My swimbait landed a couple inches off the rocky bank. A few fast cranks on the reel brought my presentation away from the danger zone of a snag and into the desirable deeper, swifter water. I stopped retrieving to let my 1/8-ounce jig head settle into the deeper drop-off.
Moments later, I gave two twitches with the rod tip, and I slowly came tight. It wasn’t the hard, unmistakable bump we all know, but a soft, slow tension as my rod arced over. Building tension led to clear headshakes and bouncing weight, ruling out the potential of a snag as the fish bull-dogged to the bottom. I played it slow and took my time, not horsing the fish, knowing I was on six-pound test line. As the fish slowly came to the surface, the unmistakable marble-like eyes appeared. Once on the surface, the fish turned on its side, the sun lighting up the gold coloration broken by dark blotchy markings. A quick scoop brought me face to face with a solid 21-inch saugeye.
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Many Virginia anglers are well acquainted with the diverse walleye opportunities the commonwealth offers. For decades, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has managed walleye fisheries across the state from the native strain New River walleye fishery in Southwest Virginia to smaller lakes and impoundments in Northern Virginia. Some Virginia anglers may even be familiar with the limited sauger fisheries that exist in far Southwest Virginia in the Clinch and Powell drainages. If you enjoy fishing for these members of the perch family, there is another species of fish that absolutely needs to be on your radar: the saugeye.
Saugeye, Sander canadensis x vitreus, are a hybrid created by crossing a female walleye with a male sauger. Saugeye first arrived on the scene in Virginia in 2013 via DWR stockings. Being a hybrid, saugeye exhibit traits from both walleye and sauger, which allows them to excel in some scenarios where walleye populations only perform marginally. DWR fisheries managers chose to stock saugeye in place of walleye on select impoundments across the central and northern part of the state, and for good reason.
Shared via Virginia DWR… continue reading.
