Category: Fishing Reports

Hennepin Canal Report-October 14 & 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I hit The Canal last weekend lacking twenty-six bass for my 2023 goal of 447 bass. Saturday evening consisted of a bike ride while Sunday found me dragging the boat along. Read on for the report and status on reaching my target.

October 14 – Top Bass at 1-1 (13″) on a squarebill crankbait

Stats
Date: October 14-15
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 4:05pm-6:05pm, 2:15pm-5:00pm
Totals:2 bass, 15 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/windy, 55F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) – 7 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 4 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) with Bass Pro Shops Twin Tail trailer (Houdini) – 4 bass, Strike King Rattling Squarebill (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Yum Wooly Bug (green pumpkin) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight (combined trips): 8-5 (2-2,1-14,1-13,1-7,1-1)

Winning Lures – October 14 (left) and October 15 (right)

Notes and Nonsense

Two Bass on Two Wheels – With only a couple hours to get away and windy conditions (yes, even on The Canal), I opted for bike over boat. I chose a mid-distance destination (less than 25-minute drive) with the days getting shorter and a late afternoon departure. The stretch features solid bank access and is home to several quality catches over the last two-plus years. With all of that said, it didn’t really work out as well as I’d hoped with two bass in the pound range and a similar fish that got away. All three catches were within a fifty-yard stretch although I did cover several miles on the bike.

October 15 at 2:36pm- Top Bass Runner-Up 1-14 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Sunday Gamble – Saturday’s struggle left me needing twenty-four bass to meet my goal and Sunday didn’t get off to such a hot start in terms of weather. Originally, I intended a late morning trip but waited out some unappealing weather and hit the water mid-afternoon instead. With a larger window of several hours to fish, I opted to drive a bit farther than normal to a section of The Canal that I had only visited twice. Those outings had resulted in ten bass in just over three hours of fishing from a boat. Beyond those results, I just had a good feeling about the spot.

October 15 at 4:13pm – Top Bass 2-2 (17″) on a chatterbait

Sunday Success – My gamble paid off to the tune of fifteen bass from 2:15pm to 5:00pm. I will admit that I did waver a bit upon arrival as the water was rather murky. The alternative would have wasted twenty minutes of fishing time while driving and instinct held that my first choice was still the best choice. My second cast with a Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait provided all the feedback that I needed, and it was game on. Along with the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait, I mixed in a War Eagle Spinnerbait, and a Z-Man Chatterbait enroute to a solid day. Top Bass for the day came in at 2-2 and hit a chatterbait along a mix of riprap, sparse weeds and a ledge, a classic combination on The Canal. In fact, I found bass in all the right places as this stretch features an appealing mix of rock, weeds, wood, depth, and manmade structure.

 

Thanks to the successful Sunday, I am now only nine bass from my goal. With the weather and water still maintaining temperatures on The Canal to keep the bass active and feeding, I make as many casts as I can as tight to structure as I can and hold on. Hopefully, the activity level remains on the upside through the weekend, and I can get one more shot before I may have alter some presentations. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – October 12

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was able to visit Lake Storey twice in September for my annual shot at the fall drawdown (one solo trip and one with Brent). All told, we had landed twenty-six bass in thirteen and a half hours on the water. Nearly two bass per hour isn’t bad for Lake Storey but I still felt that we didn’t meet our expectations. There was only one way to fix that, head back for round three.

10:30am – First bass at 1-0 (12.5″) and only five minutes into casting

Stats
Date: October 12
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 10:25am-4:10pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/breezy to windy, 63-75F
Water temperature: 60-63F
Lures: Z-Man Chatterbait (sexy shad) – 13 bass, War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 9-3 (2-8,1-15,1-12,1-8,1-8)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Compliments to the Chef – A shout out to fellow angler and storyteller, Chef Todd Kent, as I finally decided to buy into the Lake Storey chatterbait bite. Chef Todd has long endorsed chatterbaits and shared some solid catches on the lure from Lake Storey over the years. I’ve never been a chatterbait fan, just catching a few here or there on the strip mine ledges and flats. But on this day, I opted to start with a chatterbait on one rod and never took it off as the bass provided plenty of positive feedback.

