Sauger question

[nomad60]

So with tomorrow's nice temps, I decided to take the day off so I can hit the lagoon at the Clarksville marina. I figure I can find some shelter from the wind we're supposed to have, or anchor if it gets too bad. My plan is to see if the white bass are still in there and if I have time, to try for some sauger but I have no clue how to fish for sauger. I've read that jigs tipped with minnows fished on or near the bottom work but what about if I don't have any minnows? Will a jighead with a curly tail grub also work?
Any tips?

[jad2t]

I'm no expert on sauger or walleye fishing but I know for a fact a jighead with a curlytail or shadtail grub will catch them. I've seen it done and read about it numerous times. They don't have to be tipped with minnows. Of course adding live bait helps but my preference is to only fish with artificials.

[white95v6]

Seen a guy catch 5 or soo with a curly tail dragged on the bottom yesterday.

[nomad60]

Thanks guys, I'll try some curlytail grubs tomorrow - I have both white and pumpkin-colored ones, about 2" long. While digging through my piles of fishing stuff, I found some small rubber minnows, maybe I'll give them a try too. If all else fails, I'll look for someone else sauger fishing and politely ask them for some tips as well :) I sure hope the white bass are still in there; that was a blast last time!

[wormdunker]

If you have some rubber minnows in the "fin-s-fish" type style try them. I tip my sauger jigs with them and they seem to produce about as well as live minnows, try spraying some attractant on them too-seems to help for sure. Gently hop it around on the bottom-slowly, lifting it maybe 6 or 8 inches and gently down, most of your hits will be fast and on the fall. Good luck! Let us know if you did any good. Should be a good day tomorrow.

[nomad60]

If you have some rubber minnows in the "fin-s-fish" type style try them. I tip my sauger jigs with them and they seem to produce about as well as live minnows, try spraying some attractant on them too-seems to help for sure. Gently hop it around on the bottom-slowly, lifting it maybe 6 or 8 inches and gently down, most of your hits will be fast and on the fall. Good luck! Let us know if you did any good. Should be a good day tomorrow.

These are the ones I have

http://www.basspro.com/Uncle-Bucks-Crappie-Minnow-Soft-Bait/product/61659/

I'll give them a try. Do you put them on a regular leadhead jig? I don't have any "sauger jigs". I'm hoping tomorrow will be good since it's pre-front with warm temps...but even if I get skunked, it sure beats going to work :D

[Tnriverluver]

Jigs tipped with Fluke minnows also work well. Post back how you do. I keep looking for someone to post something positive about sauger this year and have yet to see a good report.

[nomad60]

Flukes aren't too big? Brother, if you're waiting for an encouraging/positive sauger post from me, then I may have bad news for you LOL. I've never fished for them and have no clue. If I do catch one (if they're even in the lagoon yet), it'll be pure luck! Oh wait, that's how I catch most of my fish ;).

Back in Ohio, we used to fish for walleye in Lake Erie from the shore with nightcrawlers and that worked pretty good.

[StriperFan]

Most sauger jigs are heavy for fishing a little deeper in heavy current. In a lagoon regular and even more finesse type jigs may do better. But you still need to get down to bottom. Nightcrawlers will catch sauger too. you can tip them on jigs, or carolina rig them. Channels and Channel edges hold sauger. The sunnier it is the more likely they will be a little deeper. If it is extremely cloudy you may find them shallower, but still near bottom. I never fished that area so no specifics.

[Tnriverluver]

Flukes aren't too big? Brother, if you're waiting for an encouraging/positive sauger post from me, then I may have bad news for you LOL. I've never fished for them and have no clue. If I do catch one (if they're even in the lagoon yet), it'll be pure luck! Oh wait, that's how I catch most of my fish ;).

