What's a Sauger?

Jerry Fox

Some, perhaps many, anglers are not familiar with the Sauger. It is a walleye relative, and is also called a sand pike or pickerel. It has a slender body with a long cone-shaped head. The Sauger prefers water with little movement - a big slow moving lake or river suits it best. Even though it is related to the walleye, you can readily tell the difference. Walleyes have smooth cheeks. Sauger have rough scales on their cheeks.

Some like to catch Sauger in gill nets. Others like to treat the Sauger as a sport fish. They measure 10 to 15 inches and usually weigh about half a pound, although they can reach two pounds. Even though they are not large, they are tasty and make good eating. When commercially fished, they are mostly sold as fillets.

Fishing for Sauger is popular in Lake Guntersville in North Alabama, which meets their desire for a large slow moving lake. During fall and winter, the Sauger is in abundance just below Guntersville Dam. Throughout the year, it can also be found near bridge crossings on the lake.

For a fun experience, poke around your favorite search engine and see if you can find Sauder in your neck of the woods - or make the trip to Guntersville, Alabama but be ready for the urge to stay. There are lots of other species in this Lake of over 69,000 acres and 900 miles of shoreline - most well known for Bass, but also for Bluegill, Sunfish, Crappie, and several types of Catfish, including Bullhead, Channel, FlatHead, and Blue.