2:38pm – Top Bass at 2-8 (18.5″) on a chatterbait

Juiced – When I head to Lake Storey, I plan to make a full day out of the trip. Typically, I don’t have a set time when I need to be home, so it comes down to what runs out of juice first, me or the boat batteries. The east wind took a toll on the front mount trolling motor battery as I fished my way down the lake taking a direct hit. While the wind was favorable pushing me back to the ramp, I effectively had no boat control after about five and a half hours on the water. It was disappointing to have to call it a day as I’d hoped to get in seven or eight hours of fishing, but it was comforting that the body was still going strong.

One That Got Away – I have noted before that my goals on each trip are as follows: Don’t get shut out, catch a Top 5 (five bass at 12” or longer) and post a Top 5 Weight of ten pounds or better. The latter item came up short, but I believe that I had the fish on that would have given my weight the necessary boost. Shortly before ending the day, I had one on the way to the boat, but it somehow let go of a chatterbait. Initially, I thought that I gave a little slack as I prepared to reach behind me for the dipnet. However, the video clip below does not seem to back up such a mistake. Instant replay is fun that way if you don’t mind having to relive the one the got away. If it had tipped the scales at 2-5 or better, I would have hit the ten-pound weight goal. I did get a look at the fish, and I am certain it would have made the mark. As I often say, “That’s fishing.”

 

As the Old Saying Goes – Adages are a fun part of language as their expression of conventional wisdom can talk out of both sides of the mouth, so to speak. For example, “birds of a feather flock together”, yet “opposites attract.” And so it was with this fishing trip as the forecast correctly indicated that I would be greeted with an east wind. Anglers who have been around for a while know that “wind from the east, fish bite the least”, supposedly. But I had vacation day from work and the air temperatures were supposed to hit seventy, so it was all systems go regardless of the wind. Instead of fretting about the wind from the east, I subscribed to another of my favorite fishing sayings. “The best time to go fishing is anytime you can.” And it all turned out just fine.

 

Seventeen bass on a Lake Storey outing is a rousing success for my level of fishing. When adding them to my database it pushed my 2023 total to 421 bass. As noted in the previous post, I am shooting for 447 bass this year. When coupled with last year’s personal best yearly total of 553 bass, it would give me a grand total of 1,000 bass over the last two years. Thanks to The Canal this past weekend, I’ve already chipped away at the 26 bass that were lacking.

In addition to The Canal report, I have a follow-up Lake Storey post in the works as it is hard to say it all in just one submission. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – October 8

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Access is drawing to a close on the Knox County public strip mines, so Snakeden Hollow was the choice for a getaway last Sunday. My goals were twofold. First, I wanted to land six bass to reach four hundred for the year. Secondly, I intended to bike and hike to a few remote spots to learn new stuff on an area that I have fished for over thirty years. Both missions were a success with further details below.

1:03pm – Top Bass at 1-6 (14″), which also happened to be Bass #400 of the year

Stats
Date: October 8
Location: Knox County strip mines (9 lakes)
Time: 10:40am-2:40pm (2.25 hours fishing, the rest hiking/biking)
Totals: 10 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Lures: Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (grey ghost) – 8 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (peanut butter and jelly) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-6 Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait
Top 5 Weight: 6-1 (1-6,1-5,1-4,1-2,1-0)

Notes and Nonsense

The Mission – I packed along my bicycle to cut down on travel time to the far reaches of Snakeden Hollow. From there, I switched to foot travel across weedy stretches unfit for pedaling. For even after thirty-four years of exploring, there were still a few places out there where I had never set foot. Several bodies of water did not even exist when I first stepped into Snakeden Hollow back in 1990 while others have undergone significant changes over the years. And one I had not seen since 1990 as a worker at the site. Lots of stories. Perhaps another day.

