# Lake Snowden



## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

Took the yak out there for two hours last night and didn't mark any fish until about 20+ feet. Lots of them suspended around 28-30 feet. I tried with a jignpig but no luck....... On a positive note the water temp was up to 50 degrees! Hope it keeps on climbing. 


Anyone have any pointers for using a jig-n-pig style lure or how to get a bite in deep water? Still new to this sport and trying to figure it out.


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## sala0288 (Oct 26, 2009)

Did you have a motor on your yak? I was out there fishing the dam with my girlfriend, left around 530 I think and possibly saw you out cruising the main lake a little bit. With the jignpig its pretty simple. Let it fall on a slack line all the way after you case and then try different retrieves. You can slowly raise your rod tip from parallel to about 12 o'clock and then reel in the slack - repeat all the way in. You can just drag it on the bottom, really you can do whatever you want, or really what the fish want. Keep up the info on Snowden if you keep going out. Nice to know they were that deep when I was cranking the shallow rocks by the dam haha. Cheers


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## jck1961 (Nov 7, 2010)

I was there Monday also. I didn't get a single bite in 5 hours. ODNR electroshocked most of the day with about 4 boats so most fish around the shoreline were probably collected for sampling.


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## Juikar (May 27, 2013)

Sala0288, that must've been you I saw at the dam. As soon as you and your girlfriend left, I moved to your spot (my normal spot). Pulled in a shell cracker after a few casts, then left. I was only there to gather one fish. Went home and put it in my turtle's tank. I'm hoping it'll eat all the guppies that my turtle won't touch.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

sala0288 said:


> Did you have a motor on your yak? I was out there fishing the dam with my girlfriend, left around 530 I think and possibly saw you out cruising the main lake a little bit. With the jignpig its pretty simple. Let it fall on a slack line all the way after you case and then try different retrieves. You can slowly raise your rod tip from parallel to about 12 o'clock and then reel in the slack - repeat all the way in. You can just drag it on the bottom, really you can do whatever you want, or really what the fish want. Keep up the info on Snowden if you keep going out. Nice to know they were that deep when I was cranking the shallow rocks by the dam haha. Cheers


Haha yeah that was me and I saw you guys coming off the dam! I spent all winter building trolling motor mounts and rigging up foot controls. Also mounted a fish finder on it. That was the first time I have taken the kayak out with it setup lie that and I was more out to test everything than fish but it was working so well I decided to fish. I still need to setup the wiring for the trolling motor inside the kayak and attach it better but I am 95% done and it was working really good. I should post a few pictures of it for you all to check out.

If it's any consolation when I am out in the yak not catching anything I am always figuring the guys on the bank are slaying them lol. I was fishing the jig-n-pig exactly as you described. Guess they weren't hungry lol.


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## sala0288 (Oct 26, 2009)

Juikar! Yeah man, maybe see you out there again - at least you caught something haha. 

JCK, thats good info man thanks. Did you see them out there? Just wondering if they post those dates somewhere online so I know not to waste my time.

Certified, I would love to see some pics, I can't wait to not be a poor grad student and get myself a yak. Anyways, at least none of us were catching them haha, misery loves company I suppose. I would have thought with the warmer weather the rocks on the dam would have been money, but I thought wrong. With the water temp being 50 as well I wouldn't think they would still be in the main lake - fish are funny creatures. Hopefully be able to get out next week sometime, I haven't fished snowden much but I have heard its probably one of the better ones around here so I'll probably be out there a lot more. Hopefully run into some of you guys. Cheers


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## jck1961 (Nov 7, 2010)

Yes Sala, I saw them there. I got there between 12:30 and 1:00 and things were going full swing. They were releasing them by the net full there at the boat ramp and the boats were still on the water collecting fish for quite some time after that.

I was talking to a couple of guys that were loading up at the same time I was and they said that they brought in a lot of nice bass. They also told me that one of the workers said that they would be shocking on Mondays or Tuesdays for the next several weeks. I'm not sure if they understood correctly, but they were under the impression that they would be shocking Snowden for the next several weeks. I can't imagine why that would be though.

Certified, that must have been you that I saw right before I left. I was in the Tracker TX17. That yak moves along quite nicely!