Back in Ohio, we used to fish for walleye in Lake Erie from the shore with nightcrawlers and that worked pretty good.
No since sauger have a big mouth. Most sauger jigs have a stinger hook also and it should be embedded in the minnow. They are light biters in my observations so pay very close attention for the slightest pull. I do most of my sauger fishing in the Pickwick tailwaters and so far this year have not made it there but once in Dec and now the flood gates are open so that is a no go for now

[nomad60]

Most sauger jigs are heavy for fishing a little deeper in heavy current. In a lagoon regular and even more finesse type jigs may do better. But you still need to get down to bottom. Nightcrawlers will catch sauger too. you can tip them on jigs, or carolina rig them. Channels and Channel edges hold sauger. The sunnier it is the more likely they will be a little deeper. If it is extremely cloudy you may find them shallower, but still near bottom. I never fished that area so no specifics.

When I was out there the day before Christmas, there was a guy fishing for sauger; he was slowly drifting along, and fishing the bottom, lifting his pole just a few inches, then letting it drop again. I was curious so I asked him what he was fishing for and he said sauger. He told me that last year, the day after Christmas, people were catching their limits in that lagoon.

[nomad60]

No since sauger have a big mouth. Most sauger jigs have a stinger hook also and it should be embedded in the minnow. They are light biters in my observations so pay very close attention for the slightest pull. I do most of my sauger fishing in the Pickwick tailwaters and so far this year have not made it there but once in Dec and now the flood gates are open so that is a no go for now

That's the reason I'm only fishing within that lagoon; the Cumberland is still going full tilt. Heck, I may try some flukes as well. I don't have the special sauger jigs with stinger hooks but will try what I do have, which are the regular leadhead jigs, some painted, some plain, different weights.

Sure do appreciate all the inputs!

[Tnriverluver]

Cotton Cordell Gay blades, jigging spoons, flutter spoons, etc also work well.

[wormdunker]

Yes, you can use a regular leadhead jig, but, I'd use one at least 1/4 oz or more. A sauger jig is usually just a large (3/4 to 1 oz.) football or bullet shaped jighead with a hair type skirt in various color combinations. Then a minnow or minnow type rubber bait is on the jig hook, and a small treble hook is tied on a very short line and attached from the larger jig hook or from the jig eye- to trail behind maybe 2 or 3 inches. Most of your sauger will be caught on the stinger hook, but they will certainly hit a plain old jighead with a 2 or 3 inch curleytail grub too, or even a jig with a minnow slowly dragged/bumped along near the bottom. If the water is muddy, try adding something red to the mix if you can. good luck, hope you catch a limit!

[MNfisher]

I usually try to use the smallest jig possible in waters I fish. No current, under 15 ft of water, I use 8th oz. otherwise I use nothing over 1/4 oz on still water.

[nomad60]

Well, so much for sauger. I got to the marina about 7 this morning, thinking (and hoping) I'd be the first one out but nope, there were already 3 trailers in the parking lot. By the time I left, there were over 10 boats in the lagoon, and from what I could see, no one was catching anything except the occasional white bass. It looked like at least half of them were fishing for sauger. Water temps in the lagoon were right around 48 degrees.
I caught a few smaller LM bass, one skipjack which was at least 12" long, and a few white bass but none of them were of any size; nothing like the day before Christmas. And once that wind started kicking up, the fishing got rough. I noticed that the water in the marina is a lot murkier than it was 3 weeks ago. What a beautiful day out though!

[Tnriverluver]

Agreed!! Beautiful day to get out and fish. I went to our local TWRA lake Graham and fished for trout since they just restocked the trout pin yesterday. Managed four small trout in about 2 hours. Bank fishing does not agree with my bad back though so back to bass fishing, etc from the boat
.http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y524/tnriverluver/trout1.jpg

[nomad60]

Glad to hear you were able to take advantage of the nice weather as well! And you caught some fish too, which is always a bonus. I hear ya on the bad back and fishing from the bank, fishing from a boat and being semi-seated is so much better on the old back, isn't it?
Ha ha, I was already checking next Saturday's weather...sunny and 47...that sounds like perfect weather to go fishing!