# Cowan Lake



## Jricks (Mar 17, 2016)

Does anyone have any experience fishing Cowan Lake for Saugeye? I'm thinking of taking Friday off and hitting it. I'm brand new to Saugeye fishing. I was going to pick up some bucktail jigs and tip them with curly tail grubs. From what I've read so far that seems to do the trick. I'll be fishing from a kayak. Thanks in advance.


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## Wally Diver (Aug 27, 2006)

Is this lake still 10 horsepower or did they change it


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## Jricks (Mar 17, 2016)

Still 10HP


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

Yeah. The DNR had enough input to change the lake to "idle only" with no horsepower restrictions but choose to sit on it another year. My understanding is that the "change" crowd far outnumbered the "remain" crowd (mostly the sail boaters on the lake who think the lake is their private playground). I've sent 2 emails to them asking for their decision from the meeting last December but they have not replied. We need more people to contact the DNR is anything is going to happen with Cowan.

I like Cowan a lot but the sail boats will ruin a good day. Earlier in the year they switched their racing lanes from east-west to north-south, essentially cutting the lake in half. Makes it tough to cross the center of the lake. The sb club is also very hypocritical as they don't want any gas engines on the lake but have permits to run their 40 and 60 hp outboards whenever they feel like it.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Damn purist's


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

They changed pretty much every 10hp limit lake to unlimited hp , but idle only for anything over 10 hp.

At least all the ones that are on my radar that are controlled by the division of wildlife. The ones controlled by the parks division might be a different story.


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

Wish it was idle only. A full size Ranger with a 9.9 on it at WOT kicks up one helluva wake.


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## Boxingref_rick (Feb 8, 2005)

Most bass boats idle faster than I do at top speed - with far less wake. 
Funny thing is my 14 ft semi V with a 9.9 looks and sounds like a couple of Harleys tearing things up as it goes down the lake.
All at a top end speed of ... 9 mph


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

Back to the original question. I've caught them out of Cowan but it always happens while fishing for other fish. I've never targeted them and don't know anyone who does. Most are caught by crappie fisherman. I have heard that you can drift and drag some minnows along the bottom out in front of the marina. I've also heard that you can pick some up trolling crank baits. Good luck. I would think there are some good ones in there.


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

The north shore line (east of the campground ramp) is a steep drop off. I have picked up a few bass along it but have graphed far more fish than I've caught. The shoreline is bare but there are quite a few fall downs, logs and stuff along the bottom. Not sure what they were or if they are Saugeyes. I have seen quite a few boats hugging the island in the middle as well. Probably fishing for crappie but I don't know.


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## snmcc (Dec 24, 2014)

Which boat ramp do you use? This will be my first time going there and I am launching a bass boat and trolling motor fishing.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

man, the saugeye at Cowan are like the saugeye in every other stocked lake... they're just everywhere, all over the lake! The only real consistent method i have used year round is a 3" white grub, fishing in less than 10' of water.


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

I have used the campground ramp (north side of the lake). One lane but not too bad. The south ramp at the marina has more docks and is a bit shallower. The lake is small enough to cover all of it with a trolling motor.


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## Jricks (Mar 17, 2016)

The crappie were holding up in 12ft of water, in line with the boueys in front of the Marina. I did graph several muskeys about 15ft down diagonal from the beech to the island. I will be hitting it again in a few weeks


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## digidee (Sep 21, 2014)

Jricks said:


> The crappie were holding up in 12ft of water, in line with the boueys in front of the Marina. I did graph several muskeys about 15ft down diagonal from the beech to the island. I will be hitting it again in a few weeks


Musky? In Cowan? Still?


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

yea, I have heard a couple of secondhand reports of musky coming out of cowan this year, I know that Cowan used to be a decent Musky lake...not sure what it is anymore though


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## digidee (Sep 21, 2014)

9Left said:


> yea, I have heard a couple of secondhand reports of musky coming out of cowan this year, I know that Cowan used to be a decent Musky lake...not sure what it is anymore though


 A fellow I work with is on the professional circuit on the muskie side of things. He was surprised I hadn't run into any considering how often I fish there. Was supposedly awesome when it was still being stocked, but things are very hush-hush now that they have stopped stocking. I'm trying to verify before I spend 10,000 more casts there.

As to the original topic, I get one or two saugeye every time I go out. Usually by accident while crappie fishing just off the bottom. They seem to like minnows and white rooster tails near the bank.


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## GreenMachine (Sep 29, 2014)

fished Cowan from 2P - 7 p today. surface temp 70 degrees. West end of lake had almost a coffee stain like lake is starting to turnover. Tough day on the water unless you were chasing white bass. Caught one 18" eye cranking a flicker shad in about 6 ft of water.


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## Jricks (Mar 17, 2016)

I was talking to a few fisherman a couple weeks back when I was there. They were telling me that the eyes will follow the crappie to the Lilly pad fields and hole up there. I still have yet to catch any. I've fished the river and lake. Starting to feel like I'm chasing a unicorn.


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## GreenMachine (Sep 29, 2014)

I just started chasing them 2 years ago. Had the same feeling at first. Rainy nite Bites thread in the central section has a ton of very useful information. I actually catch more fish from now through February than the warmer months. As mentioned earlier it is hard to beat a 2 or 3 inch grub. Best advice from my experience would be if jigging keep contact with the bottom. Also I almost always tip the jig either with a piece of crawler in warmer water or minnows in water below 50 degrees. Good luck!


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