Cowbells; for lake trout and what else?

[Todd in NY]

I was introduced to cowbells last August on a charter. It was late August and the salmon bite wasn't happening. So the captain pulled up the riggers and went to deeper water for lake trout. That was the first time I had ever seen or heard of cowbells and spin-n-glows, but it helped us catch a limit of lake trout, and those lakers were all we caught that day. I was happy as a paying customer because we went home with a cooler full of fish.

 

I have 3 sets of Hammerheads and some spin-n-glows now. But I still never hear of cowbells being used to catch other species of fish. So that is my question; what else have any of you caught with cowbells? what other lures do you attach to cowbells besides spin-n-glows?

Edited February 26, 2016 by Todd in NY

[Sk8man]

Kings can sometimes smack them especially running meat or spoons behind them and with the smaller more colorful sets of cowbells running spoons I have caught rainbows and browns as well. The peanuts and Spin N Glows seem to work best for lakers though.

[skipper19]

Try these Macks flash lites too for lakers and like Les mentioned above. Spoons flies or especially meat rigs will get either salmon or trout off the bottom.

[Todd in NY]

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Try these Macks flash lites too for lakers and like Les mentioned above. Spoons flies or especially meat rigs will get either salmon or trout off the bottom.

 

Very cool, never seen these before.

[GAMBLER]

I have had luck with Kwikfish, spoons, peanuts, spin n glows, swim baits, and mr twister curly tailed grubs. Spin n glows and peanuts are my best two producers. Kwikfish work but I end up with picking up zebra muscles with them now and then. I have only caught lakers, a steelhead and an Atlantic on cowbells and spin n glows.

[Sk8man]

I'd never seen the Mack's flash Lites Mark. Thanks have to try them.

[skipper19]

I'd never seen the Mack's flash Lites Mark. Thanks have to try them.

First fish I caught in these was a king in about 15 seconds after I put it down!

[John Kelley]

A ton of people out in the Western states use spinner and crawler rigs behind them for rainbows and kokanees(landlocked sockeye salmon), much higher in the water column than you would for lakers.    

Edited February 28, 2016 by John Kelley

[Sk8man]

A worm harness works here on the Finger Lakes for rainbows too John. For those unfamiliar with them  (worm harness = small set of blades somewhat like cowbells with a nightcrawler or plastic worm trailing behind it). I use them with a 1 ounce weight on a three way swivel within the first 40 ft or so from the surface and sometimes behind small dipseys.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Sk8man

[LakerTaker]

I've used crawler harnesses (typically used for walleye) with a snap weight in 30-40 ft of water in Lake Huron for Coho salmon and they work great!

[Todd in NY]

I've used crawler harnesses (typically used for walleye) with a snap weight in 30-40 ft of water in Lake Huron for Coho salmon and they work great!

 

 What time of year was that?

[rolmops]

We use cowbells fishing for striped bass, but mostly as a decoy for blue fish. we lower the cowbells to about 20 foot down and 60 foot back. The blues will attack them and that gives us a chance to lower our  eels down to 40 or 50 foot without having them destroyed by the blues.

Edited February 29, 2016 by rolmops

[LakerTaker]

It was early July. They were hanging out at the mouth of a group of islands. I thought it was very strange (that they would take night crawlers) but it worked great.