some fish

I didn't go fishing a single time this week! My faith is being tested obviously.

So it's time for another profile

Walleye, saugeye, and sauger are the three fish I will profile.

     Walleye are fish that are common to the Midwestern United States and up into Canada. They are one of the most sought-after gamefish in the areas that they live. The reasons for this is that the walleye has tasty flesh and it is a top predator. The world record walleye was 25 pounds, to put that in perspective, the largest walleye I have ever caught was four pounds. The walleye is commonly referred to as the pikeperch, this is incorrect as the walleye is in a family with the yellow perch and the European perches, and is not closely related to pike. The reason these fish were called pikeperch is that they bear a close resemblance to the pike, with long, thin bodies, and a mouth full of teeth.

    The walleye lives in deep cold lakes and rivers in the Midwestern part of North America. It has highly reflective eyes which are used to hunt baitfish in the deeper, darker portions of the water column. Their eyeshine is caused by the reflective layer which is used to enhance the light coming from the surroundings, much like a cat. Walleye have been known to strike a wide range of baits, including, live minnows, mayflies, live and plastic leaches, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and poppers (at night).
The walleye was introduced into Kansas unsuccessfully for years until the population started to catch on in lakes like Milford. The problem was that the fish were flushed out of the reservoirs that they were stocked in.


   The saugeye was produced to help establish a gamefish into Kansas, as they seem less likely to get flushed out of reservoirs. As you may be able to tell, the saugeye is a hybrid between the walleye and sauger, and because of this, it has many of the same traits as both its parents. The saugeye is hard to tell apart from its parents other than the patterning of the spiny dorsal fin. The sauger has distinct spots in the margins of the spines, the walleye has one large dark blotch at the base of the dorsal fin, and the saugeye has dark streaks running down the margin of the spines. The saugeye is the only one of the three that I catch on a regular basis, so it is the one that I know the most about (as far as catching experience). The saugeye has an amazing ability to feel much heavier than it is. When they are smaller, they use this ability very well. During the spring spawning run last year, they would hit a crankbait and hold still. If you set the hook, they would take off at mach 9, stripping line from your reel as they went. It was an awesome time to fish, as I would average ten fish per trip and get at least one huge saugeye every time.

     The sauger is a much less well-known fish compared to the walleye. It only grows to about five pounds and it doesn't do as well in lakes. It is mostly a river fish that lives in waters that are darker and muddier than the water walleye thrive in. There eyes are even larger than in the walleye, and they use this to their benefit when hunting baitfish- like shiners and minnows. The saugeye is the only one of the three that is never stocked in Kansas. This fish has a near identical build as its brethren, which includes the spikes.

     These fish are the only fish other than gar that you will readily find near Manhattan that have teeth. On top of that, their first dorsal fin is comprised of sharp spines that can reach several inches long. On top of on top of that, they have nasty spines on their gills that really like to dig in when they throw their heads back at your hand. There is simply no way to hold these fish that doesn't hurt the fish or the holder. All of these fish are known to attack lures of the most outlandish colors, like neon green, yellow, pink, and in this weird color pattern called "firetiger".

    Hopefully this post was helpful to you- o' young fishers. Happy fishing!