Cowanesque Lake reports......

[kayaker]

Got a similar thread going on the NY site because the lake is fished by so many of us New Yorkers.
I've only heard rumors of the crappie starting to hit at some undetermined area of the lake. The weekend of the 15th they were not at the upper inlet area, I can vouch for that.
Any reports of hot spots yet?

[Shellback]

I haven't been to Cowanesque yet this year, did hit Hammond Lake the weekend before last and got skunked. This past Sunday I hit another Army Corps lake Prompton, in Wayne county,PA. The crappie are starting to turn on there, had a pretty good day. I won't get to Cowanesque this weekend, but might have some time on Memorial Day weekend.

[kayaker]

Finally found a few of the little fella's tonight. Only got three 10 inchers in the 'boat' and maybe six more in the air and then back into the water. I think they were holding on for dear life but never were really hooked! Chartruse jig head with the soft 'felt' body and fluffy tail, tipped with a bit of perch fillet. No hits at all once the perch had been stripped off.
Textbook location, along a shallow north cove near where it drops off into the main channel. 30 feet of line out on the anchor, only 20 yards off a point.

[RM Fishin]

Is any one fishing these areas at all? I have not broken down and spent the money yet for an out of state lic yet. I am still debating price increase verus gas increase as to wheter I spend the money. Would love to get some of the big crappies there.

[Shellback]

Tioga lake has been closed since the Ivan storm last fall. I think it's to reopen for this coming weekend. I fished Hammond a couple weeks ago and got skunked. Cold front and alot of wind. Looks like we have a week of rainy weather and temps barely reaching 60 for this coming week!

[kayaker]

Crappie have moved up into the river inlet at the west end of the lake. I pulled a stringer of 8 out Saturday noonish and 10 more just before dark.

Lanturns and glow-on-the-dark bobbers lined the shore as I pulled out Saturday evening. I almost felt guilty catching a fish on practically every cast as all those folks on shore watched because they couldn't reach the spot I was fishing :p (almost). I was using a jig and the bite stopped cold once it got rather dark. Counted 15 vehicles in the parking area as I left.

Sunday was much slower probably due do to the cold cloudy condition. Landed about a half dozen nice small mouth along with half dozen crappie, some perch and lots of rockies. All within sound of the falls. Those smallies sure can put of a fight getting them into a kayak! :D

[kayaker]

Last night at the grocery store in Lawrenceville I saw an 'old timer' I had seen along the road by the cove on the south side of Cowanesque last wednesday evening. He claimed to have hauled 200 crappie out of that cove so far, no boat. I need to retire too, these work hours really cut into my fishing time.

[kayaker]

Wednesday evening walked around the cove on the south side of the lake with the same jig that did so well over the weekend. No one else was there.
Only two small crappie. Maybe the cold front and/or high preassure moving in and/or recent full moon. Whatever it was there was no eating going on in the fish world. Only an occational minnow breaking the dead still water surface. Warmer weather on tap for Thursday and Friday though!

[crappierod]

Fished Cowanesque last Sat. and between 3 boats and 6 guys, we caught over 200 hundered fish. Started in the cove under Rt. 49 lots of dinks, started to slow down. Headed up the lake and caught them all over the place on the points near deep water. Very nice size crappies, caught some in the 11 in range. Biggest crappie we ever caught out of this lake in 6 years of fishing up there.
Fished last Fri. on Hammond 1 boat on upper end of lake and 1 boat down by ospery hacking house. Upper boat caught a lot of dink fish and lower boat caught very few fish but up to 13in. :p

[kayaker]

Well now that the water temp is up the crappie are to be found on just about any type of structure you can find; rock formations, trees, logs, just about any place to hide.
Question is where do these fish actually like to spawn. I've found bass spawning beds in the shallow waters on plenty of other lakes lately but have not located any in Cowanesque. I thought the upper inlet area ( 'upstream' from the falls) would be ideal but no sign of any bass or crappie beds there.
Any ideas where those big ol' slabs my be hanging out?