# Cowan lake perch



## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

Has anyone ever been out there targeting yellow perch. I never knew there were any in there until one day I seen a big one dead on shore. I have heard of people catching them when they are fishing for crappie. I was just wondering with this cold weather is there enough of them there to try to target them?


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

I didn't know there were any perch in there.


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## cornmuse (Apr 14, 2004)

I've fished Cowen for nearly 20 years and I've never seen nor hooked a yellow perch there.


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## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

Yeah I have fished there for 10+ years and never caught one. I wouldn't have ever thought they were in there until I saw a dead one. Then last year there was a fishing report I seen in the ohio outdoor news and it was saying how crappie fisherman were catching a few. 


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

I would think that any perch in there would be muskie turds by now


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## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

Haha. There are big Muskie in there. 


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

Before the army corps destroyed the spillway I used to fish the spillway and never saw anyone catch a perch. And I never saw any dead ones when they drained the spillway. I would think if there was a decent population some would of washed over the dam.


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## TPfisher (Aug 31, 2009)

warehouse, check your PM's, i suggested an idea for fishing tomorrow you might like


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## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

I hope they didn't mess it up down there. I seen they tore everything up around it but I didn't know they drained it. 


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Last I saw in the Fall, they had bulldozed all around it and ruined the big hole, now its a small hole, maybe 50 ft around, Im pretty sure after a few major floods the big hole will reform again but its not worth fishing now IMHO. 

Salmonid


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

I think it was in september I don't remember. I would say it is going to take a few years before it is even close to what it was if it ever returns to that. They killed hundreds of fish when they did it. So much for conservation. I tried to complain to some different groups to get them to help out but they didn't care. Most of the fishing groups are more about trophy hunting then conservation. Despite what they try to say in public.


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## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

That sucks. I fish from shore so that was one of my favorite spots especially early spring. 


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## goncattin (Jan 28, 2013)

I caught 2 small ones there this past summer.


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## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

That's cool! I am just wondering if you was fishing in the mid lake or the real deep spots if you could find more of them. I am sure if people catch them there it is on accident. I wonder if you actually tried if you could find more


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

I was down below the spillway not long after they did the dredging. It won't be worth fishing for several years in my opinion. It will take several floods to get the rocks rearranged to form decent pools again. Right now they have if fixed so that any water flowing down the spillway will be directed right on down the creek. There is one small pool right now and it is(or was)very shallow when I was there. I sent a message to the state because I was very upset seeing all the dead musky. I was told there was nothing they could do and that it had to be dredged to protect people that live down stream from being flooded. I really dont understand that because the only way there would be a problem with that is if the spillway collapsed. I didn't see any dead perch, but I did see some nice sized bass, plenty of carp, plenty of musky and one big channel cat. All dead. There were a few carp still alive in the small pool that is left, but I'm sure they all died by now. What a waste.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

The downstream flooding non sense is what I was told and that is BS. Anyone that has fished that creek the banks are very high and it would take a huge amount of water to cause any problems. My problem with the whole thing was something could of been done to save the fish down there and put them back in the lake. And eventhough I am a musky guy this isn't just about saving the musky. If nothing else they could of opened up the creek channel first and let the fish go out to the creek. For carp guys there were some massive carp in that spillway. I guess I am just bitter about it but it really pissed me off.


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## Kennyjames (May 13, 2012)

I am with you on this one. Those musky down there were fun as hell and I never caught a small saugeye down there. Thats mainly what i would go for down there cause they were so big and pretty easy to catch in the spring. That spot was great for everything that is in the main lake. It just pisses me off as well cause I was looking forward to spring to get back down there. 


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

I've fished Cowan since 1975. I've never seen a perch and I've only ever caught 1 smallmouth bass.


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

imalt, I told them that if they had asked for help they could have had plenty of help relocating the musky. She told me that musky don't survive well after being handled alot and suffering from oxygen depletion. I asked why they didn't just drain the thing first allowing the fish to escape but she gave some lame excuse and basically said there was nothing that could be done. I let her know that I wasn't happy because it was like a slap in the face to musky fisherman. First they discontinue the stocking program in the lake and now they let all those musky that we paid for through our license fee's to just die and rot on the rocks. They will dredge it again in 5 or 6 years.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

Mean Morone said:


> imalt, I told them that if they had asked for help they could have had plenty of help relocating the musky. She told me that musky don't survive well after being handled alot and suffering from oxygen depletion. I asked why they didn't just drain the thing first allowing the fish to escape but she gave some lame excuse and basically said there was nothing that could be done. I let her know that I wasn't happy because it was like a slap in the face to musky fisherman. First they discontinue the stocking program in the lake and now they let all those musky that we paid for through our license fee's to just die and rot on the rocks. They will dredge it again in 5 or 6 years.


That is the same BS story I was told. I tried to get SOMA involved and a couple guys tried but most of the group had no interest in helping with cowan. I would like it added back as a surplus stocking lake if nothing else. A dnr officer said they didn't realize that there were that many fish down there. I asked why they would sit on old state on the back entrance checking fishing licenses if there weren't any fish there. I just received a blank look back. I think to be in any kind of law enforcement you have to master the blank look when asked a question.


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## Lenny nguyen (May 14, 2021)

Kennyjames said:


> Has anyone ever been out there targeting yellow perch. I never knew there were any in there until one day I seen a big one dead on shore. I have heard of people catching them when they are fishing for crappie. I was just wondering with this cold weather is there enough of them there to try to target them?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


I have caught 2 today


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