My third visit of September to Lake Storey during the fall drawdown found the lake to be about as low as it was going to go. Many targets were high and dry but there were still plenty of secrets and reliable stretches of bank that held a fish or two, or nearly two dozen.

Stats
Date: September 26
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 10:00am-5:30pm
Totals: 23 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy to windy
Water temperature: 76F
Lures: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 10 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 10 bass, Bomber Flat A (baby bass) – 2 bass, ZMan Chatterbait (sexy shad) with swimbait trailer – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-3 (Spinnerbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-2 (2-3,1-12,1-9,1-6,1-4)

Winning lures

Notes and Nonsense

Juice and Jumps – Roughly two hours into the outing, I began to realize that the battery running the bow mount trolling motor was not up to speed. Therefore, I relied primarily on the stern mounted trolling motor which left much to be desired in terms of precise boat control. I made it work but I believe that it cost me a few fish as I was unable to work some spots as the wind picked up. I also lost two bass in the two-pound range that threw my spinnerbait on the way to the boat. These factors contributed to falling short of the double-digit Top 5 goal for the outing.

12:54pm – Top Bass at 2-3 (16.5″) on a spinnerbait

Straightened hook from a hidden snag

Tackle Casualties – A pair of lures ended up out of commission and neither instance occurred with a fish on the line. First up was a snag grabbing my Strike King Red Eye Shad lipless crankbait. While my lure retriever did not knock the lure loose as intended, it got hung on the bait which in turn was hung on a huge log. As I use stout line on my lure retriever, I was able to pull the log to the surface and dislodge both the lipless crank and the lure retriever. However, the rear treble on the lipless crank was straightened and will need to be replaced before using again. On the contrary, a War Eagle spinnerbait is done for good as the wire arm broke as I attempted to straighten it after a battle with a bass.

4:17pm – Top Bass Runner-up at 1-12 (16″) on a chatterbait

Blue Glimmer – The loss of my last War Eagle spinnerbait prompted me to bust out an old legend that I call the “Blue Glimmer.” I have long called it the Blue Glimmer as it is a much shorter nickname than the actual name of a 3/8 oz. Stanley Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait in the Blue Glimmer pattern. It is a member of what I call my “Legendary Lures”. I don’t throw it much as it is out of production, and I am hesitant on Lake Storey as toothy critters (muskies) represent a chance to lose a legend. The Blue Glimmer did hook a two-pound class bass, but the fish was one of those that got away.

Twenty-three bass is a good haul for me on Lake Storey and puts me within reach of a new yearly record for bass catches. After this outing, I stood at 541 bass with my all-time best year being 553 in 2022. Fortunately, I had a chance to get on the water the following day in search of thirteen more bass. Stay tuned for a report from the Knox County strip mines. Talk to you later. Troy

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 secrets on the lake bottom and give anglers a shot at a quality bite as fall feeding activity kicks into gear. Last week, I paid a visit to my old favorite lake and had a solid day.

Gotta love fishing on a weekday

Stats
Date: September 16
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 6:45am-3:00pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 61-85F
Water temperature: 75-78F
Lures: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 10 bass, Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 7 bass
Top Bass: 2-6 (Red Eye Shad)
Top 5 Weight: 9-0 (2-6,1-15,1-13,1-8,1-6)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Drawdown Status – The extent of the drawdown seemed to be lagging as a week prior, direct, and secondhand observations had me concerned that the practice may have fallen by the wayside. Fortunately, the water level was indeed on the way down when I arrived at the ramp, so my worries were unfounded. As it turned out, the drop was at an appealing stage as a substantial amount of shallow cover was still fishable and not high and dry.

8:42am – Top Bass Runner-up at 1-15 (15.5″) on a spinnerbait

Droughts – My results on this outing were solid with a catch rate of 2.06 bass/hour compared to an overall 1.14 bass/hour average dating back to 1997. Even with my favorable catch rate, I did have several lengthy stretches of time without a catch. I had a two-pound fish break off on my fourth cast due to a line abrasion and then failed to get my first bass in the boat for over an hour (6:45am-7:51am). Later in the day, I also experienced droughts from 9:47am-10:59am, 11:00am-12:05pm, and 1:46pm-3:00pm.

10:59am – Top Bass at 2-6 (17″) on a lipless crankbait

Good Wood – As I hop around Lake Storey, I have dozens of potential targets in mind. From specific spots, such as Chilly Willy Stump or The Most Fished Tree to sections of bank like Freak’s Point or Cannon Hill, I hit as many as possible (sometimes twice). There are stumps, rockpiles, logs, brush, points, flats, manmade structure, and more that are on my list. On this trip, a number of them let me down or were inaccessible due to being occupied by other anglers on the shore or in watercraft. However, early feedback from the bass indicated that a pattern of a spinnerbait cast and worked tight to any wood cover was a winner. I wore out every log, brush, laydown, and stump that I could and was rewarded with good results.

I look forward to matching wits with the Lake Storey bass every fall and the first outing of the season did not disappoint. (Note: while September 16 is not technically fall, once Labor Day passes, it is fall in my book). Before the week was over, I was back again so stay tuned for another Lake Storey report. Talk to you later Troy

Once September arrives, I consider it “fall” fishing even though we aren’t quite there yet. And fall fishing brings anxiety on two fronts. On the upside, the bass will go on a feed and if you time it right, the bite can get wild. On the downside, the next couple of months are the home stretch for my fishing year with the final goal being a November bass before I put the gear away. Choices are tough too, as I have a lot of water that I want to visit and limited time to invest. For this pair of outings, I stuck to The Canal, and I use some pop/rock tunes to help tell the tale in today’s report.

