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111-acre lake in Knox County, Illinois. The lake tops out around 33 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Lake Storey maps at 145 acres behind 6.5 miles of shoreline, with a single island in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.9) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 70% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.5 mi with a 0.6-mi widest point. It sits in Knox County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Canton Lake, is 36 mi to the southeast.
Spring puts blue catfish in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 33 ft, wintering in 10 to 33 ft. Spring blue catfish concentrate at Old creek channel, a prime-rated creek channel around 17 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 33 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 10 to 33 ft one. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) |
Early season common carp use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 30 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 33 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 17 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (17 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for flathead catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 33 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 28 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (17 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (28 ft) | |
| Fall | 9 to 33 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (28 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Deep basin (28 ft) |
Lake Storey also holds largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer), saugeye (8 to 22 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), walleye (10 to 33 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Lake Storey carries 7 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 28 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Illinois waters are set by the Illinois DNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Storey specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Lake Storey is about 33 ft (10 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target blue catfish, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, crappie, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, sauger, saugeye, smallmouth bass, walleye on Lake Storey.
Old creek channel is the top-rated area: a creek channel in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for blue catfish in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For blue catfish, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Lake Storey is regulated by the Illinois DNR. Check the official Illinois regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Canton Lake 36 mi · Lake George 38 mi · Lake of the Hills 40 mi, IA · Lambach Lake 40 mi, IA · Railroad Lake 40 mi, IA · La Harpe Reservoir 40 mi · Big Hollow Lake 43 mi, IA · Vermont Lake 47 mi · Lost Grove Lake 48 mi, IA · Mississippi River Pool 19 (Keokuk) 53 mi, IA/IL · Lake Geode 53 mi, IA · Anderson Lake 55 mi
See how Lake Storey stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best walleye lakes in Illinois · best saugeye lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.