That’s the sign post up ahead, and it means you have gone off the beaten (although nicely mowed) path

The Results – All told, I made casts in nine different lakes. Six were “known” lakes where I had varying degrees of experience and catch data. The only surprise was a fifteen-minute stop that produced a fourteen-inch bass, the largest of a handful of bass landed from the lake over the years. Therefore, it made my list for some more casts in the future. Three other bodies of water were previously unexplored, and none produced a bass in fifteen to thirty minutes of casting on each. Bank access was limited and while not a thorough test of potential, my first impressions were not positive. One was very weedy and tough to fish, one showed signs of life only in the form of tiny bluegill, and the other showed no signs of life at all.

 

Grey Ghost – The Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait in the grey ghost pattern was a winner on this trip landing eight of my ten bass. I’ve got a story about this lure. Actually, after forty plus years of chasing bass, I’ve got a story about most everything. Anyway, close to thirty years ago, Brent and I got stuck listening to a batch of fish stories at the Spring Lake tackle trailer over near Manito. The proprietor related how he and his son bought every Mann’s Baby 1- in the grey ghost color in the Peoria area to keep them out of the hands of rival anglers. True story? Not sure. Effective color? Not noticeably for me as I like the red craw color better. But on this trip, the old grey ghost came through. You know, I have another story about how I met the Mann’s Baby 1-. Perhaps another day.

Winning Lures

Oh yeah, there’s also a new story about the Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait from this trip as it landed Bass #400. Check out the catch video below.

 

Now that I have Bass #400 in the log, I have my sights set on reaching 447 bass. Combined with the 2022 total of 553, that would give me 1,000 bass over the last two years. After this trip, I stood at 404, leaving a ways to go and a short time to get there.

So long to Snakeden for 2023 but still more fishing left before I put the poles away.

A Lake Storey report is in the works as a cooperative batch of bass earlier this week knocked out a chunk of those forty-three bass that I am seeking. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – October 1

Posted on by Troy Jackson

As October arrived, I was looking for fourteen bass to push my 2023 total to four hundred. Having a limited morning window to hit the water, I chose the proximity of The Canal for my getaway. In addition, I had neglected the old waterway for two months, so we were due to connect.

7:55pm – First Bass at 1-5 (14″) on a Whopper Plopper, part of a trend or two (read on)

Stats
Date: October 1
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 7:15am-9:45am
Totals: 8 bass
Weather: Sunny/calm, 62-77F
Lures: Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 7 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-14 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-15 (2-14,1-8,1-5,1-2,1-2)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Attack of the 14” Bass – It sounds like a cheesy horror movie, but the title was an accurate summation of my early bites as the first three all measured in at exactly fourteen inches. The fourth catch was only slightly larger at fifteen inches, and I did fool one other fourteen-inch fish before the morning was over. No complaints on those fish though as they certainly exceed my “keeper” definition of twelve inches (all bass released). In fact, the “keeper” rate on this outing was one hundred percent with all eight bass at or above twelve inches.

Topwater Sweep – As October progresses, the topwater bite begins to fade. So, while I had a Whopper Plopper and a Spro Flappin’ Frog in my starting lineup, I truly expected to get into a spinnerbait bite. That’s not the way it materialized as topwater presentations fooled all eight fish (seven on the Whopper Plopper and one on the Spro Frog). It is always a treat to get the surface bait bite and I appreciated them even more as they may be the last such bites of the year. Not that I won’t try it to prolong the fun, just that other presentations will be more reliable.

9:06pm – Top Bass at 2-14 (18″) on a Whopper Plopper

What a Difference a Year Makes – 2023 started off with a heavy dose of Canal fishing as I sought to explore new stretches of the waterway. Although I caught fish, my results were not as good as I had hoped so I shifted gears and invested my fishing time (and gas money) on the Knox County strip mines instead. The decision has paid off well in terms of quantity and quality, but I do miss learning on The Canal as I barely have two years of experience on the area. Plenty of stats to come during the off season but my eight bass on this outing brought my Canal total to 109 bass for 2023. That is a far cry from 359 bass last year.