September 14 at 8:18am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-0 (13″) on a lipless crankbait 

Stats
Date: September 14-15
Location: Hennepin Canal (2 pools)
Time: 6:45am-10:00am, 6:40am-8:40am
Totals: 3 bass (two on 9/14, one on 9/15)
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy, 63-79F
Lures: Strike King Red Eye Shad (sexy shad) – 1 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass, War Eagle Spinnerbait (white/chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 1-5 (Spro frog on 9/14)
Top 2 Weight (combined trips): 2-5 (1-5,1-0)

Winning – Santana (1981)
“I’m winning, I’m winning, and I don’t intend on losing again.”
The winning lures from September 14

Notes and Nonsense

Dirty Water – The Standells (1966)
The Canal has given me fits lately while hitting spots farther from home. I have found that the further east I progress, the dingier the water. Whether it is solely this variable or not, the results have been as ugly as the water clarity. These two outings were no exception as I could not get anything going despite throwing a bit of everything. From top to bottom and fast to not as fast, it just wasn’t my weekend. The “Dirty Water” tune from The Standells offers up, “I love that dirty water.” Me, not so much.

September 14 at 9:08am – Top Bass at 1-5 (14″) on a topwater frog

Right Place Wrong Time – Dr. John (1973)
My experience of three years and over a hundred miles of rowing, biking, and hiking The Canal has convinced me that there are quality bass all along the waterway. Some stretches are better than others on any given day. For instance, while these two spots had each produced a three-pounder on prior visits, the bass sure had lockjaw on this weekend. In addition, there were a couple glowing reports from anglers fishing to the west of my location. To add my own line to Dr. John’s “Right Place Wrong Time,” I would say that “I was in the right trough, but it must have been the wrong pool.”

September 15 at 6:43am – Lone bass of the morning on a spinnerbait

Go West – Village People (1979)
In my pursuit to post a ten-pound Top 5 on each pool from Colona to the Feeder Basin, I have focused a great deal of time east of Geneseo. On most of the water west of Geneseo, I had already accomplished my goal. While I have not ruled out any more visits to the east before the year ends, I am leaning towards wrapping up the year on the clearer western stretches. Heeding the words of the Village People, “Go west, we will do just fine.”

Just Once – Quincy Jones with James Ingram (1980)
“I did my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.”
Losing lures from September 14

After these tough outings on The Canal, I opted for a change of scenery for my next trip. And I didn’t wait long as I hit the Knox County strip mines on the evening of September 15 for a couple of hours to try and save the day. Stay tuned for that report. Talk to you later. Troy

On the heels of an active bite the previous day, I couldn’t resist another stop at the Knox County strip mines. I happened to be in Galesburg visiting my folks and took “the long way home” to allow for a couple of hours of casting.

If you are not a fan of these creatures, you will want to steer clear of strip mine hiking as they are everywhere

Stats
Date: September 8
Location: Knox County public strip pits (3 lakes)
Time: 3:50pm-6:05pm (2.00 hours fishing)
Totals: 7 bass
Weather: Sunny/breezy, 73F
Lures: 3.75” Strike King Rage Swimmer Swimbait (pro blue/red pearl) with a Twist Lock Flashy Swimmer jighead – 4 bass Whopper Plopper 110 (bone) – 2 bass, Spro Flappin Frog 65 (natural red) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-8 (Whopper Plopper)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 6-9 (2-8,1-11,1-9,0-13)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

4:23pm – Island Lake 1-11 (15″) on a Whopper Plopper

Island Lake – The first stop was a spot that was crazy good in 2023. Last year, I was able to do a complete overhaul on my Top 5 from the lake in boosting a meager weight of 6-11 up to 18-14 via a five-pounder, a four-pounder and three three-pounders. However, in my lone stop this spring, I failed to catch a single bass. On this day, I managed to fool a pair with the largest being 1-11.

5:08pm – Gazelle Lake 1-9 (15″) on a swimbait

Gazelle Lake – This small cut lies on the route between Island Lake and my final stop, Maiden Lake, so I decided to make a few casts. I do not fish this spot much as I have only caught one bass over a pound. Fifteen minutes on this outing produced three bass including a new lake record weighing 1-9, all on a swimbait.

5:38pm – Maiden Lake 2-8 (17″) on a Whopper Plopper

Maiden Lake – This lake has had my number in the eleven years that I have fished it. My first visit in 2013 produced a 1-14 and I had not caught another decent bass there until last year when I got a 3-10. However, Brent has fooled a pair exceeding four pounds including the lake (and site) record of 5-4 in 2022. Those kinds of fish keep me coming back for another shot. On this trip, I did land my best bass of the evening with a 2-8 on a Whopper Plopper. The catch gave my Maiden Lake Top 5 a significant boost from 10-3 to 11-7. Even better, it claimed the fifth spot in the overall Maiden Lake Top 5 (combined with Brent) which now stands at an impressive 18-15.

Not a bad haul for a couple of hours of rapid-fire casting. Many of the Knox County strip mines will close their gates in the next several weeks so I hope to get in a visit or two before the end of the line. I also have my sights set on boosting the numbers on The Canal and hitting Lake Storey for the fall drawdown. Stay tuned as the 2024 fishing year heads into the home stretch. Talk to you later. Troy