Cowanesque Lake (PA) for spring muskies

[NitroMusky]

Problem???...who said anything about a problem? and here I thought getting better was all about spending more time on the water...(im sure my fishing widow of a wife would agree with your definition tho)

BTW maybe you have another sordid tale about epoxy abuse you want to share in today's 'group session' Zach?

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[zach]

yeah, dont use it as lube.

[JOE ESOX]

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

So I hit up Cowanesque Sat afternoon and got skunked. I did manage a few dink bass on a stickbait, but no musky. I ended up going solo so I took the kayak instead of trailering the boat down there (needed some exercise after the long winter anyway). I did not cover the whole lake, just fished the western portion. Saw a lot of VERY big marks on the FF while trolling. Threw everything I had at em...but no takers. I will definitely be bringing the boat down in the future as I feel the lake has potential.

I launched out of Tompkins campground on the north shore which is apparently free (according to a local) until the campground opens May 15. No muskies, but it was a beautiful day on the water and nice to check out a new lake.

[BlueEye]

Thanks for the report Joe! Can you tell us if they have docks in for launching the boat yet?

[JOE ESOX]

Both the campground and the south shore recreation area do not have docks in yet.

[NitroMusky]

ooh I'm itching to get down there now! were they deep over open water then or were they near the tribs or underwater structure?

thanks for the report Joe...two more weeks

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[JOE ESOX]

Check your PM

[NitroMusky]

Check your PM

:yes:

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[zach]

plan on going down friday night camping/ fishing saturday. ny needs to step up and change this season we have before i spend all my $ on gas- i will have fished kentucky and pa both 2 months before "our" season starts. nitro? bob? when are you guys leaving? come on nitro- i see u have private info. gonna share it or do i have to just follow u around all day to find out whats going on? i will if i have to nitro- and bob what are u gonna fish with? didn't u sell all your lures on ebay?

[solgrande]

Hey zach...sold a bunch but also bought a few.I am not going this weekend...gotta work?

[NitroMusky]

Been workin crazy hours, but made another poor sap a work go to Cincy for me today/tomorrow so I could keep my plans intact. I'm now packed and ready...finally time. got my annual liscense so if its good, I'll be back...reports to follow

[geedt12]

I am a local here at Cowanesque, I live right in Lawrenceville. The docks are now in the lake and the western end down by the dam is loaded with Musky. Never caught a 50"-er, but have have some respectable 3'-ers in the boat. Not a huge fan of fishing the eastern side of the lake but if you come from the launch on rt. 49 side of the lake and head west out of the "no wake" zone under the bridge is a lot of good cover and another hot spot for tigers.

[slimyfish]

when do chatauqua muskies turn on? spring, summer or fall?

[zach]

june 19th at midnight

[zach]

anyone making any plans on going down again. weather turned on me and didnt go when i planned the first time. not really any farther than chaut-

[NitroMusky]

maybe Sunday but probably next weekend

[NitroMusky]

gonna give it another go tomorrow...

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[NitroMusky]

gave it a good go... fished the middle section mostly. surface temps @ ~65. unlike last time there weren't many bait fish in the deeper waters or hooks on the FF when shortline trolling. guessing they headed upstream to the shallower water. so I tried the shallows on the western end but there is a ton of timber (some obvious and a lot that is submerged) and its very shallow so its really hard to navigate safely and even harder to fish without snagging constantly. wish I had a better map or a smaller tin boat to get back in there better

went back to the middle section and found some weed growth off a few of the shallow bays and fished them, the bays and the timber fields along the south edge hard hoping for a lurker but nada.

also, not sure if there are carp in there or not, but I definitely saw a few fish breaking water, and got a quick glance at one that sure looked it had the coloring of a light colored pure.

think I'm going to wait and come back during the summer when I need a change of scenery. hopefully by then the fish will be concentrated back in the deeper, cooler water again.

[cowanesque32]

Have you guys made it down this way again? I live just up out of Nelson (west end). The fish are in here and we are starting to see some good size consistently. One major hurtle in this lake is the forage size, small is the key. If you find yourself heading this way let me know and I can share what I know with ya.

[NitroMusky]

thanks man..I will definitely look you up in the spring... didn't make it it down this year with the flooding and all but will be back april may time frame. good to hear theres some size coming out of there now

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