugeye on the right.


----------



## multi species angler

Sauger usually have a white pinkish line at the bottom of the tail fin but they don't have a distinctive white spot on the tail as a walleye does and saugeye usually does. Nither fish is sauger.


----------

