Virginia State Record Sauger

The State Record Fish Committee of the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries has certified a new state record sauger caught by Mr. Ronald C. Davis of Duffield, Virginia. The 3-pound fish was caught just before daybreak on Saturday, April 24th, 2010 from the Clinch River near Speers Ferry in southwest Virginia. The fish measured 21 inches in length and had a girth of 10.5 inches. This breaks the previous record of 2 pounds, 12 ounces, also caught in the Clinch River. Mr. Davis went fishing that morning to try out a new lure and have some quiet time. He was fishing primarily for smallmouth bass. When he caught the record sauger he wasn’t completely sure that is was a sauger. He knew that it looked different than the walleye he had recently caught from the Clinch and he knew that this fish was special. On the way home he stopped by the Kid’s Fishing Day at Natural Tunnel State Park. Conservation Police Office (CPO) Sergeant Steve Sutphin and Scott County Sheriff John Puckett, a retired CPO, confirmed that the fish was a sauger and that it was an exceptional trophy.

The officers contacted fisheries biologist George Palmer, who met with Mr. Davis to verify the species and witness the weighing on certified scales. When Mr. Davis was notified that his fish was accepted as a new state record he expressed gratitude both for the award and for the kindness shown to him by the Department’s employees. He remarked that because everything had fallen perfectly into place he knew that this record fish was a gift from above. Visit the Department’s website for a complete list of the current State Record Freshwater Fish, and for more information about sauger and the Clinch River.