On Thursday, May 15, I took my first shot of 2026 at dragging a boat into a Knox County public strip pit. Not by coincidence, the Illinois High School Bass Fishing Regional was being held on nearby Lake McMaster at Snakeden Hollow. The plan was to invest a few hours of my own casting before heading over to see how the prep anglers fared with their efforts.

Starting lineup

Stats
Date: May 14
Location: Knox County public strip pit
Time: 9:50am-12:35pm
Totals: 17 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 56-70F
Water temperature: Not available
Lures: 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (blue pearl black and holo flake) – 13 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black or white) – 4 bass
Top Bass: 2-2 (Buzzbait)
Top 5 Weight: 8-0 (2-2,1-12,1-8,1-6,1-4)

10:10am – Top Bass at 2-2 (17″) on a buzzbait

Battered buzzbait from the Top Bass, just had to bend it back in line

Notes and Nonsense

Lost Lures – This outing cost me two lures. First up was a black Booyah Buzzbait that I launched into the middle of the lake after hitting a dead tree limb on my backcast. Next was a chatterbait the broke off on a hookset. I saw the flash of the bass that hit the lure but not enough to get an estimate on size. Lucky for me, Farm King in Galesburg had Z-Man chatterbaits marked down 15%. So, I bought three to replace the one that I lost.

Always have a spare (or two or three) of a productive lure

Winning lures

11:41am – Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-12 (16″) on a Senko wacky rig

Firsts of 2026– I began my day trying to force feed the bass a buzzbait in less-than-ideal buzzbait conditions (clear skies and clear water). My thought process was that I had limited time on the water, so I opted to swing for the fences in search of a big bite. I did get my  first topwater bass of the year and my Top Bass of the day weighing 2-2 mangled my buzzbait but that was the largest of my four buzzbait bass. For the last hour on the water, I shifted gears to a wacky rigged Senko resulting in my first Senko bass of the year with a dozen more to follow.

Lake McMaster IHSA Regional teams headed for the weigh-in

IHSA Tourney – Back in 2009, I was able to attend the weigh-in at Banner Marsh during the first year of the Illinois High School Bass Fishing Tournament as my nephew was fishing for Canton High School. For the second straight year, I have invested a vacation day from work to watch the Lake McMaster Regional weigh-in, working in a pre-event fishing trip of my own on a nearby water. Thirteen of the twenty teams were able to post five fish limits, but the bigger bites were elusive. It is always exciting to see what the young anglers reel in, especially on a lake that I first fished in 1987, several years before it was opened to the public.

Lake McMaster IHSA Regional Results

A solid day on the water for anglers both young and old. Comparing our hauls, I would have finished in third place with a weight or 8.00, trailing the top two teams who boated 9.39 and 8.53, respectively. Apples and oranges for sure as they had to cover a lot more water. But they also got to fish for over twice as long as the old guy. I did get to put in a full day on Friday at Lake Storey, however, but that is another story. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy

In my 2026 quest to fish Lake Storey once a month, I was able to check off May right away. And, as a bonus, my sixteen-year-old son, Jayce, was along for the row. Read on to see how we fared on this day along with a flashback memory as well.

2:06pm – Dad Top Bass Runner-Up at 2-4 (17.5″)  on a chatterbait

Stats
Date: May 3
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 12:15pm-4:30pm
Totals: 13 bass (Dad – 7, Jayce – 6)
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/very windy, 63-70F
Water temperature: Not available
Lure: Z-Man Chatterbait (white or sexy shad) with swimbait trailers – 13 bass
Top Bass: 2-9 Chatterbait
Top 5 Weight: 10-3 (2-9,2-4,1-15,1-12,1-11)

Winning lure

Notes and Nonsense

Learning Curve – No matter how long you fish, you will never be able to avoid mishaps, and you should never stop learning a thing or two along the way. Between the two anglers in the boat, we wound up snagged several times. I told Jayce that means that we were casting where the bass live and the advantage of fishing out of a boat means that we can get those lures back. One that we won’t get back now lies on the bottom of the east end of the lake. Jayce experienced a pronounced backlash that abruptly halted his cast, breaking the line and launching the lure. On a windy day, even the best of us cannot avoid such “professional overruns.” On the upside, Jayce got a better feel for casting and catching on a chatterbait along with being right on target with the dipnet on our Top Bass of the trip.

