Catching saugeyes during summer can be a lesson in humility. I have learned enough to catch them, just not as well as expected. Finding them has been the hardest lesson. Some of my success in finding them came indirectly, through lessons learned while walleye fishing.

I lived on South Bass Island in Lake Erie for a period. During my residency, I would walk to the shore as the sun was setting. I had no problem finding walleyes within casting distance of shore. I would later learn the same holds true for their hybrid, the saugeye.

Night fishing along inland lake shores has not been the same. Public access can be limited. Walking over the riprap can be difficult. Pushing through the often-thick riparian corridors of a river has its own challenges. Hands-free lighting has since addressed some of the difficulties.

But it can be done. Anglers who put in the effort catch saugeyes on a regular basis. They have a plan, hit several shoreline locations, spending 30 minutes to an hour at a location, if that much. Some fish long past midnight, hitting four or more places.

They like to use stickbaits, and not just when it is cold, summertime, too. The secret is timing. Measuring retrieve pauses for the weather conditions spells success. The frequency of pausing is as important as the duration of each pause. A 10-second pause may be sufficient on the average summer night. Longer pauses are rarely a mistake, if you have the patience. It can be more productive than covering water with lots of short pauses. Timing often triggers a strike.

Swimbaits on 1/8-ounce jig heads can be as effective as stickbaits. The Ohio-made Big Joshy swimbait, in the 3.25-inch size, is immensely popular with the locals, as are 4-inch Powerbait Minnows.

Trolling a crankbait can be done during the night, but more often during the day. The Flicker Shad puts a lot of saugeyes in the boat for anglers trolling and casting. I often use shad colors in clear water, firetiger in less-than-clear water. I like crankbaits with purple or perch colorations.

Trolling success can be limited in shallower lakes; physical factors such as vegetation can get in the way. Where trolling is not working, clever anglers have switched to sitting or drifting. They use a floating jig on a short leader, Carolina style, as done in the Maumee River during the walleye spawning run. They tip the floating jig with a with a minnow or chunk of nightcrawler. When drifting, a second rod is used to cast a weighted jig and swimbait, tipped with live bait.

I have been experimenting with dropshot presentations, two at a time, with one rod in a holder, a second in my hands to cast. I have more luck in a wind of 7 mph or more. Less than 7 mph has not been enough to trigger a saugeye bite on a stand-alone drift rod.

My version of a dropshot is about 3 feet of 8-pound test under a swivel. A size 2 hook is knotted about 10 to 12 inches up from the weight. You can use two hooks—one at 6 inches, the other at 12 inches—to test different baits, to see if there is a preference for color or depth. I started catching saugeyes on a white, 2-inch grub—the first bait I tried. The swimbait of your choice should work. A live minnow or nightcrawler are other options.

I cast with a 7-foot spinning rod, a jigging rod by design—in medium weight. My drifting rod is a medium-heavy casting rod, with a bit more backbone to help set the hook.

If limited to one bait, I would use an 8-pound-test monofilament leader tied to an 1/8-ounce jig. For daylight fishing, I downsize swimbait length. Feeding behavior is neutral at best in broad daylight. A smear of nightcrawler gel scent completes my setup.

If you want to try a different, exciting fish species or technique, you’ll find plenty of suggestions in every issue of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.