Some anglers regard them with disdain. Others are barely aware they exist. But for a few anglers in the know, Wyoming's sauger population is a treasured resource.

Sauger are a native fish that is closely related to the much sought after walleye, and possess many of the same characteristics. They are excellent table fare, and that's one reason Casper walleye angler Bruce Parker said he becomes a sauger fanatic in the winter.

"In the winter, that's about all I do," Parker said. "They taste just like walleye, so they're fantastic eating. And they really complement walleye. In open water walleyes are pretty easy to catch, and you very seldom catch sauger. But during the winter you catch a lot more sauger than you do walleye, so it kind of keeps things active all year."

Sauger are native to the Missouri and Yellowstone river drainages, and can be found in many of those rivers' tributaries that begin in Wyoming. Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist Craig Amadio said the fish prefer warmer murky water, with deep low-velocity pools - conditions that often occur in Western rivers.

Sauger look very much like walleye, with the exception of dark spots on the dorsal fin, scales on the cheeks and the absence of a pale lower caudal lobe. The body is cylindrical, hence the uncomplimentary nicknames, such as "torpedo" or "cigar."

Most sauger range from 9-15 inches, and up to a pound. The Wyoming state record, however, is a 7.4-pound, 26.2-inch fish taken out of Boysen Reservoir by Brad Berg in 1999.

For all their wonderful characteristics, sauger are often not valued as a sport fish. Amadio studied sauger in the Wind River drainage as a University of Wyoming graduate student, and believes not many anglers even know they exist.

"They're a fish that not many people are aware of," he said. "We certainly saw that in Fremont County that people really didn't know what a sauger was. As I was out there talking to landowners and reservation officials, they were learning about these fish and they really became fascinated with these fish. They're a pretty interesting animal and they're an important native component of our aquatic systems."

Good genes

The species' role in aquatic systems promises to make Wyoming's population even more important in the future. Sauger are native to many river systems in North America, but few pure strains remain because of human error. A cross between walleye and sauger, called saugeye, became popular with sportsmen decades ago and were planted extensively in the Midwest.

Dr. Wayne Hubert, of the University of Wyoming, said saugeye are aggressive breeders, however, and "back-crossed" with native sauger. As a result, most self-sustaining sauger populations now carry walleye genes.

Amadio observed the Wyoming Game and Fish Department never stocked saugeye, so the population in the Wind River basin is genetically pure.

That purity is there despite the fact sauger coexist in Boysen Reservoir with walleye, which have also been known to cross-breed. Amadio's theory is the freestone nature of the various branches of the Wind and Popo Agie rivers provide more natural water temperatures, and prevent walleye and sauger from spawning at the same time.

"That population has a very high conservation value because of their genetic purity, and because of the fact they are a naturally reproducing, self-sustaining population," Amadio said. "One of the things this sauger population really has going for it is the majority of the population is actually on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes have been very cooperative with us. They are very concerned about their natural resources, and particularly native fishes and things like that."

Amadio said the tribes provided logistical support and permission during his studies, and "really in the end it's going to be kind of up to them to help protect this population because the core of the population is on the reservation."

How to fish 'em

Walleye are a more popular summer fish, because they tend to be bigger and easier to catch. Come winter, however, ice anglers hit Boysen Reservoir looking for sauger and are often rewarded with a tasty catch.

Parker noted walleye and sauger essentially have the same diet, so baits and lures are the same.

"A tip-up with a minnow works best," he said. "In the structure that you'll find walleye on, a lot of times if you just go deeper you'll catch sauger. You might find the walleyes in 10-15 feet of water. On that same structure if you go out in 30 foot of water, you'll usually find the sauger. They act a lot like the walleye only you find them deeper."

Amadio observed the sauger population in Wyoming is healthy, and "certainly can sustain more angling pressure." But he also hopes anglers continue to tread lightly on one of the few remaining, pure sauger populations in North America.

"There wasn't a lot of pressure on the sauger population from anglers, and that's probably part of the reason they're doing as well as they are," he said. "… I think that little population of sauger anglers is expanding and growing, though. I've actually had a few guys call me and not be too happy about the work we were doing and the publicity it was getting, because they were seeing more sauger fishing pressure. … That tells me the popularity of sauger fishing is probably increasing a bit."

Assistant features editor Willy Zimmer can be reached at (307) 266-0524 or William.Zimmer@casperstartribune.net.