Fished for crappie today for 4 hours and found some fish in the creeks 15 to 18 foot of water. We used tube jigs to catch what we had and found that most were 2 to 3 feet off the bottom. We tried shallow brush and all we could catch was small bass. Did see lots of bass and shad fry today so it looks like the spawns made it with the high water. I’ll be bass and walleye fishing Thursday let you kown what we do.
High water crappie in June
June 2nd, 20095/30/09 Walleye
May 31st, 2009Fished south of point 3 today for walleye. Ended up with 4 keeprs, one that was 7lb 5 oz. Threw and trolled crankbaits in 5-12 feet of water. The 7+ pounder was caught trolling over a steep break off a point. This is the biggest walleye I have ever caught, and I’ve been to Canada many times. Another boat was trolling the same point with me and they ended up with 4 walleye. I saw one they caught that had to be at least 4 pounds. I’m doing nothing but walleye fishing for the month of June. I believe the last time the lake flooded was back in 2002. The following year produced good numbers of walleye. With last year’s flood, and this year’s flood, I think fishing for all species will be good for years to come. They are hard to find in the flooded water, but in my opinion, these floods are a good thing. This fall will be unbelievable for crappie. I caught limits in less than 1 hour in October and November last year, with several fish over 12 inches. I think we could see fish in the 13-14 inch range this fall. I had a few last fall that were 13 inch black crappie. They had some serious sholders.
Fred
5-3-2009 Lake Shelbyville IL
May 3rd, 2009Fished for crappie today for 4 hrs had 15 shorts and 22 over 10 nothing over 12 in. All our fish today were caught in 1 to 5 foot of water in the coves on wood structure. We are still using the 1/4 oz tubes and twisters. We had some females today that were spawning.
Lake Shelbyville Il 5-2-2009
May 2nd, 2009Fished for crappie today from 9am to 5pm with 3 plus me and kept 40 over 10 in and 20 under 10 in. We fished from point 3 south on the main lake points and caught most of the big fish 15 to 22 feet deep on wood structure, stumps and lay downs. We had some real nice fish, biggest was 13 in. We also found fish back in the coves in 2 to 5 feet on wood. All our fish were caught on 1/4 oz. tube jigs in all colors. The lake is still coming up and not that muddy on the south end water temp is in the upper 60’s. There were a lot of males on the banks so the spawn is about to start. Fishing tomorrow so I’ll let you know how we do.
A few words of caution; rising water on Lake Shelbyville
May 1st, 2009Due to the recent heavy rain, the lake is rising fast. With the forecast of more rain, who knows how high we will get here. It is time to exercise extreme caution while traveling the high water. When the water rises this fast there is a lot of floating debris that you sometimes do not see until you are on top of it. Keep your eyes open and be aware of this in the next week or as long as we are getting these spring rains in Shelbyville and the surrounding area’s. What is really nice (a good thing) about the heavy rain and rising water is the catfish go nuts in the mouths of the creeks where the running water meets the calm water….
Fishing Lake Shelbyville 4-30-2009
April 30th, 2009Fished for crappie from 10am to 2pm and keep 24 over 10 in. and put all the rest back. We caught our fish on 1/4 oz. tube jigs in any color. We found fish deep 8 to 18 foot on the points main lake and in the coves. We stayed on the south end and tried to get out of the wind. The fishing is real good right now, and the water is coming up fast and a little stained water temp was mid to upper 60’s.
Fish Caught
April 28th, 2009Fished to day with 3 plus me from 10am till 3pm and caught and released lots of nice crappie and bass. They were all caught on 1/4oz tube jigs in 2 to 12 feet of water on main lake and back in the coves. The fish were holding on any kind of wood structure.
Lake Shelbyville Fluctuating Lake Levels
April 27th, 2009Lake Shelbyville is a flood control lake, the water fluctuates and sometimes can be at a low pool level, so we offer a few words of advice.
When it is below summer pool you need to proceed with extreme caution. Even when the lake is normal or high, we always advise to use caution, or you may find yourself stuck on a sandbar. If you should be unfortunate enough to run your boat up on a sandbar, there is a few things you can do to save your motor and your money. We suggest getting out and pushing off if possible, or waiting for someone to come and pull you off. Don’t try to use your big motor to get off a sandbar. Because you will suck sand and/or silt into your water intakes which could do damage to your cooling system. If you try to get off with your big motor, you will definitely do damage to your prop and possibly your lower unit if you use your big motor. Running aground alone may not cause any severe damage, it is what you do afterwards that can cause the problems. The reason you don’t do damage getting on the sandbar is because when you are going forward when you hit something, your motor or your lower unit kicks up. If you find yourself in this situation, immediately shut your motor off to prevent any damage to your water intake. When you try to use your motor to get off the sandbar you are now forcing your lower unit and your prop into the sand to move your boat…. This is what you want to avoid.
Lake Shelbyville Illinois Fishing Report - UPDATED!!
4-25-2009 Crappie Fishing
April 25th, 2009Fished for crappie today for 6 hrs and keep 40 nice fish some over 12 in.
We had 25 mile per hour winds so we fished mostly points and down trees on the cannel banks that were out of the wind. We used 3 in. tube jigs with 1/4 oz lead heads in any color and most our fish came 8 to 15 ft. deep.
What Color Works?
April 25th, 2009We often get asked the following question; How do we know what bait we are going to use, and what color works best?
We pick the bait for the job it does and not the color, because presentation means more than color. No-one has ever proved to us that color is important in catching fish. We just cannot imagine a hungry bass watching a blue bait going by and waiting on a red one. Pick a bait that gives the presentation that you want for the depth of water or the type of cover you want to fish. Before we change a bait for a color reason, we would change the fishing hole. So tie on your favorite lure for the depth and cover of water you are fishing and fish with confidence! By doing this you will spend less time in your tackle box and more time with your bait in the water, which in turn gives you a better chance at catching more fish!
Can you see the line?
April 20th, 2009There are so many different types of fishing line out there. You can spend a fortune trying out the different lines to find out that the line you have been using is your preferred one. In our business as fishing guides, we get a chance to see what other people use on their reels. They get a chance to see what we use on our reels. Most new lines brag about the invisibility to fish and unfortunately to the fisherman too. We still and have always preferred a highly visible line and have stuck with the original clear blue florescent Stren and the Mr Crappie super visibility, which is a brightly colored line and about 7 bucks for about 750 yards from Bass Pro Shop. Unlike other highly visible lines the Mr. Crappie stays limp and fishable through all seasons. We have even left it on our reels through the winter to find it is still the same in the spring as it was when we last used it in the fall. In our opinion it is an excellent line for the price. The reason we prefer a highly visible line because it enables you to become a better fisherman. How you ask? Because having a line you can see helps you distinguish the difference between fish bites and snags! By becoming a line watcher you can improve your fishing skills tremendously and having a line you can see sure helps! We hope that this has helped you 