Opal eyes course through a blue-green world on the border of light penetration. Rising over the edge of a precipice on the last major break leading into the benthic depths, walleyes surge into schools of bait. Above, boats wait. In the frenzied throng of predator and prey, yellow and orange impostors tap along. Some rivet the attention of those opal eyes, drawing them to bait and steel.

Down the break, along the silent rocky slide into the depths, nothing stirs. Farther, beyond the final probing of jigs and rattling lures, ghostlike eyes reappear. But something's different. The portly grace, the quiet aplomb of the walleye is missing. Feeding relentlessly, these fish dart and crash headlong into scurrying pods of prey.

These are sauger, the little cousins. Among them, saugeye--natural hybrids resulting from first cousins spawning in the same habitat at the same time. And this scene is common. Sauger and saugeye, though common in many riverine environments throughout the natural and extended range of the walleye, often are ignored. Worse, they're sometimes considered a nuisance.

This "all eyes on the prize, and the prize is walleyes" attitude is, to be blunt, indecent. Sauger are invaluable. They group in large numbers, usually near walleyes. In some environments they do better than walleyes. Though most are small, they sometimes top 6 pounds. And saugeye can top 10 pounds.

If you've ignored these mighty mites in the past, two thoughts may lead you to reconsider them. First, sauger and saugeye often bite well when walleyes won't. Second, sauger bite aggressively and hard. Tournament pro Keith Kavajecz likens their attack to "hypersuction. Instead of a little tic you get a pronounced thwack. When they see a jig and want it, they swim over and jam it in. No foolin' around."

If they're not being exploited, their numbers can be vast. And (with predictable exceptions) sauger are like a flashing neon arrow pointing to the shallower haunts of walleyes. Their needs are similar, yet dissimilar enough to bear scrutiny.

DIFFERENCES

Walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) and sauger (Stizostedion canadense) show the same genus. Like pike and muskie, they're genetically similar enough to interbreed. The hybrid result, saugeye, can backcross with either a walleye or a sauger.

Sic passim (thus everywhere), saugeye. Not in great numbers everywhere, but in some places more than others. Saugeye account for roughly 10 percent of the members of genus Stizostedion in Sakakawea, where the former world record (11 pounds 12 ounces) was taken. (The current world record is tied at 12 pounds 7 ounces between fish taken in Montana and Ohio.)

Like sauger, saugeye often have black spots between the spines in their dorsal fin. They tend to have more white on their sides, with the black, blotchy side markings of a sauger extending below their lateral line, as opposed to the golden flanks of a walleye. On rare occasions, however, saugeye mimic walleye coloration, but without the telltale white mark on the tip of the tail.

Saugeye tend to relate more to groups of sauger than to walleyes. They tend to look and behave more like sauger. To catch a bull saugeye, you must know something about sauger behavior and location.

ABOUT SAUGER

Perhaps the most vital difference between sauger and walleye is a slight variation in their eyes. Both have a light-gathering layer in the retina--tapetum lucidum. This layer covers more area in the eyes of sauger. Sauger are even more light-sensitive than walleyes, explaining their preference for deeper and murkier water. Sauger thrive in turbid environments.

This physiological difference is important to anyone trying to catch both species. In lakes and reservoirs, sauger tend to bite much better than walleyes during the day. The deeper water they prefer offers prime light for foraging in late morning and late afternoon, as opposed to twilight periods.

In rivers, sauger may bite best early or late in the day--even more so than walleyes. River fish may also bite best on cloudy, rainy, windy days. Nasty weather is more likely to positively affect the bite than it does with walleyes.

In rivers, sauger seek heavier current than walleyes. Moving water inhibits light penetration, so sauger tend to hold shallower in significant current, but still not as shallow as walleyes in most cases. An exception involves big sauger which in current tend to locate in spots similar to areas where walleyes feed.

Another distinction of note is body shape. Sauger are slightly more tubular, more streamlined than walleyes. Sauger shape forms more of an even ellipse from head to tail, allowing them to burrow into stronger currents. In more ways than one, sauger are like the smallmouth bass of the walleye world. They fight better, swim faster, and have stronger jaws than walleyes of the same size.

