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Lake Shelbyville Guide

Crappie, Walleye & White Bass Guided Fishing Trips at Lake Shelbyville with Steve Welch

Lake Shelbyville Guide

Crappie, Walleye & White Bass Guided Fishing Trips at Lake Shelbyville with Steve Welch

Take a Guided Fishing Trip on Lake Shelbyville with Steve Welch

Come fish with Steve as he’s been guiding on Lake Shelbyville since 1994 and fished it for over forty years. He’s gotten 27 tournament wins and won several Crappie U.S.A. and Crappie Masters tourneys, both locally and regionally, finishing in the top ten against the top pros in the country. He was the Region Three thirteen-state champion in 2006 and placed in the top 15 in 3 of the 9 National Championships. He was picked by In-Fisherman magazine as one of the top guides in the entire Midwest.

Steve Welch’s writing has been featured in several national magazines including In-Fisherman, Walleye In-Sider & Field & Stream, as well as local publications such as Illinois Fish & Game, Heartland Outdoors and Adventure Sports Outdoors to name a few. He’s written hundreds of articles over the years and currently writes a monthly column in Adventure Sports Outdoors. He’s done seminar speaking at just about every in-state fishing show during the winter months, drawing huge crowds.

Since retiring from the tourney fishing, gone is the 70mph bass boat. Steve wanted a better boat suited for guiding and multi-specie fishing. In 2013 Bass Cat purchased a company in Minnesota called Yar-Craft, a walleye boat with a stellar reputation. They heard he was looking for a walleye boat and they reached out. He ended up with their first-ever 2095BTX tiller boat. It was in several magazines with pros demonstrating its’ usefulness. When he heard that it only had three hours on it, he jumped at the chance and has had it ever since. It has a Mercury four-stroke Verado that just purrs like a kitten and runs flawlessly. It’s a great boat with lots of room and you don’t see many 200hp tillers on the lake.

This year the boat has gone through an entire facelift. New carpet, all the pedestals bases painted, and most importantly a total transformation on the electronics. It’s been totally brought up to speed. Five new Garmin depth finders, all networked to talk to each other. Livescope that can now be seen at any depth finder in the boat. The latest and greatest side imaging–all in full color–as is the down imaging and regular sonar with the industry’s best mapping. We’ll be able to search new areas much more efficiently and see the Livescope and side imaging working side by side from either the front or rear of the boat.

This boat is like no other. Bass Cat asked to see it back at the factory so they could see all the improvements. Air lines have been run up inside the gunnel and quick-disconnect ports were installed to plug in your bait tank anywhere you want to sit. Two twelve-volt giant air pumps provide more air than any d-cell battery could. That way we can run three separate bait tanks so you don’t have to leave your seat. There is also a huge bait tank that both aerates and recirculates every five minutes through several filters and charcoal to ensure we have the best bait that can last for days.

Pedestals have been rigged up on the front so three of us can sit on the nose when we are vertical jig fishing. Nobody has to crowd on the front deck and stand all day. That way we can all fish the same brush pile–no advantage for the guide. Then once slip bobber season hits, about late April on through the summer and early fall, we turn the boat to the side and cast at structure. You are still in a nice sit-down seat that only a big wide-open tiller boat can provide.

Steve is a multi-species guide so we do a lot of walleye and white bass fishing as well as the crappie by pulling bouncers and spinners or casting jigs with crawlers along sheer drops or points. We try and give you a day on the water like no other. Crappie are easy to catch in great numbers so once we get our limit rather than go in we just switch it up and go catch another species. Clients love this.

Go to our Book a Trip section and pick out an open date shoot us an email. Don’t wait as they won’t last long!!

Availability for 2025

Lot’s of clients have reached out asking “when are you going to start booking for next year?”… Well here goes…

Kentucky Lake – Big Sandy
March 25-27,31
April 7
Might open up March 20-24 as well.
These trips are in the wall-hanger timeframe & a must see Bucket List Opportunity.

Lake Shelbyville
Pre-Spawn-Spawn Crappie
April 19-24,30
May 1-3,5-9,11

Walleye/Crappie/White Bass – Pulling Spinners
May 12-16,22,24,26-29,31
June 1-12
** Be aware for trips later in June, if the walleye quit and I can’t give you a decent trip then I will switch to fishing for post-spawn crappie.

Crappie/White Bass on slip bobbers
June 12-28

Crappie/White Bass Combo Trips – Slip Bobbers for crappie. Jigging Spoons for White Bass.
July 11-31
August 2-31
September 1-30
October 1-15

Back to strictly Crappie
October 16-31

Back To Kentucky Lake – Big Sandy
Possible Dates October 16-31, November 1-23

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Last day Larry and I have been looking for Bertha for three days. These deep fish get half way to the surface and they go straight vertical to equalize their air bladder. I have lost at least a dozen really big fish when the hook pops free. Nothing you can do but watch her swim back to the bottom with my Livescope. Heading home tomorrow ... See MoreSee Less

3 days ago
Last day Larry and I have been looking for Bertha for three days. These deep fish get half way to the surface and they go straight vertical to equalize their air bladder. I have lost at least a dozen really big fish when the hook pops free. Nothing you can do but watch her swim back to the bottom with my Livescope.  Heading home tomorrowImage attachmentImage attachment

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Hello πŸ‘‹, I always enjoy what you share here but we're not friends yet, I have tried to send you a friend request but not going through. Do you mind trying from your side? I will be happy to be your friend. If you find this messages embarrassing please πŸ™ pardon my manners. Thank you🌹

Day two with Larry and not a breath of wind and sunny, nearly 75 beautiful day for sure. Still catching big blacks 20-25ft.on small structure. Catch a couple and move. Tomorrow last day here then coming home Monday. Sure love Kentucky Lake. ... See MoreSee Less

4 days ago
Day two with Larry and not a breath of wind and sunny, nearly 75 beautiful day for sure. Still catching big blacks 20-25ft.on small structure. Catch a couple and move. Tomorrow last day here then coming home Monday. Sure love Kentucky Lake.Image attachment

Day one of three with Larry. Light winds here on out going to get a hammer as Eric says ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago
Day one of three with Larry. Light winds here on out going to get a hammer as Eric saysImage attachment

6 CommentsComment on Facebook

Great job

WOW

Wow 🀩

Hey πŸ‘‹

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Today once again wind and cold but the fish didn't care. Mike and Jody had a ball. ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago
Today once again wind and cold but the fish didnt care. Mike and Jody had a ball.Image attachment

2 CommentComment on Facebook

Hello

I had Dennis and Jeff in the boat yesterday. Wind was back and chilly so we pushed minnows through 12ft. Stakes partially hiding from the northeast wind. I will be back on the Ville Tuesday for six trips then Tina and I are off to Colorado ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago
I had Dennis and Jeff in the boat yesterday.  Wind was back and chilly so we pushed minnows through 12ft. Stakes partially hiding from the northeast wind. I will be back on the Ville Tuesday for six trips then Tina and I are off to ColoradoImage attachment

2 CommentsComment on Facebook

Wow

Hey πŸ‘‹

Day two with Rich and Monty. Little wind meant get on those deep fish. ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago
Day two with Rich and Monty. Little wind meant get on those deep fish.

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

πŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎ

Nice

It's my pleasure meeting you thank you you for accepting my friend request I am pleased to meet you at How are you doing today lhop everything is going well with you and the rest of your family?

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Guided Fishing Trips depart from the boat ramp at Forest Bo-Woods in Shelbyville, IL.

GPS N 39β€² 33.058β€² W 088β€² 37.498β€² or 39.550111, -88.624861

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