# Best Canoe Spot for Pike in Tuscawaras River?



## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

If the Tuscarawas River ever goes down, I would like to make the drive up there and do a float trip for pike. There are two canoe liveries that I can find. One is based in Bolivar and the other is based in Akron and Canal Fulton. Which stretch of the river would offer be the best chance for a pike? I have never caught a pike, so a pike of any size would make me happy?

While I'm at it, does anybody know a good bowfin fishing spot in the area?


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## Perch-N-Quackers (Jun 26, 2011)

I've seen pike caught from Navarre to below dover dam

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## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

Thanks Perch. According to the ODNR website, the best spot for pike in the Tuscarawas is north of New Philadelphia.


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## lureluzer (Jul 11, 2013)

I've fished the Tusc from Clinton to massillon for over 10 years and have caught many pike and bowfin out of that stretch of the river. If. You go to the livery in canal Fulton and they put you in upstream and let you float to the livery I would fish the feeder hard where lake Lucerne dumps into the river. I've caught many pike there over the years. Another great spot is the small stream on the right side ( if you're floating down stream to the livery) of the river where you can see a train trussell 20 yards up the stream. Really anywhere there's a tree laying in the river is a good spot for pike. I always caught the bowfin while catfishing.
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I love this app!


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## zaqxsw (Jul 19, 2009)

If you are going to be floating, and close to New Philadelphia, you will want to hit the "borrow" lake at the NE corner of 77 and High St. It connects to the river and was a really good spot for pike!

[ame]https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.49657,-81.476498&spn=0.008142,0.02002&t=h&z=16[/ame]

I was born and raised in Dover and fished it with buddies growing up. We caught as many pike as bass there.


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## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

zaqxsw and lureluzer, thanks for the awesome replies. I'm thinking I will make a 2 day trip out of it and float two different stretches of water. Maybe the pike, along with other sight-feeders, will go on a feeding binge once the river gets back to normal levels.

Let it be known that I am a catch-and-release fishermen. All fish will be handled with the utmost care and released to fight another day. I'll post my results. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that we have good conditions next week.


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## FlashMan2702 (Jun 2, 2006)

Out of curiosity what have you caught bowfin on bait wise? 

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## Perch-N-Quackers (Jun 26, 2011)

Good luck. The tusc is an awesome fishery. I'm sure that you'll catch something. The dover dam is under construction now but the island below it was always good to me

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## lureluzer (Jul 11, 2013)

I've always catight bowfin while catfishing. Usually on creek chubs or cut bait

I love this app!


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

bowfin have been making me mad, biting on cut bluegill. they seem to like the midsection.


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## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

My bowfin experience is limited, but right now I am sold on cut bluegill. On my last excursion to a swamp/stream habitat in southeast Ohio, I caught 4 bowfin from 18 to 21" and lost just as many. I tried nightcrawlers and a variety of lures, but the bowfin totally ignored these offerings. 

I'm really wanting to catch some small bowfin in the 3" to 10" size, but those guys are hard to locate.

Getting back to bigger bowfin, the thing that I am most undecided about is the style of hook. Right now it seems that a treble hook is the way to go and it fared better than a standard hook or a circle hook.

Attached is a pic of the aforementioned recent bowfin catch.


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

you keep those guys? ive been meaning to try bowfin.... but my first (and largest to date, 18 inches 2.2 pounds) was very mushy and i couldnt utilize it. caught a 13 inch and threw it in the freezer hoping the freeze would firm the meat up.


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## Steelheadphycho (Mar 12, 2012)

jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> you keep those guys? ive been meaning to try bowfin.... but my first (and largest to date, 18 inches 2.2 pounds) was very mushy and i couldnt utilize it. caught a 13 inch and threw it in the freezer hoping the freeze would firm the meat up.


Ya, what does the meat compare to? Is it like an eye or a sheephead? How easy are they to clean etc etc......


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## FlashMan2702 (Jun 2, 2006)

So cut bluegill fished on the bottom? 

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## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

I have never ate bowfin, nor do I plan to. The fish in my photo were released unharmed. 

I would love to catch some bowfin under 12" for my 180 gallon aquarium. I'm beginning to think that the only way to catch real small bowfin is to net them.


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## Atwood (Sep 6, 2005)

There is plenty of pike from New Philly north. That lake in New Philly is called Green Gables and you can only legally access it by canoe. I can catch 50 bowfin a day out of the Tusc. in April or May. The pike fishing is kinda tough during the summer, if I was doing a pike float I would wait til October.


