Fishing For Sauger

A beginners guide to catching sauger

Nov 9, 2024

Tips For Sauger Fishing

Basic Sauger Fishing Tackle
Sauger Fishing Video
Sauger Lures For Beginners
Top 3 Tips For Beginners
Sauger Tackle For Intermediate Anglers
Additional Lures For Intermediate Anglers
Top Tips For Intermediate Anglers
Advice For Serious Sauger Fishing Enthusiasts
World Record Sauger

Sauger

Beginners

Sauger fishing basics for beginners and novice anglers, with tips which can be used while fishing from a boat, or while fishing from the bank.

Basic Bass Tackle For Beginners

Rod. Start with a 5' 6" to 6', medium to medium-heavy action rod, ideally with a fast-action tip.

Reel. Baitcasting and spinning reels both work nicely for the vast majority of sauger fishing conditions. Get a good reel with a good drag system.

Line. Begin with 10# to 10# monofilament or fluorocarbon line. Pay a little extra and get decent quality line.

Sauger fishing basics video.

Basic Lures For Beginners

Sauger Jigs. Small jig heads with a variety of plastics, that represent minnows, can be used in most any sauger fishing situations. Smaller profile lures in bright colors often produce better than natural colors. Start with a 1/8 oz jighead and go bigger if wind or moving water dictate. Sharp hooks are important, check them often.

3 Important Tips For Beginners

Tip 1. When fishing for sauger, seek our deeper, darker water than walleye tend to inhabit. Sauger delight in moving or flowing water, and typically hang out on flats and ledges along the creek or river channels.

Tip 2. Sauger fishing is best accomplished from a boat, however can be done from the bank for those who like to adventure out along the shore. Trolling at just a tad over 1 mph is a good way to start, and vary speed upward only if it increases bites.

Tip 3. Use good knots and re-tie anytime the knot or line has been nicked or frayed. Always use sharp hooks, if they are dull replace or sharpen them

Intermediate Anglers

Bass Tackle For Intermediate Anglers

Rods. For longer casts and solid hook sets, choose a 6' or longer, medium action rod, preferably with a fast-action tip. Shimano, Bass Pro Shops, G. Loomis, Fenwick, Lew's and Abu Garcia, among others, all make a variety of quality rods in varying price ranges.

Reels. Possibly upgrade to a higher quality reel. Shimano Curado, Abu Garcia Revo, Lew's Mach Crush, Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Series and Daiwa Fuego are five good choices, and there are many others. Accurate casts are crucial to success.

Line. Line choices include primarily monofilament or fluorocarbon line. Braided line with a monofilament or fluorocarbon tip can make for easy casting. Use an alberto or albright knot to join lines. Monofilament or fluorocarbon in 14# to 17# line is a good choice. In open water, lighter line may produce more bites.

Basic Lures For Intermediate Anglers

In addition to sauger jigs, expanding your arsenal to include the following baits can improve your chances for success.

Crankbaits. Deep diving crankbaits, with a small profile like the Rapala Shad Rap, can be fished for sauger, especially in deeper water. Use heavy bottom bounder weights to get the lures to the desired depth.

Live Bait. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are all popular for catching sauger.

5 Important Tips For Intermediate Anglers

Fishing Reports. Read current fishing reports and sauger tournament results from the lake you wish to fish, also review these reports and results from this time last year. Learn how to gain maximum knowledge from fishing reports.

Lake Maps. Contour maps identify creek channels, flats, and depth variations. This information can help you plan your time on the water, well before you head to the lake.

Focus On Finding The Fish. Sauger move up and down in the water column in search of the best available water temperatures, availability of food, and a variety of other factors. Begin the day fishing medium and deep water in search of the best depth for the day. Sauger also migrate throughout the lake, often following schools of baitfish. Once you locate fish, concentrate on that depth and similar locations.

Keep Lure Selection Simple. Sauger are not as picky as many anglers tend to think. Stick to white or bright colors. Depending on water clarity contrast may be an issue dictating dark or flashy colors.

Use Multiple Baits. Once you locate an area holding sauger, try a variety of jigs and/or live bait, to see which entices more bites. For each bait vary the speed and action of the retrieve to determine the best approach for getting bites

Experienced Anglers

Advice For Serious Sauger Fishing Enthusiasts

Study the life cycle of sauger, their annual migrations, daily movements, and food sources available in the lake you plan to fish. Our focus here is to assist beginner and intermediate anglers. For those wishing to take the next step, there are a multitude of options for growing your knowledge of sauger fishing.

Sauger Fishing Clubs & Tournaments. You can join and participate, with or without a boat, and learn from some of the better anglers in your area.

Time On The Water. Experience is the best teacher. Spend time locating fish and experimenting with a wide variety of lures and techniques.

Gather Information Online. Read information on your local Fish & Game Department website. Review websites offered by expert sauger anglers, fishing organizations and local fishing guides. Some highly regarded websites covering sauger fishing include In Fisherman, Field & Stream and Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife, and many others.

Have Fun. Fishing for sauger can be very rewarding. Be diligent, but enjoy the process. Fishing is a life-long journey, and you can learn something new every day you spend on the lake!

Sauger

World record: 8 pounds, 12 ounces

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired bass tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".