 

A solid morning but I came up six bass shy of the fourteen needed to hit the four hundred bass mark. Do you know what that means? Yep, another reason to get back out there and find another half dozen bites. Stay tuned as the quest continued last weekend. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 30

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It is that time of year again when most of the Knox County public strip mine access shuts down to anglers in favor of waterfowl. And as we head into October, I know that my time on the water in general is also drawing to a close. With those factors in mind, I decided to spend the final day of September chasing bass on a couple solid spots. Read on for the results.

9:55am – Top Bass (tie) at 3-2 (19″) on a creature bait

Stats
Date: September 30
Location: Knox County strip mines (one public, one private)
Time: 7:35am-11:35am, 1:00pm-2:45pm
Totals: 23 bass
Weather: Sunny/windy, 63-87F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (peanut butter and jelly) – 11 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 5 bass, Yum Wooly Bug (crawdad) – 4 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 3-2 (tie) on Yum Wooly Bug and Spro Frog
Top 5 Weight: 11-1 (3-2,3-2,2-10,1-2,1-1)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Autumn Arrives – As I type up this report exactly one week after this trip, the Saturday morning temperature reads at forty-four degrees with a predicted high of fifty-nine. In contrast, I launched my boat last Saturday morning and it was already in the mid-sixties on the way to a high of eighty-seven degrees. Yes, fall has arrived. But somewhere along the way, those bass will turn on for a late season feed and I hope to be on the water at least once to take my shot.

Public Numbers – My morning was spent on a public body of water and four hours of casting resulted in thirteen bass. Top Bass was 3-2 and the Top 5 Weight tipped the scales at 8-11. I worked from top to bottom, from fast to slow, and while I never got a real pattern going, 3.25 bass/hour is still a very good catch rate. Sometimes, it is odd when on the water and focused that the bite doesn’t seem so great. But when looking back at the log, I had a solid morning. Bites were spread out evenly between three lures with five on a spinnerbait, and four each on a Senko wacky rig and a Texas-rigged creature bait.

1:32pm – Top Bass (tie) at 3-2 (19″) on a frog

Private Numbers – For the afternoon portion of the program I headed over to Little John Conservation Club, an area that I have neglected over the last several years. For various reasons, my focus has been on public waters and some new ones at that with The Canal and a couple strip pits. While I have a long history with those Little John bass, and I dig fishing the collection of lakes, I find it more fun to blog about chasing fish on water that everyone can access. The Little John bass haven’t forgotten about me at least, as ten showed up in just under two hours of fishing. A Senko wacky rig was the top producer with seven bass, while a lipless crank fooled one, and a topwater frog got two including my Top Bass. That Top Bass was also a 3-2 and my weight only consisted of two “keepers” totaling 4-4.

Fall Calls – During the morning portion of the outing, I heard several pheasants and saw a couple flush. Those were some welcome sights and sounds as they take me back to the early nineties when we first started roaming the strip mines. Darn near every trip, one of those birds would take flight at our feet as we traversed the grassy expanses. I am no pheasant hunter and that is probably a good thing because those birds flushing always scared me half to death as I plodded along daydreaming about what lay in store at the next fishing hole.

 

A very good outing both in terms of quantity and quality. The twenty-three bass left me fourteen bass shy of landing four hundred this year. With that in mind, I hit a favorite stretch of The Canal the following weekend. Stay tuned to see if I was able to outsmart enough bass to hit the milestone. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Report – September 25

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A second shot at the Lake Storey drawdown featured a fishing partner and a water level as low as it would go for the season. Hopes were high but the bass proved to be rather stubborn, more so for one angler than the other. Read on for the results.