2:28pm – Jayce Top Bass at 1-8 (14″) on a chatterbait

July 26, 2019 – Jayce with a Lake Storey bass flashback

Fishing Flashback July 26, 2019 – Jayce and I have teamed up in a boat on Lake Storey a few times, and only one other instance where our focus was on bass fishing. That trip took place on July 26, 2019, and Jayce out fished me on that evening to the tune of four bass to zero. On our latest outing, I got an early lead, but Jayce landed our last two bass of the day, leaving him one bass shy of a tie at seven to six before we ran out of lake. However, if you combine that 2019 outing, he has the edge at ten bass to seven. I’d say, “Who’s counting”, but I am pretty sure we both are.

4:13pm – Dad Top Bass at 2-9 (17.5″) on a chatterbait

Narration and Conversation – I always enjoy fishing with Jayce and an eight-foot johnboat made for much closer quarters than our previous bank fishing trips this year. Beyond just hanging out, I got a kick out of providing insights into our approach and relating fish stories gathered over the years. I try not to lay it on too thick, but I could talk fishing all day long and when you are within less than a rod’s length on the water, it’s just what you do. Earlier this year after a visit to my folks’, Jayce said, “I really like listening to Papa tell his stories.” I do as well, and hopefully days like this will spur Jayce to carry on the tradition.

4:30pm – Jayce Top Bass Runner-Up at 1-2 (13″) on a chatterbait

Chalk up some more memories on Lake Storey. Feels good to keep things going with the next generation. Talk to you later. Troy

One of the goals that I outlined in my 2026 Targets post was trying to hit Lake Storey once a month. So far so good with a March and an April visit in the books. Beyond that general goal, I also have several statistical aims in mind. For today’s post, I look at how the catches from the recent trip contributed to those goals. In addition, I will provide details on the unusual conditions at Lake Storey here in the spring of 2026.

Record Book Data
Landing twenty-four bass in six hours is an absolute winner for me anywhere, but it was extra rewarding on Lake Storey as those bass can be wily. Here’s a look at how the numbers on this outing stack up in the all-time Lake Storey stats.
24 bass – Second most one day individual total (27 on 9/30/2007)
4-5 Top Bass Weight – My largest April Lake Storey Bass topping a 4-0 on 4/4/1999
4-5 Top Bass Weight – 6th largest Lake Storey Bass all-time (includes partners)
12-6 Top 5 Weight – 5th highest Lake Storey total all-time (14-5 on 9/30/2007)
12-6 Lake Storey April Daily Top 5 – New Record beating 4-0 on 4/4/1999

The video below features Lake Storey Bass #600 since 1997 when dedicated, continuous logging began

 

Battle of Adages
“Wind from the east, fish bite the least.”
This saying has plenty of merit as an east wind can often be associated with cold front conditions. And clear skies accompanying east winds can also present difficulty as the fish can be more wary. However, I have never minded fishing Lake Storey under sunny skies as the water has some color to it and on this day, there was also some shade in many of the areas that I fished.

“The best time to go fishing is anytime you can.”
To meet my monthly goal, I needed to get on the water before I ran out of April. Saturday was my only option as I had family plans on Sunday, and the Monday forecast was substantial rains and scattered thunderstorms. In this case, this adage won out over the previous one as I had one of my better days on the lake. And that’s saying something considering I have been a dedicated bass angler on that old fishing hole for about forty years.

A blury and skewed look at the West Boat Ramp, nearly high and dry

Public Service Announcements

Bad Ramps – For anyone considering fishing Lake Storey from a boat, do so at your own risk. With the lake still being lowered, there are only a couple feet of the west ramp still in the water. The end of the concrete has a significant dropoff of six inches or better across the width which has the potential to damage a trailer. The east ramp is high and dry. It features an even larger drop at the end of the concrete with about fifteen feet of knee-deep muck before you reach very shallow water.

Pack your boots to contend with the muck on the lowered lake

Muddy Mess – If you wish to launch a carry-in boat, canoe, or kayak, I recommend packing along a pair of knee boots. The west end has enough packed sand and gravel that I was able to get by with my tennis shoes. However, as I was fishing the entire length of the lake and taking out at the east ramp, I packed my boots in the boat. As I finished my day, a group were taking out their kayaks and warned me of the quicksand-like muck with one teenager chuckling about having lost a shoe. I laughed along and informed him that I had dealt with the drawdown longer than he’d been alive as I stepped out with my boots on. He did help me drag my boat to solid ground though as he said he was already a mess and later assisted me in lifting it into the truck.

I have one more item to pass along from this Lake Storey trip. It is video footage documenting a strange encounter coupled with a first of its kind bass “catch.” Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy