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217-840-1221|fish@lakeshelbyvilleguide.com

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: July 1 – 15, 2021

Best Best ---- CRAPPIE are on FIRE!!! The lake rose to eight feet over summer pool last week with all the rain. Did not hurt a thing actually helped me. The north end had went a little stale so I was making that long journey down to the south end then putting fifty bucks in the fuel tank on every trip. Now I am fishing from the Coalshaft bridge over to the RR bridge down to the Eagle boat ramp. Using Shelbyville Cubes, standing timber ,laydown timber and of course brush. They must top out around 16-20ft. but on standing [...]

By |2021-07-07T20:14:52-05:00July 7, 2021|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Report: June 15 – 30, 2021

The lake is holding about a foot above summer pool and if we get the rain they are calling for June 24-30th. They are calling for as much as five inches. The lake will go up a couple foot or more. The south end will remain clear though. Water temps are in the low eighties and clarity is about three-feet so very clear. The crappie are already set up on their summer patterns and recovering from their spawn quite nicely. We are using the Livescope to search out huge schools of crappie then pull off to the side and drift [...]

By |2021-06-23T17:48:46-05:00June 23, 2021|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Report: June 1 – 15, 2021

Water level is holding at about three feet over summer pool. The surface temps took a nosedive with this past weekend's cold front but it didn't slow anything down. It will rebound soon and be back to more summer-like weather. The north end has more stain than last week from all the rain but it is very fish-able.

By |2021-05-31T16:07:16-05:00May 31, 2021|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Trip Date Availability as of December 10, 2023

I am full for the remainder of 2023 unless December is warm enough to get in a couple of trips. I will be on Kentucky Lake most of November. Give me a call at 217-840-1221. These are my plans for 2024 since I am back guiding full-time. I will be in attendance at the Collinsville Show, Schaumburg Show, Tinley Park Show but I would nail these down beforehand as I book a bunch of trips with these shows. Ice-Out Deep Crappie Shelbyville March 17-29 Kentucky Lake Pre=spawn-spawn crappie April 1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10,11 Shelbyille Lake Pre-spawn-spawn crappie April 18-30, May 1,2,4,6-14 Shelbyville walleye/white [...]

By |2023-12-09T17:27:28-06:00May 28, 2021|Fishing Trips|
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Fishing Report: October 14-28, 2018

Best Bet...Crappie


Fall is quickly approaching and the water temps took a big nose dive this week and now our guides are seeing 63-66. This is moving crappie away from main lake areas and pushing them into coves and up feeder creeks in search of even cooler water temps and their food.
By |2021-06-04T12:59:15-05:00October 15, 2018|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Report: October 1-14, 2018

Best Bet...Crappie


Sorry the report sounds the same week after week but until this heat let’s up and we really get into fall the fish will remain in their same patterns. Soon very soon things will change up big time.

The lake is at summer pool and gin clear from one end to the other. Water temps are running mid-seventies on the main lake and low to mid-sixties up in the feeder creeks and very back of big coves.
By |2021-06-04T12:59:15-05:00October 1, 2018|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Report: September 16-30, 2018

Best Bet...Crappie


Sorry the report sounds the same week after week but until this heat let’s up and we really get into fall the fish will remain in their same patterns. Soon very soon things will change up big time.

The lake is at 600.1 at the time of this writing. That is only a couple inches over summer pool and gin clear from one end to the other. Water temps are running low eighties.
By |2021-06-04T12:59:15-05:00September 18, 2018|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Report: September 2-16, 2018

Best Bet...Crappie


The lake is about a foot over summer pool and gin clear from one end to the other. Water temps are running low eighties.

July, August and first half of September are about the same as far as fishing patterns go. Walleye and white bass become harder to locate from day to day, but the summer crappie bite is very good due to the sheer numbers and the depth and width of Lake Shelbyville.
By |2018-09-04T11:30:29-05:00September 4, 2018|Fishing Report|
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Fishing Report: August 19-September 2, 2018

Best Bet...Crappie


The lake is about a foot over summer pool and gin clear from one end to the other. Water temps are running low eighties.

August is about like July as far as fishing patterns go. Walleye and white bass become harder to locate from day to day but the summer crappie bite is very good due to the sheer numbers and the depth and width of Lake Shelbyville.
By |2018-08-19T23:13:36-05:00August 19, 2018|Fishing Report|
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