The lake level is still at summer pool or very near it. 599.81 and the water temps are running around 75. The lake is very clear from one end to the other.

The bait has started to migrate into coves with a small feeder creek like Wolfe, Sand, Oppossum. Usually see this in September but everything seams to be ahead of schedule. This has moved a lot of the crappie and since they are gorging on bait optimal times to hit them are daylight and dark. After that they bury down to the bottom since they are in such shallow water.

I am running spots on the main lake that are small branches or brush with only a couple fish in them. You pull up and see it is loaded with fish then all you get are nine-inch fish. No problem there as the lake is full of them. These spots are in 8-14ft. Still using minnows but switched up my rods to my 14ft. BnM. We can swim a minnow and splitshot right by them rather than just dangle it on a slip bobber. They want to chase something and these fish are in tight spots so tight lining them is more effective. I have one rod rigged with a white hair jig. This always works year round.

About noon I am switching over to white bass if clients want to. I am waiting on pleasure boats and wind to build. Both knock the bait down to the bottom. Then I am concentrating on points and edges of flats that face the wind. Whites want to push their prey up against something vertical and ambush them as a school. I place the boat just at the top of the drop-off about ten yards back. Then I throw my 5/8oz. Bomber Slab Spoon and a 1/32oz. white hair jig out over the drop into sometimes forty feet of water. Once I know it will drag up the ledge I stop it and start popping it hard off bottom bringing it up the ledge towards the boat. I allow it to fall back to the bottom then do it again. I pop it pretty hard and try and jump it five feet or so off bottom. Watch the line as it falls. It will twitch slightly or just won’t fall at all. Set the hook and hold that fish for about a five count. Then you will feel the second one get on. This helps everyone in the boat as you are trying to fire up the school. White bass will loose interest quickly and travel on down the ledge looking for more bait. This is why I have four of us on spoons trying to peak their interest. When it is one you are bring in six or eight fish fish at once depending on how many rods I have in the water. I even took off the trebles and replaced them with circle hooks so clients didn’t waste time getting fish off. It is all about having rods in the water when that school fires.

These past couple of weeks I am filling entire coolers of crappie/white bass combo trips. Most days 75-125 fish to bring home. I know lots for me to clean but I am used to it. Love getting clients on days they won’t soon forget. Go to my pictures page and check it out. I will be running these trips until I can’t find the whites anymore then just fish for crappie until Thanksgiving then I am done until March.

I have plenty of open dates for these combo trips and fall crappie trips. Plus I am guiding on Kentucky Lake in November and have just a few dates left. November 7,8,9,11. But right now I have August 17-21,23,25,28-31 September 1,4,5,6,10-20

Give me a call at 217-840-1221 or go to my website at LakeShelbyvilleGuide.com check availability and send me an email from there.

Steve Welch
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