pike island sauger-walleye

[snag]

went to pike island on monday after sauger they were there to be caught, but you better have minnows we thought yorkville bait would be open when we got there, wrong he opened at 12: 30, they wouldn,t touch a jig without a minnow on,guys with bait were tearing them up all nice sized sauger and a few walleye tossed in.once we got bait things picked up,but we missed the good action early in the morn. saw my first paddlefish a guy got, and i got two mudpuppies i guess thats what there called with small legs sticking out,they are a slippery bugger to unhook.a nice place to go when hunting slows down.

[Turkeyfoot]

PI is also my favorite fishin hole on the Ohio....Fish can be caught all year long if you can stand the cold. Monday was nice but I usually start the end of Feb with March being the best month ,imo. for bigger females;) Fatheads are definitely the bait of choice early in the year! For shear numbers of fish, the Spring spawn on the river just can't be matched.....TF

[snag]

tf, i figured early spring would be good down there,but i was on vac- this past week so we went on down,we went again yesterday before this next cold front comes this week,and we did better we got a nice batch of sauger and a few walleys nice eating size.a lot of logs were in the corner that made it tuff fishing they kept coming out and going back but all in all it was still good. do the white bass come up there in the spring? the stripers down there are a riot i,ve caught them at cumberland and they are one strong fish,when i go down to pike in the spring,i,ll let you know,and maybe we,ll meet up there and catch some fish... snag

[Turkeyfoot]

You get a few white bass and also big crappies as the water warms but mostly down below around the wing dams and rocky shoreline. The current from the dam makes the driftwood circle endlessly at times and makes it tuff fishin, especially if it's crowded. River's at flood stage right now and will be awhile before it's fishable again:( When it is, I'll be going up since I live only ten miles away:) Maybe we can hook up this Spring....TF

[snag]

tf,sounds good i,ll be back again toward spring,it,s fun on the river cause you never know what and what size fish will hit next,i got a 18 inch or so brown trout a few years ago at pike down by the wing dam downstream that was a surprise. i had those sauger last nite they are tasty. now the river is really cookin so nobody can get out for awhile..

[Turkeyfoot]

You got that right! Caught an 18# shovelhead one year on jig & minnow and 8# test and lost a pike also. Trout are fairly common as they are stocked down stream in Wheeling Creek. Have'nt seen a paddle fish like yourself, but I'm sure it's bound to happen sooner or later:) Never know when the big stripers will move in either......TF