03-27-2004, 09:40 PM
Big rivers and walleyes go hand in hand. In fact, make that a double-handful of walleyes and sauger, the walleye's slightly smaller but similar cousin, which excels in big-river habitats. Both are present in some environments, with walleyes generally slightly shallower and often more spread out than sauger, while sauger often inhabit slightly deeper water in holes, often directly below dams. The farther south you go, and the more turbid and warm the water, and the more sauger begin displacing walleyes.
Fortunately, the same big-river tactics apply to both species, with only minor modifications. When you're fishing current breaks formed by wing dams, points, channel bends, islands, and bridge pilings, it's tough to beat a vertical jigging presentation, typically with a leadhead jig tipped with a minnow. At the 6- to perhaps 18-foot depths typically inhabited by walleyes in most big rivers, jigs of 1/4- to 3/8-ounce typically work best along feeding lanes where moderate flow or slack water adjoins faster flow. Just lift the jig slightly, on and off bottom, to triggers strikes.
It's the same deal with sauger, only slightly different. Since sauger tend to be more light-shy than walleyes, they tend to inhabit deeper water--often 15 to 30-plus-feet deep--and tolerate faster current. This might position them in the deep washout hole directly below a towering power dam like those found on the Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland, or Mississippi rivers. Increasing jig weight to 1/2-, 3/4-, or even 1-ounce may be necessary to enable you to maintain bottom contact in the current. Seems weird, using a bigger lure for a fish that tends to be smaller--maybe just a pound or so--but it's more a matter of matching the environment than the size of the fish.
In either case, spinning gear with 6- to 8-pound-test mono is great for jigging. In dingier water, go with brighter colors like fluorescent orange or yellow, which 'eyes can see in the murk. Southerners tend to substitute plastic tails for the minnow when fishing for sauger, while northerners chasing after walleyes tend to go with the fresh minnow approach.
As an alternative, three-way rigs are popular for fishing livebait in place, such as at anchor or casting from shore. Basically, a three-way swivel joins the line from your rod, a snelled hook, and a dropper line to a weight. The weight must be heavy enough to hold tight to bottom in current--often an ounce or more. Keep the snell and dropper short to position the bait near bottom where walleyes and sauger lie tight to the basin, letting current sweep over their bodies, rather than fighting it. And use slightly lighter line on the dropper than on your main line and leader.
As far as the hook goes, you can go with a plain one, tipped with a live minnow hooked up through the lips. But river anglers often opt for a floating jighead, similarly tipped with a minnow, which bobs and weaves in the current flow, adding a spot of color and bulk to attract and focus the strike, and to minimize snags by keeping your hook up and away from bottom debris or rocks. If you snag, just pull hard to break off the sinker without losing the entire rig.
![[Image: IFW1406_BigRiverB.jpg]](http://www.in-fisherman.com/in-fisherman/walleye_insider/exclusives/IFW1406_BigRiverB.jpg)
Crankbaits: Down Deep Husky Jerk; Spoonbill Super Rogue; Deep Lil' Ripper; Frenzy Diving Minnow; Frenzy Diver Pro; Shad Rap; RipShad; Tail Dancer; CC Wally Minnow; Renosky Deep Diver.
Crankbaits have come of age for both river walleyes and sauger, cast or trolled, depending on local conditions. Shallow current-breaking structures like wing dams and points beg for a casting approach, zinging the diving lure toward shore, and retrieving it back with a tick-tick across the rocks. Active walleyes often hold on the front (upcurrent) face of the rocks, or even atop them, in water 3 to 6 feet deep. Sauger tend to be deeper, often off the tip of the rocks, down in the adjacent hole formed at the tip.
Longline trolling crankbaits is a natural for covering long river sections of intermediate depth where fish may spread out amidst subtle holding spots like boulders or rolling sand dunes, across the basins of 10- to 15-foot deep holes, or along long sections of riprap. Select any diving crankbait that'll reach bottom with 100 feet or so of line out, and troll upcurrent, barely moving upstream, just fast enough to get that bait wiggling, diving, scratching bottom. If that doesn't work, turn downstream, pick up your speed sufficiently to make the bait wobble in a downcurrent direction, and scoot downriver. Upstream trolling is easiest, but sometimes they want it moving downstream.
