| Author | Post |
|---|
TasunkaWitko
Board Founder
| Joined: | 4 February 2005 |
| Location: | Chinook, Montana USA |
| Posts: | 847 |
| Photo: | [Download] | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | rifle |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: 20 July 2008 06:24 AM |
|
well, guys - it's another "proud dad" moment, one that reminds me that as we and our kids get older, we get less satisfaction in getting "the big one" ourselves and more out of seeing our kids succeed.
On 19 July 2008, six-year-old Roger caught this sauger at Paradise Dam on the Milk River southeast of Chinook (Montana) using a "little tikes" fishing pole and a plain-headed jig tipped with a chunk of nightcrawler. This is his first sauger and was the biggest fish of the day, measuring 18 inches and weighing in at two pounds. When asked if he was ready to get a big kid's" fishing pole, he asked, are you kidding?
the sauger is a very close cousin to the walleye. here is a description of it provided by the montana department of fish, wildlife and parks:
Sauger - Sander canadensis
Montana Field Guides
Other Field Guides
General Description
The sauger is native to Montana east of the Continental Divide. It inhabits both large rivers and reservoirs, but is mainly a river fish. In the spring, sauger broadcast their spawn over riffles in rivers. Sauger are a highly prized sport fish and in some areas outside Montana are also commercially fished. Their major food items are insects and small fish.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Sauger jaws and the roof of the mouth have large canine teeth. The body is almost round in cross section. The anal fin has 2 spines and 11 to 14 (usually 12 or 13) soft rays. The body often has a grayish hue with dark blotches.
Distribution
Migration
Spawning is often accompanied by migration upstream and/or into tributary streams in the spring. Long migration occurs in the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers.
Habitat
Sauger inhabit the larger turbid rivers and the muddy shallows of lakes and reservoirs. They spawn in gravelly or rocky areas in shallow water and seem to prefer turbid water.
Food Habits
The young eat aquatic insects and crustacians. Adults feed mainly on fish. The very young feed on zooplankton. Young-of-the-year in the Missouri River are largely piscivorous.
Ecology
A large, vital spawning and feeding migration has been observed to occur from the lower reaches of the middle Missouri River to an area between Fort Benton and Morony Dam. The Tongue and Powder rivers are vital spawning areas for the Yellowstone River population.
Reproductive Characteristics
Sauger spawn from mid-April to May at water temperatures of 50 degrees F., with peaks early in May in a middle Missouri River study. They are sexually mature at 3 to 4 years. Eggs are cast over the bottom and incubate in 12 to 18 days at 50 degrees F.
Citations & Sources
- Holton, G. D. 2003. A field guide to Montana fishes. Mont. Dept. Fish, Wildl. Parks, 95 pp.
http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_AFCQC05010.aspx
____________________
http://www.baitshopboyz.com
|
Dirtkicker
addicted handloader
| Joined: | 3 September 2007 |
| Location: | High Plains |
| Posts: | 337 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: 20 July 2008 07:27 AM |
|
What a fish!
What a kid!
You have every right to be proud.
Made my day just seeing that smile! Thanks!
|
Timberghozt
Board Founder
| Joined: | 11 February 2005 |
| Location: | Plaza De Los Armas, Mexico |
| Posts: | 5337 |
| Photo: | [Download] | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
| Status: |
Online
|
|
Posted: 20 July 2008 04:08 PM |
|
Mighty fine specimen of a fish there..Tip my hat to the young angler.. You should be proud Ron
____________________
"He who fights with monsters might take care, lest he thereby become a monster; For if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - F.Nietzche
|
WildBill
Board Founder
| Joined: | 4 August 2005 |
| Location: | Grand Rapids, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 2299 |
| Photo: | [Download] | | Are you a handloader?: | No | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I shoot factory ammo |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: 20 July 2008 08:40 PM |
|
Congratulations to the little fisherman
Bill
____________________
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Forum owner http://theicefishingshack.com/
Member http://z6.invisionfree.com/The_Back_For
|
Current time is 01:37 AM | |
|
