Saugeye Fishing in U.S. Midwest Lakes and Reservoirs
Stocking and Catching Popular Hybrid Game Fish
Jun 4, 2009
In late May 2009, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources stocked Grand Lake St. Marys with about 100,000 saugeye, just one week after warning that toxins from an overgrowth of algae in the lake had reached levels unsafe for swimming. In addition, Grand Lake St. Marys feeds into Lake Erie, a walleye fishing mecca. A small number, perhaps five percent, of the saugeye will be fertile, despite pressure treatment of the eggs intended to insure infertility in the fish. An even smaller percentage of these may make their way into Lake Erie, possibly to reproduce there. While stocking large numbers of game fish into toxic waters and introducing hybrid fish into native populations are controversial acts, one aspect of the situation is clear. Sport fishermen love saugeye.
Saugeye are Great Sportfish
Saugeye are similar in many ways to their parent species, the walleye and the sauger. A member of the freshwater perch family, saugeye are tubular and elongate. They are muscular fish, giving a good fight once on the line. The meat is soft and sweet, providing excellent fish fries for successful anglers. With a white border on the lower lobe of the tail fin, dark blotches on the back and sides, and a spotted dorsal fin, the saugeye is often confused with walleye.
However, saugeye can thrive in the turbid waters of Midwest reservoirs, where walleye, which prefer clear water, struggle to survive. Several states have experimented with saugeye stocking, but the most successful have been Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Colorado, and eastern parts of the Dakotas. Although walleye eventually grow bigger, saugeye grow more quickly. Fishermen can usually count on reeling in 10 to 24 inch saugeye, with an average of about 15 inches. Mature saugeye feed on small baitfish and crustaceans such as crayfish, but young saugeye also eat a wide variety of larvae.
In summer, saugeye can sometimes be caught from shore using crankbaits, as they will inhabit some of the same structured area as bass, or be found suspended over deep sand bars and other structure. In winter, saugeye continue to provide good fishing, congregating over deep underwater structure and drop-offs. Like walleye, saugeye feed by gently inhaling their food, but they are more easily caught.
Possible Problems Posed by Saugeye
Saugeye occur naturally in waters inhabited by walleye and sauger, but in small proportions, about four percent or less of the population. In these numbers, saugeye pose little risk to the less aggressively feeding parent populations. However, when the proportion is altered by introducing stocked saugeye, walleye and sauger are threatened. Saugeye will deplete food sources. A small number of the hybrids will be capable of reproducing, thus compromising the genetic integrity of the walleye population.
Hardy saugeye can thrive in polluted water. This may seem like a boon to fishermen and to those who depend upon the economic effects of local fishing. However, there may be risks associated with eating the meat of fish caught in polluted water. Pollutants concentrate in the internal organs of the fish, which are usually discarded, but trace amounts remain in the flesh. Recommendations concerning the safety of eating wild caught fish vary from fishery to fishery, but a general rule is to eat wild caught fish no more than once per week.
Grand Lake St. Marys is one of many lakes experiencing a bloom of blue-green algae, called planktothrix. The toxin they produce is microcystin, a neurotoxin. Scientists describe microcystins as “potent hepatotoxins and probable tumor promoters.” (“Assessing Potential Health Risks from Microcystin Toxins in Blue-Green Algae Dietary Supplements”, Duncan J. Gilroy, Kenneth W. Kauffman, Ronald A. Hall, Xuan Huang, Fun S. Chu, Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 108, Number 5, May 2000.) Hepatotoxins are chemicals that adversely affect the liver. Saugeye, however, can live in such toxic water, so fishermen can continue to enjoy their sport even when water quality is extremely poor. Those who do not eat the fish they catch, and who observe caution in their contact with the water, will fish successfully while risking no ill effects.
Saugeye and the Future of Fisheries
It cannot be denied that fishermen like saugeye. They provide good sport, delicious meat, and a profitable fishing economy for reservoir areas. However, stocking waters with these hybrids must be done with care to avoid harming native populations of walleye, which are also a valuable game fish and natural treasure. Simply stocking polluted and toxic waters with hardier fish does not preclude the necessity of cleaning up water sources and maintaining them in conditions that are safe for all species who depend upon them, including humans.
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