Sauger(sand pike)

Comment

Comment by Allen Morgan on June 5, 2012 at 5:14am

Out of the Arkansas River here in Tulsa.

I caught two a couple years ago, not realizing they were in that BOW.  This past winter, I started targeting them with minnows and jigs.

I don't know if you know, but thanks to electrical generation at Keystone Dam, the river level can and will fluctuate.  I prefer to fish for them when the water is about 2 - 3 K cfs coming down-river.  During the winter, I was fishing from an elevated platform, using a float rig with either a minnow on a hook, or a tandem jig rig.  I would usually just drop the rig into the current, let the current take it out a ways, then engage the reel, walk a bit over to the side, and do a SLOW retrieve in the slack water on the other side of the current seam.

Depending of the amount of current, if it's really low, I'll catch them as the current takes it out.  There is a big concrete "ledge" off the foot of the dam, plus some big rocks that provide a current break for ambushing prey.

Right now, due to the temperature, I'm actually wade-fishing.  This can get dangerous if you aren't aware of the schedule for generation upstream.

A few days ago, I was catching them by wade-fishing, using a Firetiger lipless crankbait.  The water was rather murky from all the rain.  I caught 5 - 6 Saugers in about an hour.  A buddy I was with caught one on his fly rod, with a streamer.

Comment by Zach Pierce on June 4, 2012 at 10:39pm

Allen where do you fish for saugers? I have yet to catch one of these fish

Comment by Allen Morgan on June 3, 2012 at 10:44am

I was catching Saugers left-and-right for about 20 minutes Saturday morning.  Once the sun got up the sky a bit, they left for deeper water.

I love how hard they hit.

Nice fish there, Eric.  Go get some more!

Comment by dick tabbert on June 3, 2012 at 10:09am

Got yourself a walleye now there is some good eating for sure.