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## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

Atwood said:


> There is plenty of pike from New Philly north. That lake in New Philly is called Green Gables and you can only legally access it by canoe. I can catch 50 bowfin a day out of the Tusc. in April or May. The pike fishing is kinda tough during the summer, if I was doing a pike float I would wait til October.


Thanks for the advice. I might do a second trip in the fall. It looks like I will be up there for 2 or 3 days this week doing some fishing. Even if all I catch is one small pike, then I will consider it a success. 

As for bowfin, I have some questions about size. What is the largest one that you know of being caught? A guy recently posted a 28" 8lber taken from the Tuscarawas. On the other end of the spectrum, do you ever catch any small bowfin - anywhere from 4 to 12"? The reason why I ask is that I have a 180 gallon planted aquarium that really needs to have a few bowfin swimming in it. Nobody has ever filmed bowfin breeding in captivity and I would like to be the first (this could take 2 or 3 years depending on the size of the bowfin).


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

GMR_Guy said:


> I have never ate bowfin, nor do I plan to. The fish in my photo were released unharmed.


So you caught all three at the same time? I'm a little confused lol. Nice fish though, they're such a cool fish to catch.


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## zaqxsw (Jul 19, 2009)

Atwood said:


> That lake in New Philly is called Green Gables and you can only legally access it by canoe.


Boy, I haven't heard the name "Green Gables" since I was a kid. There wasn't a 77 expressway through there yet. It was the name used for that intersection by the locals and I believe it was the name of a tavern located there.

Yep, I knew you had to access the lake from the river. 40-50 years ago, you could fish it from shore.


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## Atwood (Sep 6, 2005)

I've always known it as Green Gables. Back in the early 90's it was loaded with saugeye but that has changed. I've had days when the Bowfin invasion comes in, as it does every year, where Ive caught dozens in one sitting. A lot of fish in the 5-9lb range but I've never caught a small one. We've caught them on everything from buzzbaits to rubber worms, they will eat anything. I know a lake along the Tusc. that use to be loaded with them, it probably still is. GMR, I will pm you on a good pike spot.


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## Crappie-Joe (Jan 16, 2010)

Hey zaqxsw.
is there no land access? and is there a boat ramp anywhere close? I have always wanted to fish that spot.


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## zaqxsw (Jul 19, 2009)

Crappie-Joe said:


> Hey zaqxsw.
> is there no land access? and is there a boat ramp anywhere close? I have always wanted to fish that spot.


None that I know of. From the north, you would have to put in after the spillway below the Dover sewage treatment plant. I have no idea about from the south.

As kids, we had to park our bikes, motorcycles, or eventually cars across the bridge at a motel parking lot and walk the bridge across, jump the guard rail, and hit a trail that led around the lake. Back then, it wasn't posted, but there was never any real access to it.


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## Seamop (Jul 20, 2013)

My son and I have been to Green Gables twice in the last month, just a couple hours from dusk til 10:30/11 both times. We got skunked the first time with Gulp stinkbaits but he got a nice 3lb channel cat the second night on chicken liver. my wifes uncle said that its full of nice cats and crappie but I havent had time to get there during the day due to the excessive rain and working. We parked at Sheetz and walked over, we'll be heading back soon with some shrimp and more chicken liver but in the mean time I'll be calling the uncle and asking him about the Green Gables tavern. I'll post my findings soon.


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## Stekor (Mar 25, 2012)

Question for you guys that fish the Tusc. I was visiting some family up that way and waded a stretch below canal fulton and was hitting crappie on Sunday night. Is there a good population of crappie in the Tusc, or was this just an unusual trip?

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## chrism1367 (Aug 11, 2012)

Seamop said:


> My son and I have been to Green Gables twice in the last month, just a couple hours from dusk til 10:30/11 both times. We got skunked the first time with Gulp stinkbaits but he got a nice 3lb channel cat the second night on chicken liver. my wifes uncle said that its full of nice cats and crappie but I havent had time to get there during the day due to the excessive rain and working. We parked at Sheetz and walked over, we'll be heading back soon with some shrimp and more chicken liver but in the mean time I'll be calling the uncle and asking him about the Green Gables tavern. I'll post my findings soon.


So does that mean its legal to fish there? If so may have to take a trip there

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