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Location: Menasha, WI | My buddy just sent me the information on Saugers for the past few years. I hope you enjoy the report and we need to thank them for all their hard and dedicated work.
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 saug 2008.xls (26KB - 428 downloads)
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Member
Posts: 538
| Thanks for passing it on.
Jim |
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Member
Posts: 1314
Location: Menasha, WI | Are these numbers from WFT?
Looking at the numbers from 2001-2008, it appears they're getting better at maximizing yield from the captured fish.
Is there any speculation about natural reproduction rates? Any indication that the artifical reefs have helped?
Thanks for the hard work guys. |
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Member
Posts: 1656
| I'm curious on the same questoins as you Viking. 68% OTC marked, suggests that the stocking has helped but the sauger population is mostly a stocked population now, instead of a natural population. |
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Member
Posts: 1406
| I've been on the boat with Bob in the past tagging and taking eggs and your right the population seems to be strictly stocking at this point, at that time there was no hard evidance that any natural reproduction was taking place. Add to that the problems of the reefs being covered with Zebras and virtually have become useless, I don't see a time in the near future that we will be able to harvest Saugers (IMHO). I thought the project was nearing completion? does anyone know?
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Member
Posts: 1656
| Tyee, if memory serves me correctly they extended the program out til 2010. Upon which they will re-evaluate. |
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| And then when there is evidence of no natural reproduction, look for the opening of a season. I doubt they will continue stocking fish. |
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Posts: 591
Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | these fish will find a way to reproduce , reefs or not ,i would think... for crying out loud saugers live in some of the crappiest rivers in the country you cant tell me that if the fish cant spawn on the reef that the lake winnibago chain with all of its river system and uniqu structure cant provide an alternitive spawning option for some of these fish? i think the saugers will come back .. ya the zebra muscles SUCK but if a sauger can live in any other sesspoool in the country why woulnt they be able to compete for some real estate in lake winnabaggo? |
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Member
Posts: 377
Location: Neenah Wi | The sauger seem to be doing just fine below the dams in Neenah and Menasha without all the building of new spawning structure.Where are these fish spawning?Some years are better than others but the fish are still there.I find it hard to believe all or most spawn on the north end only.I think over fishing and some kind of health issues were the main culprit out on the lake.This would be a very good project for a U.W. Stevens Point student or dept. to take on. titled What Happened to the Winnebago Sauger?I think if it were not for the groups helping the sauger out and the closure we may have lost this fishery.Thank you to all that helped in this effort. |
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| Do you guys think it has something to do with water clarity? Maybe not, but the lake is clear now compared to 8-10 years ago. The only other lakes or rivers I've ever caught any saugers in where stained or dirty, not crystal clear like Winne. |
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Member
Posts: 591
Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | saugers do like dirty water.. but clear water wont kill them... its not like they cant feed.. its not as if they cant sneak up or find food in lake winnibago. clear water or not if a fish sits there with its mouth open ,,,, something will swim into it.. i think the post above has more to do with it.. somewhere along the line there must have been some kind of sauger vhs or something that affected the spawn other than the spauning aria to the north east... the fish will spawn just must have been something to do with bad hatching or preditation.. we are talking 30 years ago when 5 out of 6 fish you caught ice fishing off of the east shore were sauger... this was a mud bite and those fish roamed the whole lake.. i do not remember a great sauger die off .. and i dont think they could have been fished out! netted maybe? but the days of the big net boats are pretty much over.. this is a good topic and i hope they come back.. i dont every remember a better walleye population and size diversity then today.. and the perch are everywhere and not stunted... there is a smallmouth explosion and there are all the sheepshead and whitbass a guy can handle.. threw all of this the perch are still being left alone and you find them in all depths of water so the walleyes arent chasing them too much.. all i can tell you is there is plenty of baitfish for all and though the sauger population will take time .. we are truely BLESSED with the system we have and the fishery that we have today... its awsum!!!!!!!!!!! thanks to hard working groups and volenteers.. keep up the good work ! |
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| Fish it while you can...after 2010 it will slowly go down hill. The rich got there way and the lochs are going to be all open by then and watch the exotics take over and you thought VHs was a problem....just wait...I gurantee it... all so the rich can drive there yachts up and down the fox.... |
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