About Steve Welch

Steve Welch has been fishing on Lake Shelbyville since its inception and guiding since 1994. He’s an accomplished writer and has written for Adventure Sports Outdoor, Heartland Magazine, the Decatur Herald & Review and Ilfishing.com. He’s been quoted and written about in the Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Effingham Daily News, Illinois Fish & Game Finder Magazine, North American Crappie, and Field & Stream’s ‘Best Fishing Spots in the Midwest’.

Fishing Report October 1-15

Water levels are about one foot below summer pool. Water temps are about 70. South end is gin clear, north pretty stained due to recent rains. Crappie..... I have put away the white bass rods to concentrate solely on crappie for the remainder of the year. We are getting into my favorite time to crappie fish. Three long rods and a jig. All of us up on the nose comfortably vertically fishing over cover. Weather it is a Shelbyville Cube a stump or a brush pile. There are tons of fish on all of them. Depending on how many I [...]

By |2024-09-30T13:29:43-05:00September 30, 2024|Fishing Report|

Fishing Report September 15-30

The lake level is about one foot low. Normal summer pool is 599.7 and currently we are at 598.86. Water temps are running 72. With very little rain the lake is gin clear top to bottom. Every where you go you can see bait on the surface up in the shallows just everywhere, More than any past year I have seen. So fat and healthy fish that can be moody. Force feeding them is the key. Crappie.... On sunny days I am fishing heavy shaded cover. Cubes are the best target since they provide a lot of shade. The shallower [...]

By |2024-09-15T16:12:42-05:00September 15, 2024|Fishing Report|

Fishing Report September 1-15

The lake level is about 6-8 inches below summer pool and the surface temps are running 85 on the north end and 77 on the south end. North end very stained with a cloud on the surface that stirs up with your trolling motor. The south end is gin clear and fish are deep and spooky. Here is how I am catching them. Crappie.... I am fishing laydowns, cubes and stumps mid lake to south end. These fish want shade mid day. Early in the morning they are near it roaming looking for balls of baitfish. Since a thermocline never [...]

By |2024-08-30T12:51:21-05:00August 29, 2024|Fishing Report|

Fishing Report August 15-30

Finally the lake is at summer pool 599.7. The water temps took a dive this week from 87 down to 76. The lake is very clear one end to the other and the bait remains shallow all over the lake especially the north end. I can't remember a year I have seen it more abundant. Algae bloom coincided with lake rising all perfect timing. We are going to have some fat healthy fish in this lake for some time. CRAPPIE.... Since the bait is shallow so are the crappie. I am still pounding on stumps all over the lake in [...]

By |2024-08-14T05:40:54-05:00August 14, 2024|Fishing Report|

Fishing Report August 1-15

The lake level is 601.31 or about a foot and a half over normal summer pool. Water temps are running 78 or so. The north end has some stain but the south end is gin clear. The Corp is pulling the lake down about two-inches a day so this is having an effect on everything. Places that held fish a couple days ago just have small fish left. As for me I know it will get better in a week or so once the water quits dropping. Until then move a lot you will get crappie over ten-inches. Crappie..... Right [...]

By |2024-07-30T12:59:29-05:00July 30, 2024|Fishing Report|

Kentucky Lake November

I know it is early but I want to remind clients I am guiding on Kentucky Lake "Big Sandy" area November 1-17th. Near Paris Tennessee. I have these trips still available. November 5,6,7. I only take two besides myself on these trips. We all set up on the nose of my boat and tight line 12ft. rods over stake beds and brush. We do it this way mainly because of the wind. My boat can handle it comfortably. It is so wide open down there that you will be in some sort of breeze. Too much for a slip bobber. [...]

By |2024-08-06T14:34:34-05:00July 22, 2024|Fishing|

Fishing Report July 15-31

The lake has risen about 18in. with the recent rains to 601.14 feet above sea level. Normal pool is 599.7 The water temps jumped from 77 to 85 and were starting to get a nice thermocline but was broken up by the incoming water and current. We should have one very soon though. The lake remains very clear. North end some stain, south end gin clear. The water temps are going to fall after these next few days back to the 77-80 range. It has been extremely hot. Cooling off after today the 15th. Crappie.... Not a lot has changed [...]

By |2024-07-15T09:19:57-05:00July 15, 2024|Fishing Report|

Amended Fishing Report July 1-15

Things have changed somewhat so I thought a revised fishing report was due. My readers really appreciate the reports. The lake level is back to summer pool and the water temps fell somewhat from 82 down to 77 on the north end. We were going through a bad algae bloom making it impossible to use your forward facing sonar and the fishing slowed way down for the bigger fish at least. With the rains and wind this has broken up the algae bloom. The bait is everywhere on the surface. I was out yesterday and couldn't believe how much I [...]

By |2024-07-04T12:15:26-05:00July 4, 2024|Fishing Report|

Fishing Report July 1-15

The lake level is 600.10. Normal summer pool is 599.7 so about three -inches. Water temps have really shot up from low seventies to now around 82 with all the heat. This has started a huge algae bloom. For those of you running Livescope and having problems this is most likely the culprit. The water is very dense with the green algae. Eventually this will be a good thing. I will explain. About mid July we will get a thermocline and this algae will grow and become heavy and will sink down to the thermocline. Which will hold it there [...]

By |2024-06-26T07:50:06-05:00June 26, 2024|Fishing Report|

Fishing Report June 15-30

Lake Level is 601.22 and falling. Normal summer pool is 599.7 about two inches a day. Water temps are around 71 and visibility is very good about 6in. easily. Walleye have gotten so hit and miss I put my spinner rigs away and switched back to crappie. We would get three or four then go two days with nothing. Then the white bass disappeared that we were catching while pulling spinners. The lake constantly rising and falling this spring had to have a lot to do with this. All my buddies who both guide and fish for them are way [...]

By |2024-06-10T14:54:51-05:00June 10, 2024|Fishing Report|
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