Lake level is slightly below 605 or about five feet above summer pool. Water temps have cooled a little down to 79-80. Clarity is fine all over the lake. The Corp is pulling pretty hard some days then not the next St.Louis tells them what to do but eventually we will be back to summer pool. I imagine the amount they are pulling is affecting the trollers out on the main lake but I haven’t been trolling at all this summer. I have Livescope and I am using it to my advantage every day.

Here is what I am doing. We are pendulum fishing a light jig across the top of standing timber and Shelbyville cubes no need for bait well I am tipping it with a wax worm if it gets tough. My Livescope is picking up the jig falling through the tight schools of crappie. Very fun to watch!!!

Since the slip bobber rigs have been pulled from my boat and we are all three including myself setting up on the nose of my Yar-Craft in set down seats. I cannot do a third client at this time. The pendulum jig bite is just to much fun to quit.

My rigs consist of a ten-foot custom made Norms rod been using them for thirty years kind of pricey but well worth it. An ultra-light spinning reel spooled with 8lb. Suffix 832 braid. I use the braid one because of strength to get your jig back and two because you not only can see your jig on the screen on Livescope but you can see your line as it falls. Very important to use any trick you can to pick up that jig before it gets under the fish. I can usually see all three of us on the screen at once.

I am using two different jigs. One my 1/8oz. or 3/32oz. Deep Ledge jig and a Brushpile Jig Hammer tipped with a wax worm. Then I use a glass bead a foot above it up on the line held in place with two rubber bobber stops. This bead just allows you to pick up your jig as it falls on the Livescope much easier. Then I have made or rather Norm has an egg sinker to accept two number 12 crane swivels so you won’t get line twist. then a foot under it I am tying on a custom made 1/32oz. hair and tensile jig. The slow fall of both these presentations is the key.

The areas I am using has so much bait that the crappie are just gorging and have poop running out of them. We are just hammering the fish catching our three person limit now for well over a month on every trip and it is not even fall yet where it really gets good.

My good buddy Lee Sharp at his store in Decatur on Mound will have plenty of the plastics and about everything else you need as will Chip at the Bo-Woods entrance on Lake Shelbyville. Fall is quickly approaching and you better get a trip or two reserved. Come see the Bald Eagles and the trees start to turn on beautiful Lake Shelbyille the best crappie catching lake anywhere.

I still have September dates open as well as this weekend Labor Day weekend. Boat traffic has not been a problem where I am fishing just tons of fun. Go to my available openings list on my website LakeShelbyvilleguide.com and either send me an e-mail or give me a call at 217-840-1221

Steve Welch
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