Walleye...or Sauger? скачать в хорошем качестве

Walleye...or Sauger?

Walleye anglers in Wyoming…there’s plenty of them, and why not: A fat walleye cooks up nicely, limits are six in possession, and there’s plenty of places around the state to catch them. But in some reservoirs of the state, a close relative of walleye may cause anglers to offer a closer look at the fish they just caught to make sure they aren’t over the limit. Sauger have a long history in Wyoming, with some accounts from folks back in the 1880’s referring to them as “sand pike.” But sauger are on a comeback of sorts in some places in Wyoming, and fisheries managers don’t want to hinder that. Wyoming Game and Fish Department Casper region fisheries biologist Nick Hogberg says sauger are often confused for walleye, but there are obvious distinctions when one looks closer…. “When you look at the spiny dorsal fin on either on, the sauger have a series of rows of little dark brown or black spots on that dorsal fin—they’re pretty noticeable when you’re holding a sauger, and then their whole body is generally covered with dark blotches of brown. Whereas a walleye is generally more green throughout its body. It can have a little bit of patterning, but it’s more of a green-based pattern where sauger is more of a brown-based pattern…” Walleye also have a large white tip on their lower tail fin where sauger have more of a sliver of white on that fin. Walleye also have a dark triangle of black on their dorsal fin which sauger do not. The reason why it’s important to know the distinctions is that sauger are considered a species of greatest conservation need in Wyoming, so limits are different—just two are allowed in possession in most waters; three are allowed in Bighorn Lake… The state record for sauger in Wyoming is 7 ½ pounds pulled out of Boysen reservoir. Try your luck also at Bighorn Lake and Glendo Reservoir too, but there are also opportunities in the lower Bighorn River from Greybull to Lovell, the Wind and Popo Agie rivers upstream of Boysen, and sometimes of the year you can catch them in places of the Powder River drainage when sauger migrate up from Montana. Another thing to consider as well: They taste pretty good too at a summer fish fry.