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Saugeye
Description
Saugeye are a hybrid (though not sterile) species created by crossing walleye eggs with sperm from a sauger. The result is a fast growing fish that has excellent survival abilities. They have characteristics of both parents, the body tubular and elongate with white tips on the lower part of the tail and anal fins. A large dusky spot at the rear base of the first dorsal fin is usually visible on a saugeye but not as clearly defined as it is on a walleye. Saugeye have dark laterally oblong blotches on their sides but they tend to be smaller than those of a sauger. Their color can range between the gray to silver color of a walleye and the bronze or brown color of a sauger, but is typically yellowish- to golden-brown.
Saugeye primarily eat other species of fish, especially shad, where available. They also feed on crustaceans, such as crayfish, as well as snails, insects and insect larvae. Young saugeye will feed almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae.
Average Length
13-18 inches
Average Weight
1-4 lbs
Temperature Range
40-75 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat
Saugeye are highly adaptable to most lake and river environments, tolerant of turbid waters and tend to gather close to the bottom on sand bars or near underwater drop-offs.
Range
Saugeye have been stocked in a number of states, most successfully throughout the Midwest. They are most commonly found in the central area of the United States running from Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee west to Oklahoma and Colorado and then north to the eastern Dakotas.