# Cowan Lake today 5/15/08



## CatBassCrap (Apr 25, 2008)

Went to Cowan Lake today with my buddy around 8:00 am and we caught about 100 or so crappie in about 9 hours. Didn't keep any, not one was anything to write home about either. We were using chartreuse jigs with feather tails on them. I was tipping mine with crappie nibbles sometimes but it didn't seem to matter. Just catching them in the cove across from the new sailboat docks. Never had them bite like that before.


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## Rob (Mar 31, 2005)

Is there a size limit on Cowan Crappie?? I always thought there was a 9" minimum and recently a coworker told me that there wasn't a limit at Cowan. Wish I was catching them like you were when I was at Paint Creek last weekend!!

Rob


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## Tennessee (Apr 2, 2008)

fish deeper for the bigger crappie and no size limit


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

catbasscarp- Nice report. My son and I spent last week there for our vacation and had a similar experience. We found the fish in the shallows on the timber - slow action in the flats or deeps. Our first day was 9 May and we did our best that day in terms of size. We must have caught about 150 fish that day. We kept a bunch for the marina crew and saved 5 slab Crappie plus a 17" saugeye for our dinner. Largest Crappie was 13 1/2 inches, and the average was 9 inches. We had about 15 fish over 11 inches. Another boat did much better, boating a 14 1/2 inch Crappie, with a 10+ average in a cooler that was 3/4 full of them. 

We fished the good weather on the following days and did almost as well with a similar average. Our last outing ended in windy wave-bouncing muddy water with a 2 hour frenzy of 8-9 inchers in cabin bay. 

Rob - There is no size limit on Crappie at Cowan....a good thing IMO since the lake is very, very full of them.


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## Rob (Mar 31, 2005)

Thanks guys, 

Good to see you all doin so well out there! We got a lot of house remodel work to do (Our House) now through early summer, but hope to make it out ther sometime this summer. King, do you notice that they're STILL debating that white/black Crappie issue? LOL. Oh well, hpoe to see 'Yall on the water this summer.

Rob


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## leckig (May 11, 2005)

i just came back from cowan, we were camping over the weekend. Very nice weekend! true, the lake is full of small crappie. The water is very silty after the rain and the wind was strong both days, but we had quite a lot of fun


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## Guest (May 19, 2008)

With most every lake in Ohio, panfish limits would greatly improve this lakes crappie fishing. Both size and length limits that is. I believe within the next few years we will see some type of limits on Cowan.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

Rob,
The Cowan black versus white crappie dabate will probably go on forever. It seems to me that the variety split is about even down there. Not sure if the dorsal spines are the deciding factor. If they were, then the other features would not be relevant, but they are a part of every literature on the subject.

They all bite like crazy and taste the same.


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## tommy454 (May 20, 2008)

I have been at Cowan the last two weekends, this past was very slow the first was non-stop crappie, all small, only a few in the 9"-11" range. Caught a 17" saugeye, was yummy. and a channel cat. 

I have been wondering about opinions on limits. There are two ways to looking at it. (1) Throw the little ones back and let them grow, simple. Or (2) is the theory that there are too mnay little ones and the lake is over populated causing smaller size, so filet up the lil uns in bunches, becuase you'll need bunches to get any meat. Pulling out small ones leaving more room and food for the others to grow. This sounds feasable to me, but I'm not sold on it. 

What do you think?
Call in MYTHBUSTERS!!!


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## szackey (May 6, 2008)

I believe that the old addage "less is more" holds true in this case. Therefore, I believe that the more 'little' crappie you have competing for food, the less they can grow. That's my opinion (and I believe the In-Fisherman might agree, but can't quote the actual episode... just a vague memory).


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## mrbill01 (May 8, 2008)

I believe a slot limit on the crappie would correct the balance. What are your thoughts?


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## Guest (May 21, 2008)

> I have been wondering about opinions on limits. There are two ways to looking at it. (1) Throw the little ones back and let them grow, simple. Or (2) is the theory that there are too mnay little ones and the lake is over populated causing smaller size, so filet up the lil uns in bunches, becuase you'll need bunches to get any meat. Pulling out small ones leaving more room and food for the others to grow. This sounds feasable to me, but I'm not sold on it.


That is a question that has been debated on here quite a lot, and is very controversial. I personally think the little ones should be thrown back, but many people on here will disagree. I have even had a few members on here tell me to throw all of the little crappies I catch at Cowan on the bank into the weeds. I wouldn't take that route however because not only is it ignorant, it is also considered littering and is illegal. 

The choice is really yours, do what makes sense to you. If you have enough time on your hands to clean hundreds of 6 inch crappie with hardly any meat for your effort, then go for it if you feel it will help the lake. 

I remember 5 or so years ago almost every crappie caught from that lake was over 10inches. Good eating size no doubt. But when I saw boat after boat bring in literally coolers upon coolers of these nice spawners, it made me wonder what the future of Cowan would hold for crappie. I mean its not like Cowan is a huge lake, its under 700 hundred acres.

Now it obvious that the average length of crappie in Cowan today is no where near what it was then. 

Does this have anything to do the unregulated harvest from years past? It's hard to say for sure, but I think it is surely a factor. 

I know they say crappies run in cycles, but i haven't saw any change at all in Cowan over the past several years.

The ODNR recently conducted ( or still are conducting ) an angler survey, and many of the questions on the survey have to do with Panfish length and possession limits. Hopefully in the near future we will see some type of these limits implemented on Cowan and many other lakes. It would be interesting to see what they would do.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

I agree with the position that it is debatable and not understood. Having fished this lake for crappie numeruous times each year for over 35 years as a boater, I have never caught, or have seen caught, or charted; so many numbers of fish as I have over the last 4 years.

I do remember the year that Traphunter is referring to about 5 years ago. And yes, the average size was 9 and they were plentiful. That year, the size range was consistently 9-9 1/2 inches. The 11-13 range was non-existent that year and was very uncommon for many, many years prior. It seems for the last few years that this larger size is common, though I wouldn't call their numbers plentiful. 

My guess is that we will see another year like the one Trap mentioned next year and the year after, possibly this fall if the forage is strong. I have been keeping track of growth in these extremely high numbers of smaller fish from year to year for 4 years and they are increasing at .5 inches per year. And there is a similar number, but seems like a slightly less number of a prior year hatch right behind this 8+ inch group we see the most of this year.

After watching this lake boil with fry at dusk in late July-August, it is hard for me to imagine a weak forage, but weather patterns and agricultural poison run-off could always change that. 

Fishing pressure is not likely an issue on this lake in the long run. I really think that limits would prove inconclusive, since I don't believe there is enough fishing pressure to affect the outcome. Yes, there are short periods of days several times per year that can affect one's success on a given day, but this one does not have the draw of the larger unlimited hp lakes.

They use to conduct a electro-shock netting survey each spring, and never reported results to public.


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## tommy454 (May 20, 2008)

The studies are still going on. A buddy of mine was fishing near the spillway last Saturday and was interviewed by a Wildlife Official of some sort, she was asking about the size and numbers he wwas catching.

As for me, once a year I go to keep everything and get a big mess. Once I get my FIX of crappies, I start throwing back under 9".


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## Guest (May 22, 2008)

The studies you are talking about are the Creel Clerks that the division hires every year. I know the girl who is doing the surveys at Cowan and she confirmed what I already knew. She said everyone was catch tons of small crappie, with very few over 9inchs. She did however say that someone landed a 14 or 15 incher if I remember right.


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