In a telemetry study performed in Tennessee in 1977, sauger tracked through the currents below Cordell Hull Dam always moved closer to shore when discharges increased (to create hydroelectric power during late fall and early winter). When discharges increased to levels greater than normal, fish moved hundreds of yards downstream. But when generation ceased altogether, sauger were tracked crossing the river channel many times and swimming over wide areas. These fish were most often in very turbid water at depths between 8 and 17 feet.

That study concerned tailrace fish and paid little attention to larger sauger. Another telemetry study in Melvern Reservoir, Kansas, in 1992 found sauger deep in the main stem of the reservoir in March. This study tracked some of the largest fish in the system. "We implanted 20 sauger," says Don Gablehouse, biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. "Larger sauger never seemed to locate in significantly different areas than smaller fish."

Neither study noted the movements of walleye in the same area, but other biologists have observed differences in alleged "comfort zones." Al Stevens, large-lake specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, has for years watched sauger and walleye movements in the Mississippi River. "I've also fished year 'round for sauger and walleye in this system," Stevens says. "In Lake Pepin, more sauger than walleye are caught at midday. When the sun goes down, the bite's over for sauger, while walleyes continue to be caught after dark."

From late spring through fall, Pepin's walleyes are typically in 2 to 10 feet of water. "They're even there at noon, inactive, lying on bottom," Stevens says. "But sauger will be 15 to 20 feet down at the head of the lake, which is more turbid, and 20 to 25 feet down in the clearer tail of the lake. Even 4- to 5-pound sauger are captured in these depths."

Riverine environments (rivers, reservoirs, and lakes within river systems) are the most common homes of sauger and saugeye. From the St. Lawrence River to the upper reaches of the Missouri River in Montana, these environments are where the Stizostedion clan do best in combination--where you should always be able to find one, two, or all three biting some time, every day of the year. But the best places to key on right now (late winter) are tailraces and main basins of reservoirs.

SPECIALIZED LOCATION

The fishing experiences of at least two top anglers contrast with the scientific characterization of where big sauger hold. "Do big sauger use different areas than walleyes or smaller sauger use?" asked In-Fisherman Editor-In-Chief Doug Stange. "My experience is that especially in rivers, big sauger segregate from small sauger and tend to use the same areas walleyes use, with subtle differences.

"As sauger grow bigger they eat bigger forage. Big sauger are a lot like average-size walleyes except for two things. One, they're more light sensitive, and two, they're more streamlined. So if sauger are big enough to forage on walleye prey, they feed in the same places, but earlier and later in the day. And they tend to hold closer to current. Sauger like some current. Big sauger don't hold long in areas that aren't right next to or in current."

Harry Stiles, professional walleye fisherman and Mississippi River guide, agrees with Stange. "Every sauger over 5 pounds I've taken from the big pools of the Mississippi came from the 12-foot level," Stiles says. "I've never caught one over 5 pounds in really deep water. From January through March, most sauger hold from 20 to 35 feet deep, but any over 3 1/2 pounds generally are at 18 feet or above."

Prime winter holding areas in rivers include outside bends where deeper water comes close to shore, and the mouths of creeks or smaller rivers joining the main stem. In these areas, big sauger typically hold sway over points farthest upstream. In late winter and early spring, sauger also congregate in tailwaters. Upstream movements at this time of year are triggered by the urge to spawn.

"Tailraces are magnets for walleyes, sauger, and saugeye this time of year," Stange continued. "It's a great time to observe differences in behavior among these fish while catching lots of them."

Tailrace fisheries typically extend downstream from a dam for 10 miles, maybe more. Wing dams, points, sand or gravel bars, holes, and humps in tailrace areas draw both sauger and walleye. Small sauger may use any of these features, but they're typically drawn to holes or deeper areas around the base of these structures. If walleyes are using an area, it's to feed on prey of an appropriate size. If it's the right size for walleyes, it's right for big sauger.

