Month: November 2025

Lake Storey Report – November 4

Posted on by Troy Jackson

I was able to get away from work last Tuesday, the warmest day of the week with afternoon temperatures pushing sixty after a cool morning. The aim was to land a November bass to meet my annual goal. The wind was a challenge, but Lake Storey came through with a batch of late season bites.

10:14am – Mission accomplished at 1-8 (14″) on a spinnerbait, Top Bass of the day

Stats
Date: November 4
Location: Lake Storey, Knox County, IL
Time: 9:50am-3:20pm
Totals: 5 bass
Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy/very windy, 52-63F
Water temperature: 51-52F
Lure: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 5 bass
Top Bass: 1-8 (Spinnerbait)
Top 4 Weight (only 4 at 12” or better): 5-5 (1-8,1-7,1-4,1-2)

Winning lure

Tune of the Trip
Against the Wind – Bob Seger (1980)
“I found myself seeking shelter against the wind.”
The wind was a beast on this day and coupled with a broken thrust pad on the trolling motor, boat control was tough. I did find brief shelter from the wind down below what I still call “Lakelawn”, and the area produced three of my five bass.

11:24am – Top Bass #2 at 1-7 (14″) on a spinnerbait

Notes and Nonsense

Wind for the Win – Wind can help to position the bass and windblown cover is a prime target. The downside is boat control as I don’t have any of the fancy (and expensive) accoutrements such as Spot-Lock on the trolling motor or a Power Pole anchor system on the transom. As such, I focused heavily on casting a spinnerbait trying to hit cover from as many angles as possible before the wind blew me off the spots. The goal of a November bass came after twenty-five minutes on the water with my first cast to a stump on a point getting pounded by the wind.

11:47am – Top Bass #4 at 1-2 (12.5″) on a spinnerbait

Missing Muskies – I spent just over fifty-six hours chasing bass on Lake Storey from August 31 through this outing and never saw a muskie. Typical years, with even fewer hours on the water usually result in a sighting or two and if I am lucky, a catch. I did have an odd swirl on a spinnerbait earlier this fall that looked longer than a bass but no confirmation on the species. In addition, I broke off two spinnerbaits on hooksets (including one on this outing) so maybe I had some close encounters that were not visually verified. Or maybe it takes a little imagination to categorize those incidents as muskie misses.

My November notes compiled for reference before I hit the water

November Numbers – While I have long pursued a November bass to end my year, selecting Lake Storey as my destination is not a common occurrence. Looking back over the logs, I observed that Lake Storey posted a November bass in 2008, 2022, and this year. Evaluating the data from those years prior to this outing, I found that I had a Lake Storey November All-Time Top 5 that weighed 9-15 (2-9,2-8,1-13,1-10,1-7). So, as I set out on this trip, not only was I looking for a November bass but shooting for one that weighed in a 1-8 or better to push that Top 5 into double digits. Well, I didn’t make it by much, but the first bass of the day got the monkey off my back as it was right on the mark at 1-8. It would prove to be the Top Bass of the outing and that was just fine as it checked off two goals on one cast.

12:18pm – Top Bass #3 at 1-4 (13.5″) on a spinnerbait, last bass of 2025???

Time will tell if these are the final bass for me in 2025. Daylight is gone at the end of my workdays, and the temperatures are set to drop considerably this week. But it looks like a warmup next weekend, so never say never. Talk to you later. Troy

Hennepin Canal Report – October 27

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Last Monday, I had a few hours to get away before I had school pickup duty for one of the boys, so I decided to hit The Canal looking to boost the Top 5 on a stretch into double digits. A quick start did not lead to a banner day as described in the report below.

Stats
Date: October 27
Location: Hennepin Canal
Time: 11:00am-2:00pm
Totals: 2 bass
Weather: Sunny/very windy, 53-61F
Lures: War Eagle spinnerbait (chartreuse/white) – 2 bass
Top Bass: 1-3 Spinnerbait
Top 2 Weight (only two bass at 12” or better): 2-5 (1-3,1-2)

Starting Lineup

Tune of the Trip
Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp (1979)
I did the opposite on this trip as I took the long way to the fishing hole. This time of year, I am in no big hurry as a later start lets things warm up a bit and often the bite is better as the day progresses. In addition, as the fishing year begins to fade, I like to take the scenic route to reminisce, jam on some tunes, and generally escape.

Notes and Nonsense

Top 5 Quest – The stretch that I chose had an all-time Top 5 Weight of 7-15 (1-15,1-12,1-9,1-7,1-4) so a couple good bites were needed to reach the ten-pound mark. The area has lots of good-looking wood cover, but I had not been able to find any big bites during two previous visits.

11:00am – First bass at 1-2 (12.5″) on a spinnerbait

Beginner’s Luck – My sixth cast of the day resulted in my first bass while casting a spinnerbait to shoreline wood. I run on the low end of the cautiously optimistic scale, so I seldom start counting my chickens (or bass) too soon. However, the pool featured an abundance of similar targets on both sides of the waterway over roughly two miles of water. Thus, I would have ample opportunity to duplicate the catch with three more hours left to fish.