Light casting tackle with 10- to 12-pound-test mono is great for both casting or trolling cranks. If you need to get a bit deeper, switch to no-stretch superline, which has a thinner diameter, transmits better feel of lure vibration and bottom content, and will spin you around in your chair when a whopper hits at trolling speed. When banging rocks, plastic cranks like Bomber Model A's or Cordell Wally Divers withstand the abuse better than wooden lures, but when rocks and snags are scarce, nearly any form of crank will do--Deep ThunderSticks, Husky Jerks, Rogues, Shad Raps--you name it.
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Fortunately, the same big-river tactics apply to both species, with only minor modifications. When you're fishing current breaks formed by wing dams, points, channel bends, islands, and bridge pilings, it's tough to beat a vertical jigging presentation, typically with a leadhead jig tipped with a minnow. At the 6- to perhaps 18-foot depths typically inhabited by walleyes in most big rivers, jigs of 1/4- to 3/8-ounce typically work best along feeding lanes where moderate flow or slack water adjoins faster flow. Just lift the jig slightly, on and off bottom, to triggers strikes.
It's the same deal with sauger, only slightly different. Since sauger tend to be more light-shy than walleyes, they tend to inhabit deeper water--often 15 to 30-plus-feet deep--and tolerate faster current. This might position them in the deep washout hole directly below a towering power dam like those found on the Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland, or Mississippi rivers. Increasing jig weight to 1/2-, 3/4-, or even 1-ounce may be necessary to enable you to maintain bottom contact in the current. Seems weird, using a bigger lure for a fish that tends to be smaller--maybe just a pound or so--but it's more a matter of matching the environment than the size of the fish.
In either case, spinning gear with 6- to 8-pound-test mono is great for jigging. In dingier water, go with brighter colors like fluorescent orange or yellow, which 'eyes can see in the murk. Southerners tend to substitute plastic tails for the minnow when fishing for sauger, while northerners chasing after walleyes tend to go with the fresh minnow approach.
As an alternative, three-way rigs are popular for fishing livebait in place, such as at anchor or casting from shore. Basically, a three-way swivel joins the line from your rod, a snelled hook, and a dropper line to a weight. The weight must be heavy enough to hold tight to bottom in current--often an ounce or more. Keep the snell and dropper short to position the bait near bottom where walleyes and sauger lie tight to the basin, letting current sweep over their bodies, rather than fighting it. And use slightly lighter line on the dropper than on your main line and leader.
As far as the hook goes, you can go with a plain one, tipped with a live minnow hooked up through the lips. But river anglers often opt for a floating jighead, similarly tipped with a minnow, which bobs and weaves in the current flow, adding a spot of color and bulk to attract and focus the strike, and to minimize snags by keeping your hook up and away from bottom debris or rocks. If you snag, just pull hard to break off the sinker without losing the entire rig.
Crankbaits: Down Deep Husky Jerk; Spoonbill Super Rogue; Deep Lil' Ripper; Frenzy Diving Minnow; Frenzy Diver Pro; Shad Rap; RipShad; Tail Dancer; CC Wally Minnow; Renosky Deep Diver. Crankbaits have come of age for both river walleyes and sauger, cast or trolled, depending on local conditions. Shallow current-breaking structures like wing dams and points beg for a casting approach, zinging the diving lure toward shore, and retrieving it back with a tick-tick across the rocks. Active walleyes often hold on the front (upcurrent) face of the rocks, or even atop them, in water 3 to 6 feet deep. Sauger tend to be deeper, often off the tip of the rocks, down in the adjacent hole formed at the tip.
Longline trolling crankbaits is a natural for covering long river sections of intermediate depth where fish may spread out amidst subtle holding spots like boulders or rolling sand dunes, across the basins of 10- to 15-foot deep holes, or along long sections of riprap. Select any diving crankbait that'll reach bottom with 100 feet or so of line out, and troll upcurrent, barely moving upstream, just fast enough to get that bait wiggling, diving, scratching bottom. If that doesn't work, turn downstream, pick up your speed sufficiently to make the bait wobble in a downcurrent direction, and scoot downriver. Upstream trolling is easiest, but sometimes they want it moving downstream.
Light casting tackle with 10- to 12-pound-test mono is great for both casting or trolling cranks. If you need to get a bit deeper, switch to no-stretch superline, which has a thinner diameter, transmits better feel of lure vibration and bottom content, and will spin you around in your chair when a whopper hits at trolling speed. When banging rocks, plastic cranks like Bomber Model A's or Cordell Wally Divers withstand the abuse better than wooden lures, but when rocks and snags are scarce, nearly any form of crank will do--Deep ThunderSticks, Husky Jerks, Rogues, Shad Raps--you name it.
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