I went fishing today

[landon410]

in northwest iowa on private land with some buddies

caught i bet 50 walleye between 4 of us, i would guess 30 pearch and 100 bluegill

and i got some sun

examples

 

[Smoke]

The fish in the first pic is a nice size, Walleye?

 

[landon410]

yep

thats my ugly grill in the first one

most of the walleye we caught were in that 16-20 inch range

that one was 24 inches and, ball park of 4 to 5 lbs

 

[HawkeyeHater]

1. What town were you by... just curious as it is my "neck of the woods"
2. The 3rd picture is perfect bait size for catfish or largemouth

 

[Smoke]

yep

thats my ugly grill in the first one

most of the walleye we caught were in that 16-20 inch range

that one was 24 inches and, ball park of 4 to 5 lbs

I forgot to ask you what you caught it with?

 

[landon410]

rock rapids area

we caught a lot of the 'eyes with bright colored floating jig heads with either a leach or crawler
i was texas rigged and the other guys were carolina rigged

we also caught some on different plugs and jigs.



the 3rd picture was a fish i caught, was using a twister tail soft body jig, and that thing bit the tail and i got it out of the water before it let go, so i took a picture

 

[Red_Alert]

yep

thats my ugly grill in the first one

most of the walleye we caught were in that 16-20 inch range

that one was 24 inches and, ball park of 4 to 5 lbs

That 24" is a dark walleye. Kinda weird

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

Yea it is pretty dark...I imagine the camera may have had something to do with that. That is a nice walleye though, for sure.

 

[Red_Alert]

Could be. I was gonna say it could be what their primary diet is or even the PH of the water. But the one in the second pic looks normal.
I've seen walleye of various shades before, but they were consistent to the body of water.

 

[Red_Alert]

I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't a saugeye.

 

[landon410]

its a private stocked pond, its a walleye

picture was taken on a cell phone, i dont kow about if that would make a difference, but it was a touch darker then the other ones but not as dark as the picture makes it look

 

[Red_Alert]

So it WAS a touch darker huh? From the same pond, same food source, same water acidity/ph levels?
And that stocking of fingerlings was guaranteed 100% pure? Not one sauger or saugeye could have slipped through the process? I assume they were stocked from a hatchery? A hatchery where they collected the eggs from some big females at a lake, river, or reservoir? They then took the eggs back to said hatchery put them 'all together', and fertilized them with walleye sperm. Once the fry hatch, they are netted and moved into ponds with other hatchlings by the thousands and raised until fingerling size to be stocked. Once again they are netted by the thousands, put in trailer tanks to be stocked in varius places. Said hatcheries intentionally hybrid saugeye as well.
Not to mention ducks and geese unintentionally transfering eggs from one water source to another. The fertilized eggs from one water source get attached to their legs, and when they fly to another they get deposited where they hatch.

I've caught plenty of walleye, sauger, and saugeye. Although from the same family, walleye and sauger are quite distinctive. The saugeye (a hybrid) on the other hand can really throw you for a loop. They are an intentional or unintentional hybrid of the walleye and the sauger. Unlike the wiper (a sterile hybrid of striped and white bass) saugeye can and do create young. The process through generations will take on more characteristics of one or the other. Hence me considering you may have a saugeye there.
1. The darker skin.
2. Your fish's eye is dark. Walleye generally have a white glow. This could be cell phone, angle or lighting issues though.
3. In the other two walleye pictures those fish have the distinctive white splotch on the bottom of their tail fin. Sauger NEVER do, walleyes ALWAYS do, the hybrid saugeye may or may not.
4. The reasons stated above in regards to hatcheries and natural cross water contamination.

Here's a couple of saugeye pics.

 

[Red_Alert]

LOL

Here is a picture from google images that someone has identified as a 'sauger'.

As a sauger it would have black spots on its dorsal fins, Walleye do not. This fish DOES have the spots, so it's a sauger, end of story right? Wrong.

Sauger have dark patches on their sides, walleye do not. This fish DOES NOT have dark patches, so it's a walleye, end of story right? Wrong.

The fish has white coloring on the bottom of it's lower fins, yet it is also missing the distinct white splotch on the bottom of the tail fin.

It has characteristics of both fish. It is a saugeye.

http://www.storyhouse.org/fish/11135sauger.jpg

 

[iruletheskool]

Does this really matter?

 

[Red_Alert]

It could matter in size/species limits yes. The difference in getting a ticket from a game warden or not.

In regards to taste no. Saugeye are just as primo as walleye. They fillet the same yada yada.

 

[iruletheskool]

It could matter in size/species limits yes. The difference in getting a ticket from a game warden or not.

In regards to taste no. Saugeye are just as primo as walleye. They fillet the same yada yada.

LOL we still have game wardens?

also now i want to go eat some fish.

 

[landon410]

we put all the fish back.....
but grandpa did fry us up some fish he got at spirit lake

walleye and pearch
good ass eating

 

[Red_Alert]

we put all the fish back.....
but grandpa did fry us up some fish he got at spirit lake

walleye and pearch
good ass eating

Yes they are. Your post has caused me to dig some walleye fillets out of the freezer from last winter.

 

[landon410]

when we left my grandpa says
"you know, those walleye bite in the fall too"

haha, ok we'll go back i guess

 

[popeyecv64]

Love walleye they is tastey

but I'm stuck with blue cat and channel cat --they is tastey as well

Landon410 ---nice fish though