Late winter sauger fishing nearing peak

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LCNN - 2-20-2009 at 07:40 AM

The inevitable late winter rains fall, filling creeks and rivers full to their banks. The warmer rainwater mixes with the river water and increases the temperatures a few degrees.

The rise in water temperatures and the slightly longer days of February signal to sauger that it is time to spawn. Dams on the Ohio and Cumberland rivers block their migration routes and they amass below them. The sauger fishing peak is nearly upon us.

“The water temperatures still need to rise just a little on the Ohio River,” said Doug Henley, Ohio River biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Once the water temperatures jump up a few degrees into the mid-40s, watch out. They are below the dams right now, but mostly those precocious young males.”

The larger, breeding fish haven’t moved up yet because the water temperatures on the river are still in the high 30s. “The river is on a decline right now, a slow drop,” he explained. “The gauge at Markland tailwater read 24 feet a few days ago.”

Sauger hit many different lures, but it is hard to go wrong with a white, lime-green or chartreuse grub rigged on a leadhead jig with the hook exposed. This combination fools sauger today just as much as it did 30 years ago. Shad-shaped soft plastic baits in pearl, pearl with a black back or chartreuse also work well. Small crankbaits with flashes of chartreuse on them, small spoons and in-line spinners draw strikes, too.

Grubs makes great lures for fishing tailwaters because of their low cost. Tailwaters are full of snags, rocks and old fishing line and you will lose lures, sometimes a lot of them. A crankbait, spoon or in-line spinner with a treble hook won’t last long if it contacts the bottom in these snag-laden environments.

For those without a boat, Meldahl Lock and Dam near Foster, Kentucky, Markland Lock and Dam near Warsaw and McAlpine Lock and Dam across from Louisville all provide good sauger fishing in winter.

At Meldahl Lock and Dam, bank anglers need to get their lures as close to the release gate wall as possible. The L-shaped structure formed by the release gate wall and the dam wall is a sauger hot spot. Use as heavy a leadhead as needed to cast your grub near that wall. This spot is well known and fished hard, but still produces sauger.

“One of the premier areas is Markland Lock and Dam for sauger fishing,” Henley explained. “There is a public park there and a good quarter-mile of shoreline you can fish. Markland offers ease of access.” The park is located on the Indiana side of the river via U.S. 42 and KY 1039 in Gallatin County. Anglers with a valid Kentucky fishing license may fish the Indiana bank of the Ohio River without buying an Indiana fishing license.

The McAlpine Lock and Dam in Louisville is a highly productive sauger fishing area, although it lies next to the biggest metropolitan area in the state. Try fishing down near the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center with 1/4- to 1/2-ounce leadhead grubs and shad-shaped soft plastics when the water is high, and move up toward the dam when the river is low. The Ohio forms a series of chutes just below the dam at low water that resembles creeks. Sauger crush small crankbaits and light grubs fished in these chutes. Access to McAlpine Lock and Dam is also on the Indiana side of the river at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, but anglers with a valid Kentucky license may fish there.

Over the past two years, walleye and trout anglers fishing the Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam have been surprised by how many sauger they’ve caught.

“They are biting well when they are generating at Wolf Creek Dam,” said John Williams, southeastern fishery district biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “I got a report from an angler who caught nine sauger there last Sunday.”

The state record sauger, a 7-pound, 7-ouncer taken by Rastie Andrew in 1983, came from the Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam. “They are catching them right up against the dam,” Williams said.

The lures that work in the Ohio River for sauger will produce in the Cumberland. Plus, you may catch a bragging-size walleye at this time of year as well. If all else fails, crappie minnows fished with a few split shot on the line will produce some sauger.

Get out of the house and shake off the mopes and get a sauger on the end of your line. The best fishing of the year is here.

Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages, regulates, enforces and promotes responsible use of all fish and wildlife species, their habitats, public wildlife areas and waterways for the benefit of those resources and for public enjoyment. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, has an economic impact to the state of $4.5 billion annually. For more information on the department, visit our web site at http://fw.ky.gov

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