Pre-launch predictions for our combined totals

9:22am – First bass only seven minutes into our trip had us feeling optimistic

Stats
Date: September 25
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 9:15am-3:45pm
Totals: 11 bass (Brent – 8, Troy – 3)
Weather: Sunny/calm-breezy, 66-78F
Water temperature: 73F
Lures: Tandem Spinnerbait (green/white) – 6 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, Mann’s 1- Crankbait (baby bass crystal glow) – 2 bass, War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-10 Troy (Lipless Crankbait)
Top 5 Weight: 7-8 (2-10,1-5,1-4,1-4,1-1)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Ramp Revamp – From years of observation, we determined that the lake was dropped to the maximum by virtue of the exposed shoreline and structure. Brent was at the ramp prior to my arrival and observed city employees smoothing out the ramp with an end loader. The chunky rutted section of ramp beyond the concrete portion was removed and a fresh batch of loose asphalt was put in place. I would say that four-wheel drive is a must, but the makeshift ramp is a welcome improvement for drawdown launching. And my eyes on the lake (Dad) provided a recent report that the concrete portion of the ramp has been extended with some drawdown construction.

10:28am – Brent Top Bass at 1-4 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Bites and Baits – The bulk of our casting featured spinnerbaits and those lures landed seven of our eleven bass. A crankbait and a lipless crank accounted for the other three catches. We slowed down with a Senko wacky rig and a jig but never even got a nibble. Just a tough day when the bites came on faster power presentations but only enough to keep us interested (and casting them) and never a feeding frenzy to fill the boat.

10:34am – Top Bass at 2-10 (17.5″) on a lipless crankbait

Ones That Got Away – Brent lost three bass that threw his lures on leaps, two on a spinnerbait and one on a crankbait. While none were trophies, at least two of them were in the pound and a half range and would have given our Top 5 Weight a boost. It always stinks when a fish gets loose, but it is particularly disheartening when the bite is tough.

 

Worn Out – Six and a half hours in a boat on this trip after six hours the previous day rowing and hiking left me and Brent beat. Upon returning home, I dropped into my boys’ room to chat with my oldest son and see how his day transpired. After about a twenty-minute conversation, I proceeded to nod off in my youngest boy’s bed. Fortunately, it only turned out to be a thirty-minute nap that did little to relieve my fatigue. In fact, one of the ladies in our house, who shall remain unnamed, looked at me and said, “You look terrible.” I couldn’t really take offense as her assessment was on the money.

Final Results

Combined with the previous day’s strip mine success, Brent and I had two enjoyable days on the water. The strip mines exceeded our predictions, while the Lake Storey bass got the better of us. Such is fishing. Either way, it was great to get on the water on back-to-back days with my brother. After the remainder of the week to recuperate, we’ll see what lies in store as we head down the home stretch of 2023 fishing. Talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 24

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Every fall, most of the Knox County public strip mines go off limits to anglers around the middle of October. That is a discussion for a separate post. For this report, we’ll stick to the home stretch approach of at least “one more visit” before we get locked out. And this visit turned out to be worth our while.

Pre-launch predictions for our combined totals

9:02am – Solid first bass at 2-6 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait and would be the eighth largest bass of the day

Stats
Date: September 24
Location: Knox County public strip mines (5 lakes)
Time: 10:05am-1:30pm (6.00 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Totals: 36 bass (Troy – 23 bass, Brent 13 bass in two less hours of fishing)
Weather: Sunny/windy, 62-77F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (assorted colors) – 19 bass, Spinnerbait (green/white or chartreuse/white) – 14 bass, Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 4-4 Spinnerbait (Brent)
Top 5 Weight: 15-11 (4-4,3-2,2-15,2-12,2-10)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Rowing Role – We started our day on a lake where we could fish from our little john boat which means that somebody had to row. Rather than flip a coin or draw straws, I volunteered to provide the horsepower. I keep the boat at my house, so I get more use than Brent, who relies on his kayak when fishing from a small watercraft. As such, it was proper to take that portion of the guide role and sacrifice a few casts along the way. I suspect that it has all evened out on the oars over the years and we always have a good time no matter who is catching.

