# Walleye or Saugeye?



## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)

Hello everyone, I fished the GMR in Hamilton this morning and caught what seems to be a Walleye, it had the black spot at the base of it's dorsal fin. It was just shy of 22" so I am hoping it is a Saugeye for Fish Ohio. I don't have a computer right now so I am using my iPhone, if somebody would be kind enough to post a couple pics for me, to see what you guys thought, post or send me an email I can send them to. Thanks, James.


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## samfishdyt (Sep 15, 2010)

This is an old post from this forum I found. I think it explains it pretty well..

riverKing01-20-2008, 08:21 PM
if it has spots on the dorsal it is a sauger, period. saugeye has dusky blotches that run the length of each spine on the dorsal fin. walleye have a very distinct white spot on the base of the caudal fin and a dark dorsal with a dark spot at the back end of the spiny dorsal. if you are catching them in the ohio river the hocking river or the lmr, they are most likely sauger. in the lower scioto, the lower gmr and the lower muskingum there are good populations of saugeye in with the sauger, there is also a native population of walleye that may occur in any trib of the ohio along with stocked fish of a different strain, but i wont put you through trying to tell them apart.

try not to go by blotches on the side of the fish, sauger tend to be much darker but i have seen sauger with almost no markings on the scales, and the native walleye consitantly have blotches on the sides. finally you will have issues telling them apart untill someone who knows the differences well can show you with all three in hand.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

If it has clearly white tipped fins, it is definitely a saugeye _or _a walleye. Walleye are typically golden color with less mottling, while the saugeye exhibits more of the sauger's camoflauge.

So if it has white tipped fins AND heavy mottled color, best bet is saugeye. 

Walleye are there, but not in the same numbers...so odds are it was a saugeye.

LMR Walleye:


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## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)

I have a couple pics of the fish I could e-mail someone if they could post them on here. I would have thought it was a Saugeye except the black spot in the base of the dorsal fin is supposed to be a Walleye trait. Thanks, James.


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## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)




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## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)

I just figured out how to load pictures right from my phone, sorry new to the site. Not the best pics but what do you guys think? Saugeye or Walleye?


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## samfishdyt (Sep 15, 2010)

Actually I believe that the black splotches on a fish is an indicator of the sauger. The Dorsal fin spot is farmiliar with the walleye. Saugeye are a hybrid fish of the walleye and the sauger. The saugeye exibit similar traits of both fish. (Like your fish does) Sauger/Saugeye are more resilient in rivers and streams and can handle higher current and murkey water much better. (Like where your fish was caught.) Hope that helps


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Id call that a saugeye, theyre a composite of both parents. I cant tell about the dorsal fin in the picture but from your description its a walleye like fin. Some saugeye have the spot youre talking about and some dont. 
To me that looks like a sauger body with walleye fins, compare your picture to Fallen513s.
I look at the dorsal fin, the tail and anal fin and the coloration and the shape too. Sauger are more torpedo like generally speaking. Coloration and shape by themselves arent always reliable but in combination with the other traits it makes me say saugeye.
I dont know what the walleye population might be at the dam but Im pretty sure that sauger and saugeye out number them by a wide margin.
Id register it for a Fish Ohio pin, congratulations!


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## samfishdyt (Sep 15, 2010)

I agree thats how you earn a pin. congrats.


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## bgrapala (Nov 1, 2008)

looks like any normal GMR saugeye I've ever caught...Nice Fish Ohio!!!


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Being in the GMR, it is most likely a saugeye. There are some hogs in there for sure


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## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)

Thanks guys, I just want to err on the side of caution for Fish Ohio it's just an added little goal to shoot for, but only want it if I know I am right. I thought it would be fun to try for Master Angler, I already have caught several Fish Ohio Crappie this year. If it didn't have that black spot, about the size of a dime at the back of his dorsal fin I wouldn't even have questioned it. I released it by the way.


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

That's a cool looking pic. I sure would hate to be a minnow, lol. How does the fish Ohio thing work? I'm google searching it now...


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## Big James (Mar 30, 2011)

Caught it on gold twister tail 1/8 oz jig bumped along the bottom about a half hour after daylight. Fish Ohio is through the Ohio Division of Wildlife if you didn't find it already on the ODNR website. It's on the honor system you just type in your info and you can print a certificate right off the computer, then they send you a pin at the end of the year. You can get Master Angler for four in one year and they also have Grand Slams.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

White tipped tail fin... I'm reasonably certain your fish is a saugeye.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

White tip on lower tail is trait from walleye heritage. Both walleye and saugeye have the white tip. 

Cannot see enough of dorsal fins to do a normal comparison of slight dorsal fin coloring and membrane differences between walleye and saugeye. 3rd comparison is at end of first dorsal fin a walleye is supposed to have a black botch. Your fish seems absent of that blotch so I'd vote "saugeye", too. Nice catch.


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