“Wintertime Sauger, Crappie and Bass in Indiana with Jerry Cary, Jr., and Mister Twister Lures”

Part 1: How to Find and Catch Sauger

Editor’s Note: Jerry Cary Jr. from Indianapolis, Indiana, is a multi-species fisherman. “I fish for sauger, crappie and bass. And at this time of year in November and December, sauger fishing is my top priority.”

Question: Jerry, how do you rig for sauger, and what baits do you use?

Cary: The only baits I use for sauger are Mister Twister Curly Tail Grubs and jigheads. I start with a lead-headed jighead with a barb on the jighead to securely hold the Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub in place. I bounce these jigs along the bottom, and the sauger will eat them up.

Question: What size jighead are you using?

Cary: Three-eighths of an ounce is the lightest jighead I will use. I like to fish below the dams up here on the Ohio River. I use 8-pound diameter, 20-pound-test Berkley Fireline with a fluorocarbon leader. I use a 24-inch, 15-pound-test fluorocarbon leader tied onto the Fireline, and then I tie the leader onto the jighead. I use Pflueger spinning reels and a Series 1 7-foot medium-action rod.

Question: How are you finding saugers?

Cary: I look for current breaks. I try to get above the current break, bounce the jig along the bottom and let it wash into or go right beside that current break. A current break may be a rock that’s only 5-inches above the bottom, but it breaks the current. A sauger may lay behind it in that calmer water. Saugers are a little-more aggressive than walleyes, and they’ll hold closer to a current than walleyes will. The saugers like fast-moving water. Usually, saugers will hold in the same kinds of areas where you’ll find smallmouths – below dams, around lock systems and sometimes out on the main river. They seem to be a current-oriented fish, just like smallmouths.

Question: In what depth of water do saugers usually hold?

Cary: I’ve caught saugers as shallow as 18 inches and as deep as 20 feet. The depth of water is not nearly as important as having current.

Question: What’s a good day of sauger fishing? How many will you catch in a day?

Cary: Last year, I had two of my buddies with me, and our limit is 10 apiece. All three of us caught our limits in 45 minutes. These saugers were stacked-up on a ledge and eating a lot of the dead shad that were coming through the dam. The sauger make a big run during the fall up here, and if you get to the lake on a day when they’re really active, you can catch one on almost every cast.

Question: How big are these saugers that you’re catching?

Cary: I’ve caught them as small as 8 inches and as large as 20 inches. A 20 incher will weigh about 3-1/2-pounds.

Question: What color of Curly Tail Grub is producing best for you?

Cary: The silktreuse color is producing best for me, but I’ve also used chartreuse with silver flake in it, pink, white and lot of other colors. I’ve found that on the Ohio River, the key ingredient is that the Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub needs to be a bright color.