# Shawn Lake...



## beastman (Aug 16, 2011)

Looking to possibly go in early Sept. Is it worth the $? I know nothing is guaranteed when it comes to fishing but what is an average day like that time of year? I've gone to their website but most of the reports are from 07-09 time frame and I can't find much online about the lake in terms of how it is today. The owner I spoke with on the phone seems friendly enough just curious if it's worth driving 3.5 hrs for a one or two night stay?


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## mullskinner (Aug 20, 2007)

is this the pay lake catch and release only ?? your talking about or is there another Shawn lake ?


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## barfli (May 17, 2011)

it is a very nice place. a little small but clean and kinda deep. it is stocked well and does have some choice fish..my dad was good friends with the previous owner and built a few ponds their in the 60's..i spent some time growing up their and it was beautiful.


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## barfli (May 17, 2011)

it is a pay lake and most if not all catch and release


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## beastman (Aug 16, 2011)

Well, back from Lake Shawn...fished in 95-100 degree weather. Had nice luck on the LM bass and bluegill but only caught 3 hybrids , all over 5lbs. Of course it was my Dad and Uncle who got them. Looking for any others that have been during the May/June timeframe, wondering if the bite is better during that time. They were there just couldn't hook them.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

A friend of mine treated me to a days fishing there a couple years ago. I caught all hybrid bass. They just loved a chunk of pollack as did the catfish.
Personally, I'd never spend $100 for a days fishing no matter what's in there.
Sure they say FREE boat and rolling motor....yeah right, it's included in the price.
I was invited again this year, but didn't want my buddy spending $100 on me just for a days fishing.
If money isn't an issue, it's a nice place to fish. Didn't care for the owners attitude what so ever...to each his own I always say.


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## beastman (Aug 16, 2011)

Terry- how many hybrids were you able to catch? What time of year did you go? All catches on chunks of pollack? I agree that the price is pretty expensive but a one day overnight isn''t too bad with 2-3 guys.

What size were the hybrids that you caught? Seemed to me most were in the 4-6 lbs range that I saw with the pellet/chumming


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

There wasn't anything caught by the four of us over 4-6 lbs. I caught 5 or 6 and it was a hot summer day and I got cooked.
In fact, it was so hot that if ya left a chunk of pollack on the deck, it cooked and was unusable.
The LM bass hit readily on plastic worms, but then ya can catch them anywhere USA. None seen or caught more that was a couple pounds at best.
Like I said, if money isn't an issue, it's an okay place to fish. 
When we were there, the owner watched us like a hawk....like we were gonna steal something? Everywhere we went, there he was also...not friendly, not friendly at all.

A better bet would be to go to the dam below New Martinsville WV or New Cumberland. The hybrids and white bass are beginning to stack up and feeding heavily already. (plenty of motels in the area)


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## beastman (Aug 16, 2011)

Not sure you are talking about the owner or the caretaker of the property. The caretaker of the property was very nice with us, but basically told us it is hot and the fishing wouldn't be that great. That was before we got on the water, kind of discouraging. Never have fished with pollock, did you just deadline it or fish it on the bottom? Was it frozen? ... I have a feeling the fishing has gotten tougher on the lake as the fish have become smarter and would be going straight for the pellet bait and then swim away if they see any part of the hook or fishing line. Of course, maybe some other methods such as throwing chicken liver/ polloack/ etc ...might have had better results. Not sure it would have made much difference with weather approaching 100 degrees....although the stripers would hit the pellets on the surface, just not the one's attached to our hooks...LOL.

Still looking for opinions on whether to try my luck again in May/June when the weather is nicer...., I would be happy with 5 or 6 a day per fisherman , but we only got about 1 a day , although we did spend a fair amount of time catching LM and bluegill with nightcrawler and some artificial spinners and soft plastics.


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## RedJada (Jun 21, 2009)

At least you had a good time. Tough fishing that kind of heat. Should have did the night bite. Right across from your cabin is a good night fishing spot. May/June should be good but can never tell with Ohio weather. You gota remember, when the heat is on, fish deep. Would love to see some photos if you get a chance.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

They will NOT hit any artificial baits (the hybrid) in Lake Shawn.
The pollack was fresh from the fish market and the hybrids hammered it as did a few catfish. We used like a one inch by one inch square on a #4 hook.
Spring is always better!!!


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## beastman (Aug 16, 2011)

Well, we really didn't have the hybrids hammer much.... , Were you fishing the pollock deep or just a few feet under the water and letting hybrid come up and hit it? We did try some artificial with no luck for the Hybrid, did have some luck with the LM on it though. I was curious on chicken liver as well, I heard that is used with success for stripers but we didn't try it. I agree, Spring has to better, if for nothing else it won't be 100 degrees while waiting for them to bite. ..., 

Redjada- shoot me your email, I will probably be loading up some photo's later tonight that I can share. The hybrids do make for some nice shots.
We did fish a couple hours at night at the upper dock, that is where my Uncle caught his striper. It was 24 inches, 6.5 lbs according to our old scale. All the hybrids caught had some chunk to them..., the largest LM was probably 2-2.5lbs, but most were much smaller. You could catch the smaller LM and bluegill all day long though, which we probably spent too much time doing looking back...still fun catching them though.


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## beastman (Aug 16, 2011)

I added some photos to my album of a couple of the hybrids , if anyone is curious on the Lake Shawn hybrid size, these seemed to be the average size of the schools we saw.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

We didn't try chicken liver. I probably would of enjoyed it more without that guy spying on us everywhere.
Don't waste your time chucking artificial s at the Hybrids...they are spoiled on pellets. They wouldn't hit a wee wee little bluegill, a 2 incher either.
We just cast the bait out and let it settle, move it a bit all the way back to the boat...kind of like worm fishing I guess. But most of the time they just hammered it.


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## Bluegill_Guru (Mar 10, 2012)

TClark said:


> ....I probably would of enjoyed it more without that guy spying on us everywhere.


Out of curiosity, do you know the name of the person that was "spying" on you during your trip?

I fished down there in July of 2010, and the "caretaker", whose name is Cliff, along with his wife, were just about the nicest people I have ever had the joy of knowing. I was there for 3 days and left with a great new friend in the caretaker, Cliff. 

I simply cannot say enough good things about Cliff and his wife, or about the memories of staying down there. Easily my favorite place on this planet.

What about the fishing? All three days the daytime temps were in the mid-high 90s. Fishing was naturally slow, yet surprisingly productive at different intervals throughout the day. I fished all day and all night, and amazingly the day time produced the lion's share of my largemouths, smallmouths, and hybrids. 

All my hybrids were caught on a single nightcrawler on a small hook under a light float, with the biggest hybrid coming in at 10 pounds. Interestingly, while using a small panfish-sized crankbait in the hunt for trophy 'Gills, I had 3 hybrids devour said crankbait and straighten out the trebles. I have never had more wrist-jarring strikes in my life than those on that crankbait.

Is the couple hundred dollar price tag worth it? It depends on what you are spending that money for. If it is just to catch fish, then it just may not be worth it for most people. For me, the beautiful scenery and isolation is more than worth it. I must admit though that I would not of enjoyed myself at all if I had someone "spying" on me the entire time. That was the best part about the place for me, it was as if I owned the place the entire time I was there. Pure bliss.

P.S. A big thank you goes out to Red Jada for introducing me to this place.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

No, didn't catch his name... but I'll never go back anyway.
I can buy an Ohio license for around $40 and fish all year AND KEEP what I catch if I want to.
I had herd it was for sale for $1,000,000...don't know of that was true or not though.
I figure sooner or later some lawyer group will buy it and keep it private.


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