9:52am – Top Bass at 4-4 (19″), also Brent’s Top 2023 Bass and a new lake record

Lake Record – Brent’s fourth fish was a 4-4 on a spinnerbait that not only set a record for the lake we were fishing but also landed as his Top Bass for 2023 (so far). His 4-4 topped a 4-2 that I had fooled back in early May for the former lake record. Brent also landed a 3-2 (also on a spinnerbait) less than an hour later that would be our Top Bass Runner-Up for the day. Both bass gave the Top 5 all-time totals for the lake a boost. The mark now stands at 18-3 (4-4,4-2,3-7,3-4,3-2).

9:16am – My Top Bass of the day at 2-15 (17″) on a Senko wacky rig

Guide Tip – At one point, I directed Brent to a solid spinnerbait setup as I positioned the boat in the wind for a good casting angle. The spot featured a laydown in a couple of feet of water with one end sitting on the drop into an open water bowl ringed by timber on the deepest section of the lake. I commented that I had caught a couple nice fish on the log in the spring. In eight minutes, Brent proceeded to land three more “keepers” on the spot with a 3-2, 2-7, and 1-7, all on his spinnerbait.

Official Results – Weight exceeded both of our predictions, I was closest on Top Bass while Brent was closest on Total Bass guess

Afternoon Stroll – The walk-in strip mines are no walk in the park, but I was determined to give them a shot to end the day. Brent was on board as well and fished along for just over an hour. I stuck around longer and wound up with a decent quantity of eleven bass, but I could not find any quality bites with a pair at 1-4 being the best.

 

The Knox County strip mines have been our top producers in 2023, both in terms of numbers and size. As we head to October, it is crunch time on these waters and time will tell if we get back for another shot. Following this trip, we were able to get back on the water but opted for another favorite fall fishing destination, Lake Storey. Stay tuned for the report and talk to you later. Troy

Strip Mine Report – September 16

Posted on by Troy Jackson

On the heels of a Friday Lake Storey visit, I was able to make it back-to-back days on the water with a Saturday strip mine hike.

Stats
Date: September 16
Location: Knox County public strip mines (4 lakes)
Time: 10:05am-1:30pm (3.00 hours fishing, the rest walking)
Totals: 16 bass
Weather: Overcast/calm, 60-73F
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (peanut butter and jelly) – 11 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- (red craw) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 2-5 Senko
Top 5 Weight: 7-12 (2-5,2-2,1-3,1-2,1-0)

Only needed two lures to land my bass on this outing

Notes and Nonsense

Rain – A mid-morning start was later than planned due to inclement weather. As a kid, I always found the Cubs rain delays fun as they would show old World Series or All-Star Game highlight reels. For my version of the rain delay, I took a drive around to several public parking lots and reminisced of past catches and pondered visits for some future catches.

Text – Technology has had a profound effect on how I fish and document my time on the water. Such impact is fodder for a batch of blog posts but for today, text messaging gets a brief shout out. As noted in the texts above, Brent was fishing in the same vicinity doing his exploring via kayak as opposed to hiking. While it is always preferable to fish together, it is cool how texting allows us to keep tabs on each other’s results throughout the day.

11:50am – Keep moving and casting in search of a quality Top Bass

Next – The thing that I probably enjoy the most about hiking the strip mines is the abundance of fishing holes. Typically, I go in with a plan to hit four, five, maybe six different bodies of water. Many are not very large and if a half hour of time investment fails to raise much interest, it’s on to another spot in hopes that the bass will be more cooperative. On this trip, I got a bite (and miss) on my first cast at my first stop and proceeded to land four bass in the first thirty minutes. An hour later on the same lake, I had not fooled another fish. So, on to the next spots to the tune of five bass in forty-five minutes, two bass in fifteen minutes, and five bass in thirty minutes. It is always interesting to observe the mood of the bass from trip to trip on these lakes. Some days the bite is on fire and other days you would swear that a lake is the Dead Sea. That’s fishing.

 

Topwater Bust – My first cast of the morning got a solid, up-close blow up on a frog, but the bass came loose. Near the end of my day, I had strike on a Whopper Plopper, but the bass spit the lure as I was about ready to land it. In between, I had one other missed strike on the frog for the extent of my topwater action. The lack of strikes was disappointing as I had what I thought were solid skies for a topwater bite. I guess I just needed a breeze for a little chop on the surface to convince the bass to go for a lunchtime topwater meal. That’s fishing.

