Lake Shelbyville Fishing Report

Best Bet...Crappie

The lake is just a foot from being back to summer pool and water temps are in the low eighties and gin clear. Typical for this time of the year.

About the only fish that will bite consistently are the crappie. Yeah you can find a school of white bass and search the whole day for them and watch them not feed until almost dark. Or pick up a couple walleye trolling whereas you could get twenty or more a month ago. Such is summer these two species get particular about feeding times. Whites at dusk and walleye way after dusk.

Best Bet...Crappie

The lake is about two feet high and slowly falling back to summer pool. Water temps are running 81, and the water is gin-clear.

For the serious walleye fishermen, they are still picking up fish pulling bottom bouncers and spinner rigs, but not near the numbers they were a few weeks back. I believe every year about this time, the walleye start feeding at night due to extreme heat gin-clear water and ski boat pressure.

Best Bet...Crappie/ White Bass/ Walleye

A lot has happened since the last report. The lake jumped 5.8 ft, bringing it to 2.8 ft. over summer pool. That is a ton of water. But the good news is that since we were low anyway the Corp just let it fill. When they do that the lake does not fill with mud and ruin the fishing for several weeks.

The color of the water is just fine and the surface temps are in the high seventies low eighties. This has caused some white bass jumps but nothing like a decade ago. These days the bait fish schools are smaller so you must use your electronics to find the white bass out on drops or on gravel and sandy areas. They are bunched up and a jigging spoon or one of our Candystripers cast to them and pop it off bottom works very well.

Best Bet...Crappie/Walleye

The lake is still three-feet low and very clear except way up near the mouth of both rivers where it is pretty stained. Water temps are running 75-80.

The crappie have spawned and moved out to the deep basins all over the lake. Just off ledges or over deep brush. They are bunched up and hungry trying to recover from the spawn.

Our guides are both spider rigging and slip bobber fishing with live bait and boy oh boy are they catching them. I talk with John and Brian about every day and they are getting days in the hundred fish or more.

Best Bet….Crappie/Walleye/Sauger/White Bass, take your pick

Water temps on the surface are running 70-75 and the lake currently is about four-feet under summer pool. The color is slightly stained on the north end and gin clear on the south since we have not had heavy rains hit it for several days.

The eggs are pouring out of the female crappie and I believe the full moon on the 29^th the crappie and bass spawn will be complete. Yeah there will be some eggs in fish and anglers saying the spawn isn’t over clear through mid-summer but believe me it is almost done.

To catch the last of the pre-spawn crappie you will need to fish live bait over and in heavy brush or down trees in the six to eight foot range basically anywhere on the lake.