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## ieatwildlife (Mar 23, 2014)

I like a 3/4 oz jiging spoon when they are suspended like that. Just pull line off till you get just above them and pull the rod up a foot or so and let it flutter down on a semi tight line. Watch your line. They hit on the fall. I've caught some hawgs doing that this time of year.


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## TurkeyJ (Sep 3, 2012)

Just a heads up, fishing shallow will possibly be difficult because the odnr is shocking for a largemouth bass population study. They are shocking every day this week from 8-3ish and will begin a once a week night time shocking schedule not next week but the week after sometime. Boat shocking only works productively in shallow areas so if you're fishing deeper or around the dam you shouldn't see much of an effect I wouldn't think.


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## sala0288 (Oct 26, 2009)

Thanks for all the info guys. I guess I will still try for bass but may be better off fishing for some cats the next few weeks it sounds like.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

jck1961 said:


> Yes Sala, I saw them there. I got there between 12:30 and 1:00 and things were going full swing. They were releasing them by the net full there at the boat ramp and the boats were still on the water collecting fish for quite some time after that.
> 
> I was talking to a couple of guys that were loading up at the same time I was and they said that they brought in a lot of nice bass. They also told me that one of the workers said that they would be shocking on Mondays or Tuesdays for the next several weeks. I'm not sure if they understood correctly, but they were under the impression that they would be shocking Snowden for the next several weeks. I can't imagine why that would be though.
> 
> Certified, that must have been you that I saw right before I left. I was in the Tracker TX17. That yak moves along quite nicely!


Yup, that was probably me. that thing has been a work in progress all winter as I bought it late last year.

Here are a few pics of when I first bought it and this winters work. If you see me out there again give me a holler.
















TurkeyJ said:


> Just a heads up, fishing shallow will possibly be difficult because the odnr is shocking for a largemouth bass population study. They are shocking every day this week from 8-3ish and will begin a once a week night time shocking schedule not next week but the week after sometime. Boat shocking only works productively in shallow areas so if you're fishing deeper or around the dam you shouldn't see much of an effect I wouldn't think.


Wow that's a lot of shocking! glad you told me that cause I was going to go back out there this week again.


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## Juikar (May 27, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up, Turkey. Looks like I'll be spending my time at Dow Lake for a while. Hopefully bring home a few more trout...


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## boostedtrex (May 4, 2013)

How has they eye fishing been here this past year I've heard it had them in it 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## sala0288 (Oct 26, 2009)

Nice kayak setup certified! Once this weather gets a little better you will be slaying 'em I'm sure. 

Boosted - not sure man. I've only fished for bass out at snowden and honestly wouldn't know how to find saugeyes there. Only time I've ever caught 'em is when I fish the hocking.


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## BrianID (Apr 7, 2014)

boostedtrex,

I tried a couple times through the ice and 2 times since the ice has been off without catching any of the Saugeye. I talked to the DNR at the end of the day when they were shocking on March 29th and they didn't shock any Saugeye. It was mostly sunny, so they probably weren't able to shock deep enough to get to where most of the Saugeye were. I've been catching a few bass and panfish, but the water needs to warm up a little more before the bass bite picks up.


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## sala0288 (Oct 26, 2009)

I've been to snowden a couple days over the past week or so, one day it was windy as all get out and terrible to fish. Yesterday was nice and sunny and caught my first bass of the year to finally break my skunked streak. Overall still pretty slow though. During the windy day though my buddy saw this thing floating so I decided to grab it and take a pic, since it was huge and we didn't catch a thing. Huge saugeye nonetheless, too bad the poor guy was dead.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

sala0288 said:


> I've been to snowden a couple days over the past week or so, one day it was windy as all get out and terrible to fish. Yesterday was nice and sunny and caught my first bass of the year to finally break my skunked streak. Overall still pretty slow though. During the windy day though my buddy saw this thing floating so I decided to grab it and take a pic, since it was huge and we didn't catch a thing. Huge saugeye nonetheless, too bad the poor guy was dead.


I wonder if him being dead has to do with all the shocking ODNR has been doing? I honestly had no idea there were fish that big in Lake Snowden!


