When I put in a full day on an old favorite body of water, one blog entry is often not enough. So, here’s part two to cover the rest of the notes and nonsense from Lake Storey.

Snags – Crankbait Fishing 101 says that you should bang your lure into as much stuff as you can during your retrieve. In doing so, you will inevitably get snagged, and I did several times on this trip. Four of the instances involved my trebles getting hung up in old fishing line left behind by other anglers. Fortunately, I was able to free my crankbaits from these gnarled tangles. In the process, I also gained a fellow angler’s lipless crankbait from one of the snags.

A sample of the Lake Storey menu – bluegill, various minnows, golden shiner, and shad

Forage – The Lake Storey predators sure do not lack options when it comes to prey fish. I stopped by late one evening last week on the way through Galesburg and found the shallows teeming with various minnows, young of the year bluegill, and even a tiny catfish. Golden shiners have shown up occasionally while panfishing and shad are frequently spotted cruising in large schools or getting spooked out of cover by the boat. However, some of the latter must be elusive as I saw a couple on this outing that were scary big and would likely only serve as muskie food.

An old reel, a stubby rod, and a spinnerbait take me back to bass fishing in the 1980s

Vintage Daiwa – Back in May, I noted that I had a 1980s Daiwa reel repaired and was looking to put it into the lineup this year paired with an old school 5’6” Berkley Lightning Rod. While the Lightning Rod was not my original 1980s purchase, the rod and reel mirrored my first baitcasting combo from either 1986 or 1987. The shorter rod with this combo is not suitable for my hiking trips as I need more distance on casts, but it sets up just right for my close quarter spinnerbait approach on Lake Storey or The Canal. Well, I finally put the setup to use on this trip and armed with a spinnerbait just like the old days, it landed eight of my sixteen bass. I suspect these won’t be the last bass this retro combo puts in the log.

Feedback from a bass is important but it also pays to watch and learn from fellow anglers as described below

Always Learning – No matter your experience on a body of water, there is always plenty to learn. As I made my way down a straight stretch of bank, another boat came in behind me to fish the “used” water. The fellow angler proceeded to outfish me at least four to two from what I observed. What I also observed was his approach. While I was fishing fast alternating between a spinnerbait and a crankbait, he was flipping/pitching a creature bait of some sort, methodically picking apart shoreline targets. My rapid-fire approach and focus on making a lot of casts generally serves me well but I do slow down when the bass force my hand. But what about starting with the precision flipping/pitching style? We’ll see as I hope to get back to Lake Storey at least one more time this year. I also made a point to watch where the other angler stopped and made a mental note of one spot that I don’t normally fish as the guy looked like he knew what he was doing.

Prediction vs. Production – When I fish with a partner, I try to solicit some guesses prior to launching in terms of total bass, Top Bass, and Top 5 Weight. These totals are tallied as a combined effort of our catches. However, when I am flying solo, I’m on my own with only one lure in the water as opposed to two or more depending on how many anglers are along for the outing. Regardless, the goals are the same. Don’t get shut out, land five “keepers” (12” or better) and post a double-digit Top 5 Weight. Two out of three weren’t bad on this trip as noted by the prediction and production numbers below.

I have a habit of keeping my fishing buddies updated when I’m on the water.

I dig fishing Lake Storey and I always look forward to an annual drawdown visit or two. With that being said, plans are in the works to do it again before the year is over. And next time, I’ll have some experienced help. But first, there is a strip mine hike to report. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy