The lake is still about a foot low and I am seeing water temps around 66. The cold mornings this week will get it where I want it High 50’s. Then my jigs will work better. The north end has a nasty scum on it and you can see air pockets rising to the surface all over. This tells me it is turn over time. This week should complete that process.

I am just crappie fishing now since the white bass are just spread out everywhere and very unpredictable. Good news we are heading into the best crappie fishing this lake has to offer. Stable weather no water fluctuations and crappie will come back shallow and get on structure. Right now a lot of them are chasing bait balls all over the lake. Only the mid day sun gets them on structure like cubes, stumps and brush piles.

Here is what we have been doing. I have myself and two others right up on the nose of the boat easing up to shallow stumps early then to Shelbyville cubes and going right in them or directly beside them. If there is a shorter Georgia cube next to a Shelby then they are right between them. I know this sounds all to unfamiliar you just need to hop in the boat and watch my 16in. Garmin Livescope. It will all make since.

I am rigging three rods with a 3/16oz. weight on bottom then going up a few inches and using a short loop knot and putting on a number four tru-Turn hook and a small chartreuse or pearl white bead. I like the attraction and crappie are generally curious. We then tip it with a lively minnow and we go through ten dozen or more a day so I encourage lively minnow. With the weight on the bottom easing up to shallow stumps is easy just feel for the bottom. These fish are right on the stump on bottom.

Once the water cools and very soon I will forgo the minnows and use one of 3/32oz. Deep Ledge Jigs and a Brushpile Hammer or Dart in some variation of chartreuse. Very soon you will not need to fish any deeper than ten-feet for a couple months.

My trips I had originally posted filled today so I am opening up another week late November early December. “Weather Permitting” I always tell my clients the very, very best trip you can get on Shelbyville is two weeks before and after Thanksgiving. I listed them on my website today but those are all I have then I need to get ready for winter shows.

Steve Welch
Latest posts by Steve Welch (see all)