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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 2024

These are the dates that I still have available:

Shelbyville – Crappie
October 22,28,29

2025 spring trips on Kentucky Lake
March 25-31
April 1,2,7

Kentucky Lake Fall Trips

I know it is plenty early but I am going back down to Kentucky Lake (Big Sandy) and guiding from November 1st-17th. I need to start getting the word out as I need at least a weeks worth to go that far. If you haven’t been with me down there it is a ball. Great togetherness both on and off the water since we all stay with Eric Nichols that owns The Lake Lodge 731-571-8304. Of course we go see Johnny Mac on Thursday night at Blues Landing. He is about the best one-man band you will ever see.

Of course we can’t forget about the fishing. They are deeper then and we can get right on top of them and vertical fish big jigs. All my personal best crappie have come between November and January. 13in. fish are a dime a dozen down there and we routinely see fish in the 16in. range. Get the net is what I hear all the time. Everyone that went with me this spring caught their personal best crappie of their fishing career.

I am booking November 10-23 right now and if they fill we’ll add in some more dates.

My open dates..

November 12,13 **If these dates are filled I will add the week before.**

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Dates about gone. Let's go enjoy the great weather and fantastic crappie fishing. I have tomorrow open then only October 17,22,23,28,29 open for 2024. It has been a really good season for my guide service. My phone is 217-840-1221 ... See MoreSee Less

3 days ago
Dates about gone. Lets go enjoy the great weather and fantastic crappie fishing. I have tomorrow open then only October 17,22,23,28,29 open for 2024. It has been a really good season for my guide service. My phone is 217-840-1221Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

I have an opening this week for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Weather is great and the crappie are biting. After that I only have October 8,10,17,22,23,28 left open for the remainder of the year. I am on a good pattern for the crappie. Unfortunately I am putting the white bass gear away and just concentrate on crappie. 217-840-1221 ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago
I have an opening this week for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Weather is great and the crappie are biting. After that I only have October 8,10,17,22,23,28 left open for the remainder of the year. I am on a good pattern for the crappie. Unfortunately I am putting the white bass gear away and just concentrate on crappie.  217-840-1221Image attachmentImage attachment

Today I had Leonard Holloway and crew for a crappie trip. We boated over 125 to end up with around 50 that we kept. Cubes,stumps,and laydowns with minnows. I am on a pretty solid pattern for the crappie and will be for some time. I still have October 1,2,8,10,17,22,23,28,29 open and that is it for this year. Give me a call at 217-840-1221 ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago
Today I had Leonard Holloway and crew for a crappie trip. We boated over 125 to end up with around 50 that we kept. Cubes,stumps,and laydowns with minnows.  I am on a pretty solid pattern for the crappie and will be for some time. I still have October 1,2,8,10,17,22,23,28,29 open and that is it for this year. Give me a call at 217-840-1221Image attachment

Forrest W. Bo Wood Boat Ramp will be closed September 24, 2024 - September 27, 2024. This closure will include access to the dog park, fish cleaning station, boat ramp comfort station, and picnic shelter. The area will reopen for the weekend and will resume closure from Monday, September 30 - Friday, October 4.

This is necessary for the safety of everyone while crews are milling and reasphlating the main road to the boat ramp. This closure will include access to the dog park, fish cleaning station, and picnic shelter.

Forrest W. "Bo" Wood Recreation Area - Lake Shelbyville
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Day one and two. The fishing is pretty good and will do nothing but get better in October. I have these dates still open 1,2,8,9,10,16,17,18,22,23. Give me a call at 217-840-1221. ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Day one and two. The fishing is pretty good and will do nothing but get better in October.  I have these dates still open 1,2,8,9,10,16,17,18,22,23. Give me a call at 217-840-1221.Image attachment
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Guided Fishing Trips depart from the boat ramp at Forest Bo-Woods in Shelbyville, IL.

GPS N 39′ 33.058′ W 088′ 37.498′ or 39.550111, -88.624861

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