Wrong Wind – On most stretches of The Canal that I fish, unless the wind is a direct east or west hit, you are sheltered thanks to timber lined banks. On this outing, I took a chance that the predicted east winds would have a bit of a southerly bend, but such was not the case. The weather forecast was right on the money, and I battled a stiff east wind the entire time. The only benefit was that it assisted my drift and row back to my launching point after plowing against it upstream for over a mile.

1:28pm – Last bass at 1-3 (13″) on a spinnerbait

Letdown – Fighting against the wind on the way out and being swept downstream on the way back made lure presentation a challenge. As a result, I relied heavily on a spinnerbait worked tight to every piece of wood cover I could hit. After all, that was a winner right of the bat to start my day. I would only land one more bass during the next three hours.

Winning lure

2025 on The Canal has seen its share of ups and downs. Overall, I have managed a respectable Top 5 but haven’t really ended up with a solid, patterned bite all year. As I often say, that’s fishing. Fortunately, other fishing holes have taken up the slack. My sights are now set on the annual goal of a November bass. Whether it comes from The Canal, another body of water, or even comes at all remains to be seen. Talk to you later. Troy

Top 5 Stats

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Only one bass was added to our list in October, but it was a good one as it represented my largest Lake Storey bass of all time. It also tied for my Top Bass of 2025 and provided the boost that I needed to reach the coveted twenty-pound mark for the year. So, as another month begins, here are the latest cumulative stats for 2025.

2025 Totals
March = 10 bass
April = 16 bass
May = 22 bass
June = 5 bass
July = 11 bass
August = 0 bass
September = 4 bass
October = 1 bass

Top 5 Weight by Month
March = 11-3 (2-15,2-8,1-15,1-15,1-14)
April = 18-9 (4-14,4-10,3-13,2-14,2-6)
May = 22-9 (5-7,4-15,4-7,3-15,3-13)
June = 16-3 (4-0,3-9,3-4,2-11,2-11)
July = 19-15 (4-15,4-13,3-8,3-6,3-5)
August = no submissions
September = 11-7 (3-12,3-6,2-8,1-13)
October = 4-14 (4-14)

Boat vs. Bank
Boat = 35 bass
Bank = 34 bass

Boat vs. Bank Weight
Boat = 18-14 (4-14,3-12,3-8,3-6,3-6)
Bank = 25-0 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-14,4-13)

Public vs. Private
Public = 67 bass
Private = 2 bass

Public vs. Private Top 5 Weight
Public = 25-1 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-14,4-14)
Private = 6-11 (3-13,2-14)

The Baits
Plastic Worm = 16 bass (Top Bass 4-15 Jim Junk)
Frog = 11 bass (Top Bass 3-6 Troy Jackson)
Jerkbait = 11 bass (Top Bass 2-8 John Kirkemo)
Chatterbait = 9 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Troy Jackson)
Lipless Crankbait = 8 bass (Top Bass 4-10 Brent Jackson)
Underspin = 4 bass (Top Bass 5-7 Jim Junk)
Spinnerbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-14 Troy Jackson)
Swimbait = 3 bass (Top Bass 4-13 Jim Junk)
Popper = 2 bass (Top Bass 2-4 Brent Jackson)
Grub = 1 bass (Top Bass 2-2 Troy Jackson)
Propbait = 1 bass (Top Bass 3-13 Troy Jackson)

Monthly Top Bass
March
2-15 Jim Junk
April
4-14 Troy Jackson
May
5-7 Jim Junk
June
4-0 Jim Junk
July
4-15 Jim Junk
August
No Submissions
September
3-12 Troy Jackson
October
4-14 Troy Jackson

2025 Top 10 Bass
5-7 Jim Junk 5/17
4-15 Jim Junk 5/25
4-15 Jim Junk 7/19
4-14 Troy Jackson 4/19
4-14 Troy Jackson 10/12
4-13 Jim Junk 7/10
4-10 Brent Jackson 4/6
4-7 Jim Junk 5/30
4-0 Jim Junk 6/7
3-15 Jim Junk 5/2

Angler Weights
Jim Junk 24-9 (5-7,4-15,4-15,4-13,4-7)
Troy Jackson 20-11 (4-14,4-14,3-13,3-12,3-6)
Brent Jackson 16-1 (4-10,3-8.,3-1,2-8,2-6)
John Kirkemo 10-15 (2-8,2-8,2-4,1-14,1-13)
Carly Jackson 1-2 (1-2)

Other Species

Channel Catfish
Brent Jackson 3-4 (3-4)

Walleye
Brent Jackson 1-6 (1-6)

We are in the home stretch of another year, and things get lean as far as new submissions for most of our anglers. However, we do have a southeastern fisherman who is still experiencing favorable weather and water temperatures that may allow for a few more casts. And I am looking for a November bass before I call it a year. Maybe we can find another “good one.” I also have one late October trip to report from The Canal so stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy