Sauger fishing hitting its peak
Fishing reports from Kentucky and Barkley Lakes indicate sauger are beginning their annual spawning run, and anglers are catching fish below the dams and along the main lake river channels with heavy minnow-tipped jigs fished at depths up to 40 feet.Sauger are the first cousins of the walleye, and they are somewhat of a mystery fish for most anglers as they are seldom seen or caught during the warmer months. That all changes during the cold days of winter when they can be found in large numbers below the dams on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. Concentrations of sauger can also be found at the mouths of the tributary rivers and creeks along the two rivers.
The interest in sauger fishing is two-fold. First, they are relatively easy to catch when they are concentrated in the winter, and they are arguably the best tasting fish found in fresh or salt water.
Sauger are smaller that walleye, but the two species can interbreed forming offspring known as saugeye. Sauger have a cigar-shaped body and coloration similar to a walleye, but their bodies are marked with large, dark-colored blotches.
Both species have a mouthful of sharp teeth and anglers should be careful when handling a hooked fish.
Although walleye can reach weights up to 25 pounds, sauger seldom exceed four pounds and the world record stands at 8-pounds, 12-ounces, taken in North Dakota in 1971. The Tennessee record is 7-pounds, 6-ounces, taken at Kentucky Lake in 1973, while the Kentucky record is 7-pounds, 7-ounces, taken from Lake Cumberland in 1983.
The average size is less than two pounds.
In recent years, Tennessee and Kentucky have experienced a decline in sauger populations, and the winter spawning runs are not as great as they used to be. Still, the Cumberland River from Clarksville to Cheatham Dam can provide some good fishing. Most anglers fish below Cheatham Dam, either from the riprap shoreline or from a boat. The areas at the mouths of Red River, McAdoo Creek, Hurricane Creek and Barton's Creek are also popular spots.At Kentucky Lake, the area below Pickwick Dam and ten miles downstream to the Diamond Island area is one of the premier sauger fishing sites in the country. In the glory days, thousands of big sauger were caught every winter and anglers from across the county came to sample the bounty.
Other popular sauger fishing areas on Kentucky Lake are the Coffee Landing area and the mouth of the Duck River.
Generally, sauger are caught by bumping a heavy jig tipped with a minnow along the bottom below the dams or at the mouths of the rivers and creeks. The jig may weigh an ounce or more in order to keep it on the bottom in the swift water. Most jigs also have a small "stinger" hook attached that is inserted into the tail of the minnow to hook short strikers.
Take plenty of jigs when you go sauger fishing. Jigs frequently hang up in the rocks, roots and stumps on the bottom and you can lose many during a day's fishing.
Because of their declining numbers, there is a 14-inch minimum length for sauger taken at Kentucky Lake, with a daily creel limit of ten fish (six fish on the Kentucky portion of the lake).
On Tennessee's side of Lake Barkley, the minimum size limit is 15 inches, with a creel limit of ten fish per day. On the Kentucky portion of the lake, the minimum size limit is 14 inches with a daily creel limit of six fish.
Popular fishing areas are patrolled on a frequent basis and anglers should measure their fish carefully and put undersized fish back into the water.
As a safety precaution, sauger anglers should dress for the weather. It seems that the colder and wetter the day, the better the fishing. Anglers should also wear a life jacket at all times, whether fishing from a boat or from the shoreline.
For additional information concerning sauger fishing contact the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at www.tnwildlife.org, or the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at www.fw.ky.govRead More ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment