Like their parent species, saugeyes can be taken with light spinning and bait casting tackle using spinners, spoons, or live bait like minnows or night crawlers. These fish can often be caught at night and are considered to be excellent table fare. The following are fishing methods used to catch this fish:
These fish are often confused with their parental species but can typically be distinguished by their markings. Saugeyes have dark brown backs with darker saddle shaped markings like that of a sauger, and a white blotch on the lower tip of their tails like that of a walleye. These fish also have a continuous black blotch at the base of the dorsal fin, while saugers only have rows of distinct black spots.