This access offers a boat ramp into the Osage River as well as primitive camping along the edge of the parking lot.
Media
Scientific Name
Sander canadensis
Family
Percidae (perches) in the order Perciformes (perchlike fish)
Description
The sauger is a slender, spiny-rayed fish with 2 separate dorsal fins and a large mouth, the upper jaw extending to about the hind edge of the eye. The hind edge of the bone just ahead of the gill cover is strongly saw-toothed, and the tail fin is distinctly forked.
The sauger can be distinguished from the closely related walleye using these characteristics:
- Sauger has distinct dark blotches or “saddle marks” on the sides.
- There are dark spots on the first dorsal fin.
- The first dorsal fin lacks a dark blotch near the base of the last few dorsal spines.
- Scales are present on the cheek.
- The lower lobe of the tail fin either lacks a white blotch, or, if a blotch is present, it is reduced.
- Sauger are generally smaller than walleye.
Note that sauger occasionally interbreed with walleye where their ranges overlap to produce “saugeye.” The hybrid shares characteristics of both parents, making identification difficult.
Other Common Names
Jack Salmon
Spotted Jack
Sand Pike
Size
Total length: 12–15 inches; weight commonly 2½ pounds, with maximum to 4 pounds.
Where To Find
Occurs mostly in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and suitable tributaries, as well as the Eleven Point River in southern Missouri.
Habitat and Conservation
Occurs principally in large, free-flowing streams. Found mainly in flowing water and often swift current. Sauger are most active during low light periods or during daylight in highly turbid water. Sauger are more tolerant of turbidity (murky water) than walleye.
Compared to walleye, sauger has a more restricted distribution in our state, although it is the most abundant of the two species in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Elsewhere in Missouri, the walleye generally predominates. In our state, it is exclusively a fish of flowing waters.
Food
A variety of fish, crustaceans, and insects.
Status
Game fish.
Life Cycle
Life Cycle
Walleye can live 7 to 10 years. Spawning occurs in early spring, often at night. In the Iowa portion of the Missouri River, the adhesive eggs were deposited over rubble shoals, especially where filamentous algae existed.
Human Connections
The sauger is an excellent sport fish but is less sought after than the walleye because of its smaller size and more restricted distribution. Although some sauger are caught in most large Missouri streams, the most significant fishery is in the upper Mississippi River. This stretch of river provides excellent sauger fishing from about Labor Day until freeze-up.
Sauger may be taken by the same methods that are effective for walleye. Most of the fishing on the upper Mississippi River is with minnows trolled slowly over the bottom in swift, rocky areas just below navigation dams.
Ecosystem Connections
The eye of the sauger apparently is even better adapted to low-light conditions than the walleye, which may account for its greater tolerance for turbidity that partially blocks out sunlight.
Title
Media Gallery
Image
Caption
Sauger, Sander canadensis
Credit
Lance Merry
Right to Use
Image
Caption
Sauger, Sander canadensis
Credit
Lance Merry
Right to Use
Image
Image
Title
Similar Species
Similar Species
Where to See Species
A concrete boat ramp and parking lot is available adjacent to the lock and dam and is operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Foot traffic is welcome.
This area offers access to the Mississippi River. It is owned and maintained by the City of Clarksville (573-242-3336) and is a part of the Department's Community Assistance Program.
About Fishes in Missouri
Missouri has more than 200 kinds of fish, more than are found in most neighboring states. Fishes live in water, breathe with gills, and have fins instead of legs. Most are covered with scales. Most fish in Missouri “look” like fish and could never be confused with anything else. True, lampreys and eels have snakelike bodies — but they also have fins and smooth, slimy skin, which snakes do not.