But they may not feed in exactly the same spot, just in the same general area. Consider a sand bar topping out about 10 feet below the surface. Even though sauger seem to like areas with a sandy bottom, small sauger may use only the base of this structure if they use it at all. The top of the bar is too shallow.

Most walleyes and big sauger feed at the upstream head of the bar. Sauger arrive earlier in the morning and locate on the current side. Walleyes use the void on the front face of the bar as a current break, or they hold off to the side. Big sauger nose up tight to the front of the bar. "Sauger," Stange says, "use current walleyes won't use. But it's still modest current at this time of year."

Mike Kohler, another tournament pro, observes that sauger in larger rivers orient to sharp, deep breaks and deep midchannel runs during winter. He also notes that "walleyes and sauger are in the same segment of a river, not miles apart." Stiles went one step farther. "Typically, walleyes are within 50 to 100 yards of any major school of sauger."

Both pros agree that sauger can be used to find walleye. Sauger are the more aggressive biters, so they're easier to find. "If a shallower flat (5 to 15 feet deep) with downed timber, boulders, or some kind of current break is nearby, walleyes will be there, " Stiles says.

"Draw a line at 15 feet," Kohler says. "Walleyes will be shallower, sauger deeper, with a zone of overlap between 12 and 16 feet." Big sauger are more often in that overlapping zone.

"Whatever structural element you fish--a hole, a hump, a sand bar, a break--check the head of the item first, last, and always," Stange added. "The biggest sauger push forward to the head of a hole, the head of a sand bar, the head of anything."

"While current and turbid water allow giant sauger to run with the big dogs in rivers, their behavior in reservoirs is genuinely different," Stiles says. "Every fish over 4 pounds I've seen come out of Peck, Oahe, or Sakakawea were 30 feet or deeper, right down to 60 feet."

By midwinter, big sauger often stage on or near main points leading into the first major creek arms above a dam, or similar points in the middle third of the reservoir. Some of these fish (as is the case in Melvern Reservoir) later spawn in depths of 5 to 10 feet near the dam. Others move up creek arms to flowing water. From late spring to early summer, sauger filter back into the reservoir and locate on humps, shelves, and flats in 40 to 60 feet of water.

In February and March, sauger in reservoirs tend to group on flats at 30- to 40-foot depths. Last year, Al Lindner filmed a show about sauger in reservoirs for In-Fisherman television. He found schools of sauger ranging from 4 to 6 pounds tucked into the first few bays on the west side of the first two major creek arms above the dam. Similar bays in the east side, Al says, held no sauger.

"Fish were scattered on flats between 30 and 38 feet deep," he says. "They weren't concentrated on or near breaks. Walleyes, on the other hand, were several miles away in shallower water (6 to 12 feet), staging near creek mouths and ready to spawn. Obviously, sauger aren't walleyes. They don't necessarily locate in the same areas."

Through most of the year, however, sauger tend to locate on the same structural elements walleyes use, only deeper. "During late spring on Fort Peck, I find sauger on shelves off main-reservoir points," Kavajecz says. "Big sauger (lots of them are big on Peck) tend to move up during long spells of high wind. In a big wind, the 5- to 6-pounders were in 12 feet of water, but the walleyes were right up on the shoreline at 4 to 6 feet in the same area. Under the right conditions, which are rare, sauger and walleye are both in 12 feet of water."

Nasty weather will prompt movements of sauger and saugeye, usually to shallow feeding zones. Larger fish, it seems, tend to move into areas walleyes probably vacated when they moved even shallower. But in nicer weather, and as the season progresses, even the biggest sauger will be deeper (from 20 to 50 feet) in most reservoirs.

In late winter, sauger location is associated with flats near main-lake points or just inside the first few coves in major creek arms. In the Melvern Reservoir study, the tracking was performed by Jay Jeffrey, a graduate student from Emporia State University.

"Sauger held at depths averaging 30 to 35 feet in February and early March," Jeffrey says. "Location was generally on the main stem of the reservoir or near the mouths of major coves in the middle third of the reservoir. Sauger were often found on gravel flats abutting the main river channel or creek channels."

