What was a sauger - and a record-breaking one at that - during in the Susquehanna River in Lycoming County?
That's what many Fish and Boat Commission officials and observers are wondering.
"We scratched our heads," admits Dan Tredinnick, press secretary.
While it's possible that the sauger may have been transported there by a sportsman - or even stocked by some group - "we could never come up with any concrete reason," Tredinnick said.
Regardless, the sauger was identified by several reputable sources, including a Penn State University professor, and the fish has been declared a record.
"It went 4 pounds even," Tredinnick said.
The angler was Tim Waltz of Williamsport. "The sauger was 21¼ inches long and hit an artificial lure. He didn't say what kind," Tredinnick said.
The fish was caught Nov. 11 and surpasses the previous mark of 3 pounds, 15 ounces. That fish was caught by Thomas Steiger of Allison Park from the Allegheny River in Allegheny County in 1987.
Waltz told officials that he has caught other sauger in that stretch of the river. A survey is being planned to determine the sauger's population in the river.
The Fish and Boat Commission only stocks sauger in the Ohio River Drainage. In this district, sauger have been released in Loyalhanna Lake and Conemaugh River in recent years and the upper reaches of the Beaver River.
Sauger in the various rivers are the result of movement up the Ohio River from other states.
It was more 20 years ago when then Armstrong County waterways conservation officer Jim Smith asked Blake Weirich, the fisheries manager at the time, to look into the reason that walleyes in that stretch of the Allegheny River were not attaining legal size. Anglers were complaining.
It was doing the study that Weirich uncovered the sauger.
CHAIN PICKEREL RECORD
Also falling by the wayside was the chain pickerel record.
"Dave Wilson of Honesdale caught the 8-pound, 14-ounce fish through the ice at Woods Pond in Wayne County on a minnow this winter," Tredinnick said.
"That topped the fish caught by Frank Streznectcky of Scranton back in 1937 from Shohola Falls, Pike County," Tredinnick said. "It weighed 8 pounds."
The pickerel record had been the second oldest, next to the musky mark, which was set in 1924.
Although chain pickerel are native to the Susquehanna, Delaware and Potomac river basins, scattered catches have been reported in the Yough Dam and High Point Lake in Somerset County. A survey also turned up chain pickerel in Dumans Dam, Cambria County.
On the Allegheny River, Matt DeMichele of Allegheny Bait & Tackle of Tarentum, said, "Derek Dorden of Pittsburgh caught a 27¾-inch walleye weighing 9 pounds, 2 ounces." A group of anglers reported limiting out on walleyes and sauger, with the largest walleye being 4 pounds, 4 ounces. ... "They're catching quite a lot of sauger and a few walleyes at Highland Park," said John Ashburn of Sharpsburg Gun & Tackle. ... Lee Murray of Lock-3 Bait & Tackle said, "They're getting a few more sauger and walleyes in the backwater at Harmarville." In a surprise of sports, "they're even getting a few smallmouths," Murray said. ... "Not too much," said Bob Hawk of Hawk's Bait & Tackle, Kittanning. ... "We had a few fishermen out on the Ohio River," said Wayne Lykens of Island Firearms, "but we didn't get any reports back."
Tom Gilmore, president of the Perry Township Sportsmen's Club, said that two 14-inch rainbows were caught recently in the Yough River at Whitsett. ... Fishermen at Smithton are getting the urge. "People have been coming in and buying buttons," said Becky Aaron of On The Fly. ... "They're catching trout at Dunlaps Creek Lake and Virgin Run Dam," said Dan Boyle of Star Junction Sports Shop. ... "There's been no action in the Yough at Dawson," said Mike Adams of Minnies & More. ... Rich Kacsuta of Loyalhanna Fishing Post reported customers catching trout on the delayed-harvest-area fly section on Yellow Creek in Bedford County.
District fishermen will get another shot at trout as the Fish and Boat Commission wraps up its late-winter stockings of lakes this week. The schedule: North Park Lake, Allegheny County; Canonsburg Lake, Washington County; and Donegal, Keystone, Mammoth, Northmoreland and Lower Twin lakes in Westmoreland County. Other stockings of interest: McKean County, Bradford Reservoir 3; Tioga County, Beechwood Lake and Lake Hamilton; and Venango County, Justus Lake. ... Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently stocked 3,000 trout in Deep Creek Lake. Also, North Branch of the Potomac River was stocked by Maryland and West Virginia.
Brian Deal of Nicklow's Bait Shop said some anglers were picking up a few northern pike and perch at the Yough Dam. "They're still catching trout at the Yough Tailrace," he said. ... "It's been quiet at Lake Arthur," said Ron Anderson of BB Inc. ... "Not too much," said D.R. Plants of Shad Lure & Tackle, West Elizabeth. ... "Not much is happening," said Tom Reese of Reese's Bait Shop about action at Pymatuning Reservoir. ... "They're getting a few perch on jigs and twister tails at Grays Landing on the Mon," said John Ozohonish of Ozzie's Sports Shop, Rices Landing. ... "A few guys are starting to turn out on Ten Mile Creek," said Kipp Finley of Sunset Marina, Millsboro. ... "Fishing pressure dropped off," said Bill Miller of Keystone Bait & Tackle.
