Sunday high-speed float in very fast higher water. Was looking for my first Rock walleye but instead I caught a similar species that I never caught before. Not a big fish but this Sauger was rather cool looking, didnt realize they were that cool looking tell I had one in hand. Odd day, fished different techniques caught one each of sauger, pike, white bass, and smallie. Missed a few fish had me wondering what they were water vis not great but a big flash on one of the missed fish had me thinking a big white bass.
Very fast water downstream of the Rockton dam to the Pec confluence certainly not something you would plan to paddle upstream on when water is up, just happens to be a section of the river with a high gradient.
Never caught one and always thought I should have by now in busse main or below the dam. Been looking for those spotted dorsal fins for years.
Congrats on the new species! :clap:
Saw a pict of one once on the old rental trailer's cork board and heard of supposed catches below the dam in the late 90s.
Didn't they stock a bunch in salt creek in 2012 or 13 ?
some should have made it to the dam by now, right
Yea saugys don't get as big, but the spots are purty. Way to avoid the usual 'catch a walleye, eat a walleye' routine too many guys have. Eat a bass for crying out loud..
Yep, they do. Both the IWT(Illinois Walleye Trail), and MWC(Masters Walleye Circuit) do tournaments on the Illinois River still, and we still catch a ton of saugers down there. Asian carp haven't messed up that fishery at all, surprisingly.(At least so far, but I don't think they will at this point, if they haven't already). This is the time I actually start fishing the Illinois almost religiously, and our catches are always 2:1 or 3:1 sauger vs walleye. The Illinois is a great fishery that many people overlook, for some reason. I know you do best fishing by boat, but you can fish from shore and still catch plenty of fish.
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