In late March, sauger in Melvern averaged 17 feet deep. In April, they moved to the back of coves and to gravel substrate areas adjacent to the dam to spawn in 5- to 7-foot depths.

"They spent 20 to 30 days recuperating near spawning sites, then moved into little coves (in main creek arms) where they fed in highly turbid water on young-of-the-year shad, as shallow as 2 feet, even during the middle of the day," Jeffrey says. (In some reservoirs, saugeye have been observed making the same shallow postspawn movement in turbid creek arms.) By midsummer, fish moved deeper, "but not as deep as during late winter," Jeffrey added. "Depths of 20 to 25 feet were more typical."

In substantially clearer reservoirs like Oahe or Peck, sauger are caught as deep as 60 feet in summer. Some main-reservoir structures, like humps that top out at 50 or 60 feet, hold only sauger. Shear cliffs that drop into 100 feet of water, but have substantial food shelves between 20 feet and shore, harbor only walleyes. If, however, structures have shelves or abutting flats in both the 12- to 20-foot and 30- to 50-foot ranges, both species are present.

"On every major reservoir I've fished where both species are present, slide down the break from a walleye bite to find sauger," Kohler says. "That's if habitat is available for both. On Oahe, when walleyes were biting in 12 feet of water, sauger were biting on flats below at 40 feet."

Professional guide and outfitter Herb Walk of Ranchester, Wyoming, says the pattern holds all summer and fall. "During the 1993 Western Walleye Circuit tournament on Fort Peck, 12 walleyes over 10 pounds were caught in 4 to 6 feet of water on main lake points. On the same points at the same time, shelves in 30 to 35 feet of water held large numbers of 3- to 6- pound sauger."

KEY PRESENTATIONS

Sauger tend to feed right on bottom. "A difference of 3 inches can be a big deal," Stange says. "Sauger pick up a jig off bottom all the time, walleyes only occasionally. You can drag it, roll it, move it in place, but leave it on or just barely above bottom. If it's hovered up even an inch or two more, sometimes sauger won't respond. With one odd exception. They sometimes respond to erratic jigging motions."

Kavajecz used one such motion--called the "pop-hop"--to win a tournament with sauger on the Illinois River. "Put the jig on bottom and drop your rod tip to create slack and build rod speed," Kavajecz says. "Then jerk the rod tip up with your elbow and forearm. Lift the jig only 6 inches, but with a vicious rip. Pause anywhere from a few seconds to a minute, keeping the jig at the top of the hop, then slowly lower it.

"That's the pop-hop. Walleyes react to it, too, as the jig settles back to bottom. But sauger really seem to get upset by that jig sitting up there off bottom. You expect a thwack at every pause," Kavajecz says.

For sauger, Kavajecz uses stingers. "Sauger tend to take a jig farther into their mouths than walleyes, but sometimes they can't get a bigger minnow all the way in or can't sweep a larger jig from bottom. They grab only part of the minnow and with their stronger jaws they bite it in half."

Sometimes the jig "can even leave their zone of vision," Stange added. "Do whatever it takes to attract these aggressive fish. Popping the jig up 2 feet isn't an optimum tactic, but sometimes that's what it takes. When you're trying to attract fish, to make sure they feel and see the presentation, pop it higher than you would for walleyes, but not so hard that you rip off the minnow.

For the most part, winter presentations for sauger are more subtle. "Dragging or rolling a jig is big-time effective for sauger," Al says. "Or a simple lift-drop. Lift the jig 6 inches to a foot and let it fall. Drag it, lift slightly, pause, and lift again."

In rivers, jigs should be moving with the current most of the time. Trolling or drifting slowly with the current is better than backtrolling into the current.

The biggest sauger in any given area tend to position in or near slight to moderate current at the head of structure. If possible, position the boat by anchoring abreast of these key locations. Cast above and beyond them, dragging or popping the jig downstream and across the element, which keeps the jig in the sauger's line of vision for the longest possible time. Where current allows, positioning with a trolling motor while casting works as well or better.