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## sala0288 (Oct 26, 2009)

Certified - I wondered that as well, wasn't a scratch on him


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## hotbrass (Apr 4, 2014)

That is a nice looking fish! I'd like to get a live one on the line sometime. I can't believe how much shocking they're doing out there. I can't imagine that's good for the fish. Hopefully it's not killing too many.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

It was gorgeous outside yesterday so I went to Snowden to fish. Water temp was close to 60 degrees on top and I fished from 3:30 to 9 and never had a bite. I saw bass swimming but couldn't get a bite had one large bluegill follow a lure and that was about it. Starting to get really frustrated that was my fifth trip out for a total of probably 20 hours of fishing and I haven't hooked a single fish yet this year. I threw spinners, jigs, and crankbaits with no success.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Certified106 said:


> It was gorgeous outside yesterday so I went to Snowden to fish. Water temp was close to 60 degrees on top and I fished from 3:30 to 9 and never had a bite. I saw bass swimming but couldn't get a bite had one large bluegill follow a lure and that was about it. Starting to get really frustrated that was my fifth trip out for a total of probably 20 hours of fishing and I haven't hooked a single fish yet this year. I threw spinners, jigs, and crankbaits with no success.


I have found some aggressive bass in real shallow water in the backs of some of the coves. Nothing huge, but I've caught several bass there on the fly. I saw a few schools of bass ranging from 8-13", one must have been at least a dozen bass hovering together.


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## peyton62 (Nov 8, 2013)

Certified 106 I just bought my first yak last summer. This is still new for me. Your rig is so impressive, very sharp. I would like to get out now. However since quitting cigs my butt has really expanded. Not so easy getting it out of that yak without flipping. I think I need a lot more practice. But thanks for posting pics, amazing.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Shocking crew was back in action last night, they were setting up as I left.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

TheCream said:


> Shocking crew was back in action last night, they were setting up as I left.


Good grief, What is going on out there? 
Did you do any good last night? I though about going out there but took my daughter to a farm pond and let her catch some gills as she has been begging to go fishing.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

TheCream said:


> I have found some aggressive bass in real shallow water in the backs of some of the coves. Nothing huge, but I've caught several bass there on the fly. I saw a few schools of bass ranging from 8-13", one must have been at least a dozen bass hovering together.


I saw the same thing where they were hovering but couldn't get them to bite. Any tips on what they were wanting?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Certified106 said:


> I saw the same thing where they were hovering but couldn't get them to bite. Any tips on what they were wanting?


I'm fly fishing, but basically small (2-2.5") baitfish/shad imitations.


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## Sampy67 (Oct 24, 2008)

Anyone catch very many perch in Snowden. My son caught a 10" perch while crappie fishing a feed years back. Nice perch but only one.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Sampy67 said:


> Anyone catch very many perch in Snowden. My son caught a 10" perch while crappie fishing a feed years back. Nice perch but only one.


I've caught one each of the last two years as a by-catch, targeting crappies and panfish. Neither one I caught was very big.


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Fished that lake often when I went to OU some years back. I always caught my early bass on flukes. White, chartreuse and silver/blue flake worked really well. No weight either. Just let them sink for a few seconds. Twitch and let sit, repeat. Caught them all around the pic-nic area. Once that water warmed up a bit more I'd hit the dam side and start catching hogs on cranks. I really miss that ol' lake.


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## Certified106 (Mar 17, 2014)

Was out at Snowden from 1 until 4 today and caught a bunch of bluegills. They were even slamming my minnow crank bait as well as worms. You could pull one in as fast as you could get your hook in the water. Made for a fun time for my daughter. 

Right before we had to leave for a soccer game I the first big cove as you go up the lake to the left from the dock and could see bass swimming everywhere. I couldn't get them to hit on anything though. I threw a couple of different crank baits and rubber worms and they just turned there nose up at them. I only had about 15 minutes to play before we had to leave but was frustrated they wouldn't t bite. O well that's the first time this year I have seen the lake that active so that's a good sign. Water temp was 56-58 degrees.


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## dmoe (Jun 4, 2010)

Where are the Crappie right now at Snowden? Are they past spawning?


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## Hoover 4 Me (Jul 30, 2013)

How soon before it's renamed lake freedom lol...sorry, had to do it.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

I heard that lake has lots of leaks? 

Mr. A


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