The guy that said fish no more than 1 foot off the bottom gave you the key to being successful with this method.
I usually fish with blade baits or jigs and 99% of the time the sauger will hit just as the lure hits bottom or is about to.
A long time ago I read where someone did a study with underwater video and said that just an inch or 2 can make all the difference in the world when sauger fishing. Sauger really hug the bottom tightly and most of the time the bait had to be just barely above them for the strike and if you were just 2 inches above that strike zone, they usually wouldn't hit.
We often joke about how some days you almost have to scrape them off the bottom, especially when they are in a negative mood. When I fish my jig or blade I always make sure it is hitting the bottom when I drop it down. I think this is the reason many people don't catch as many sauger, don't tell anyone I said that ,LOL. I would fish with big minnows or jigs tipped with minnows and probably set it for 6 inches off bottom.