Sauger (or Rather lack of)

[gboyce]

Went out to 231 bridge and fished Cedar and Rocky both. Not a single bite for Sauger. I should have know when no one else was there or showed up it was going to be bad. However I did get on the bass today hard. Caught 30 mostly on jerk baits but also some flipping and shakey heads. Biggest was somewhere in the ballpark of 4lbs

[Travis C.]

The sauger I cleaned from the steam plant yesterday had a very small immature egg sack.

Could it be early for them to make their run? I don't usually fish for them so I have no idea.

[Tnriverluver]

I got to go sauger fishing one time last year before they opened the flood gates at about this time last year at Pickwick dam. Those gates stayed opened almost non stop for the first half of the year and really screwed up tailwater fishing. Hoping for a little drier winter this year. I haven't eaten sauger in over ten years and would love to put some in the freezer this year.

[TNBronzeback]

Im confident the saugers are there but without generation they scatter out so bad and without having to contend with current they can alot more picky on what they eat since they dont have to be so opportunistic and grab anything that looks good before it passes them by. The few i got the last few times i was out were on breaks and flats without a rock or tree limb in site. Get some water flow and they will flock to the holes and humps and boulders as ambush points. Its certainly not easy fishing with no flow. We need either some rain or cold weather to kick them generators on for more than an hour or so.