Has anyone had success fishing Conneaut for muskie? I know in the past they used to be more prevalent in the lake. I am not asking for tactics or spots to fish for muskie in Conneaut, just curious if anyone has had success targeting them

not much, but some! good luck getting more than that out of guys

Beautiful lake, has a mix of everything, great weed beds, some wood, some rockier parts, deep breaks, open water...I love it there. You will not find cleaner water in any other lakes in the area. But the pleasure boaters and jet skis make it very hard to fish unless you do it when it cold out or raining.
 
Popultion of musky has dropped, but from the reports I have been getting over the past few years I think the trend is starting to show a brighter future, and the ice fishing reports seem to suport that trend
 
I fished it 2 times last year, one time with a good friend and the other with my wife. Fishing with my friend, he caught an upper 40" musky on a spinner bait I make. Fishing with my wife was more a pleasure boat ride/fun fishing couple hour and we got into some pike (like you always do at Conneaut lake)
 
They are there, and they do not jump in the boat. I know guys who do very well there (over 30 musky per year), I know guys who do very poorly (years fishing with no slim in the net).
 
Its musky fishing, the deck is stacked against you. That's all I can say 

Thanks guys, I appreciate your responses. My friends and I fish Conneaut quite a bit mainly targeting northerns as well as largemouth. We are always up for a challenge. Obviously Woodcock is nearby, and is probably one of the top muskie lakes around. I would love to take the time to try and figure out Conneaut's muskie as well as smallmouth situation. The boaters and skiers are annoying so we fish the early morning until about noon, and then again from about 6-sundown.

Used to fish Conneaut some, years ago, late 70's in mid to late May, early June, before the season opened at Chautauqua. Used to jig the weedlines, humps with 1/2 oz. jigs/plastic lizards. Caught a few, nothing big, up to 40" or so. That lake used to have & probably still does have fish in the 30 to 40 lb. class. Of course, fish that size aren't common but they are there. In the spring the boat traffic is tolerable. Wouldn't even consider fishing it in the summer due to the boat traffic. Fishing Conneaut mid Sept. thru Nov. certainly also would be well worth doing with the odds of catching a really nice fish better.
Used to troll Pymatuning some in late spring, early summer & preferred it to Conneaut.

anzomcik
Beautiful lake, has a mix of everything, great weed beds, some wood, some rockier parts, deep breaks, open water...I love it there. You will not find cleaner water in any other lakes in the area. But the pleasure boaters and jet skis make it very hard to fish unless you do it when it cold out or raining.
 
Popultion of musky has dropped, but from the reports I have been getting over the past few years I think the trend is starting to show a brighter future, and the ice fishing reports seem to suport that trend
 
I fished it 2 times last year, one time with a good friend and the other with my wife. Fishing with my friend, he caught an upper 40" musky on a spinner bait I make. Fishing with my wife was more a pleasure boat ride/fun fishing couple hour and we got into some pike (like you always do at Conneaut lake)
 
They are there, and they do not jump in the boat. I know guys who do very well there (over 30 musky per year), I know guys who do very poorly (years fishing with no slim in the net).
 
Its musky fishing, the deck is stacked against you. That's all I can say 

So what do have to do to get one of those home made spinnerbaits off of you? I recently have gotten into lure making (For Muskies) and love to see other peoples designs... but yea, conneaut muskie fishing is making a comeback for sure. 

Stocking yearlings vs. fingerlings would definitely be beneficial in Conneaut.  Let them grow a few more inches before stocking would allow a greater percentage to survive and not get crushed by all those stinken northerns!! I also encourage catch n keep of northerns if you want to see that lake become a muskie powerhouse. 

So what do have to do to get one of those home made spinnerbaits off of you? I recently have gotten into lure making (For Muskies) and love to see other peoples designs... but yea, conneaut muskie fishing is making a comeback for sure. 




 
I have a link to my site in my signature, they are in the store section (because I do not have then listed on the main pages). All the baits on my site I make, and its all done in PA.
 
As for Conneaut lake becoming a "muskie powerhouse" I do not think that can happen with keeping legal pike. By all means keep a legal pike if you choose to eat them, but to kill a pike because you think it will change a lake is a little absurd. That mentality is on the same level of killing bowfin because they "eat everything". Lakes all go through cycles, and whether C lake is on a pike peak and musky low, or just the opposite nature will take care of its self and find its balance even if people want it another way. 
 
Besides the pike that are in there today are natural, most if not all the muskies that are in there were put in the PFBC. 
 
Don't get me wrong I would love to have that lake bloom with a more dense population of musky, but I have come to accept its a more challenging lake in the area. But generally when I go and fish it I can manage to get at least one musky to move on a bait. In PA that's not a bad average. 

By all means I'm not saying waste the pike, if trimmed out properly they are good eating... but by keeping a few legal ones every other trip or so and putting them to good use, could definitely mean the difference of a few more stocked muskies making it