 

A shorter day, although longer on energy expenditure resulted in exactly the same number of bass as the previous day’s Lake Storey outing. Back-to-back totals of sixteen bass during two solid days of fishing on two places that feel like home. And before the fishing year wraps up, I hope to pay each of them at least one more visit. Talk to you later. Troy

Lake Storey Notes – September 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

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

Lake Storey Report – September 15

Posted on by Troy Jackson

It’s that time of year again when the decision is made to pull the plug on Lake Storey for the annual fall drawdown. This fisheries management practice drops the lake level and limits the hiding places for prey fish allowing the predator fish an increased opportunity to thin the herd. It can also reveal some secrets on the lake bottom and give anglers a shot at a quality bite as fall feeding activity kicks into gear. Last Friday, I paid a visit to my old favorite lake and had a solid day.

11:23am – First bass and a running joke with Brent and my son, Jayce (note the water retention structure in the background)

Stats
Date: September 15
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 11:15am-6:15pm
Totals: 16 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 56-74F
Water temperature: 74-76F
Lures: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 8 bass, Strike King Squarebill Crankbait (natural pumpkinseed) – 2 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 2 bass, 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (peanut butter and jelly) – 2 bass, Strike King Rattling Pro Model Jig (green pumpkin) with plastic craw trailer – 1 bass, Mann’s Baby 1- Crankbait (red craw) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-0 Spinnerbait
Top 5 Weight: 8-11 (2-0,1-13,1-13,1-12,1-5)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

The beat up frog was the lone lure of my offerings that failed to land a bass

Six for Seven – Being one to take too much gear, I had seven poles rigged up with what I call my “starting lineup.” I never switched from those lures, simply retying when concerned about line abrasions. Of my starting seven, only the Spro Flappin Frog 65 came up empty and not for lack of effort as I put it to use in several areas. The other six lures all caught at least one bass and made me feel like I knew what I was doing out there. I guess nearly forty years of practice comes in handy.

2:48pm – Top Bass at 2-0 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

One That Got Away – As I worked an extended shallow flat, I spotted an upright trash barrel just under the surface. I goofed around tossing a Senko into the barrel thinking that it would make quite a story, but no one took the bait. However, a subsequent cast near the barrel resulted in something hitting my Senko like a freight train and causing the drag to scream. Unfortunately, the suddenness of the strike caught me off guard and I never got much of a hookset before the fish just let go and my Senko flew out of the water from the resultant loss of rod tension. I never saw the fish, so I have no idea what it was. My guess is a catfish as a muskie may have simply sliced the 10-pound test. I am also guessing it was not a bass as the thought of missing one of that caliber would be a bit heartbreaking.

6:11pm – Lake Storey Bass #400 (see explanation below)

Lake Storey 400 – I am a stat freak and try to consult my data prior to each trip to see what sort of milestones or targets to consider. In the case of Lake Storey, I needed sixteen bass to reach four hundred bass during what I call the “computer age” (continuous log/database dating from 1997-present). Of course, I forgot as soon as I got into my Lake Storey focused mindset and did not realize until later that I had landed exactly sixteen bass. Bass #400 came within sight of the ramp and a mere four minutes before I called it quits. In addition, it made my Top 5 for the day meaning it needed to pose for a photo. Luck was on my side all the way around.

 

Seven hours on Lake Storey provided plenty to blog about but I’ll save the additional notes for a separate post. I’ll close this report with a tale from a pair of fellow anglers during a brief evening chat in the ramp parking lot. A mother and young son were returning to their vehicle as I was securing the boat and asked if I had any luck. I replied that I was pleased with the outing and threw a few numbers at them. They offered up “all we caught was a shoe.” I informed them that they had outdone me on that catch as I have landed a glove and a sock over the years, but never a shoe. I told them that it will make for a good story to retell and added, “It didn’t have a foot in it, did it?” All good.

Talk to you later. Troy