Ken says:  With the lake at 594.52  and water temps on the rises the lake has clear up some and the crappie have stared to put there feed bag on. North end from Eagle Creek to Bo-Woods has been are target as of late. Water temps. are in the low 50's on that end of the lake and high 40's on the south end. Look for the shad with your side scan or look for the gulls diving in these areas then look for some kind of structure. Fish down 3-6 feet tight lining, spider rigging, or throw a jig under a float. You will have to weed out a lot of small fish on the south end to catch a over 10" fish not so much on the north end. But those small fish are called future. So try to release the smaller fish with care so you can enjoy this great fishier we have for years to come.. Tight lines         

Ken says:  With this cooler weather the crappie realized it is fall and the crappie are on the move and they are feeding up for the winter. As of this report the water temps have hit the low 50's on the south end and high 40's on the north end. Lake level stands at 600.23 ft. which is a little over normal summer pool. Draw down starts around Dec. 15th and then the crappie will pull out to there normal winter areas. The fish we've  been catching now are mostly from sand creek north to the Wilborn ramp. We have been tight lining jigs with our baby shad baits in all chartreuse or a blue back pearl belly in the 2 3/4 inch. Also we have been using a jig and a cork casting over shallow stumps and brush. We use a 1/16 oz. jig and a 2 inch tube for this presentation. On windy days we just tight line a 1/4 oz. jig and baby shad to control the bait better. Casting a cork and small jig in the wind can be frustrating to so the least. So if you what to catch some nice fish this fall and winter get out and enjoy some of this nice weather we have been having.  Be safe out there and try to partner up for safety reasons and were your PFD's... Tight lines

Ken says:  The lake level stands at 599.72 as of todays report and is on the way down. Normal summer pool is 599.7 Water temps. are in the low to mid 80's. The tail water flow is 50 (cfs)  The crappie are still out In 8-12 feet of water so we have been trolling 200- 300 series Bandit crank baits. We look for the shad schools on main lake and the mouth of coves on the depth finder and you can see the crappie and white bass underneath the shad schools. Use line counter reels so you know how much line you have out and run your speed at 1.6 on gps . The learning curve on this technique is short so by midday you should have it down. The large mouth bass should be on main lake points  up in the day and shallow early in morning. Buzz bait early in morning will work here. Then when sun gets high in the sky go to black and blue brush hog or 10" red shad worm on a heavy shaky head jig to get through the heavy cover. Heavy rod and line are a must to get these fish out of the cover. Walleye can be caught from first light up feeding on sand flats and rocks and the outside of boat ramps rock. Also they can be caught trolling shad raps on main lake points up in the day. Be safe and watch for other boaters... Tight Lines .

Ken says:  The lake level stands at 600.24 as of todays report  and is on the way down. Normal summer pool is 599.7 As it stands now we are a little over 1 foot over summer pool. The tail water flow is 242 (cfs)  The crappie are still out In 8-12 feet of water so we have been trolling 200- 300 series Bandit crank baits. We look for the shad schools on main lake and the mouth of coves on the depth finder and you can see the crappie and white bass underneath the shad schools. Use line counter reels so you know how much line you have out and run your speed at 1.6 on gps . The learning curve on this technique is short so by midday you should have it down. The large mouth bass should be on main lake points  up in the day and shallow early in morning. Buzz bait early in morning will work here. Then when sun gets high in the sky go to black and blue brush hog or 10" red shad worm on a heavy shaky head jig to get through the heavy cover. Heavy rod and line are a must to get these fish out of the cover. Walleye can be caught from first light up feeding on sand flats and rocks and the outside of boat ramps rock. Also they can be caught trolling shad raps on main lake points up in the day. Be safe and watch for other boaters... Tight Lines .

Ken Says:  With the warm temps. we have had the last few days the crappie are moving toward the bank. Water temps are in mind 60's on south end near 70 on the north end. We have been casting a 1/6 oz. jig under a bobber 18 inches down up close to the bank with good success. Fish around laydowns and stumps back in the coves about have way back. Spider rigging and slip corking minnows will work good here to. Lake level as of todays report stands at 596 which is close to winter pool. Tight lines.. Ken   

Ken says:  With the lake all most at normal winter pool and water temps on the rises the lake has clear up some and the crappie have stared to put there feed bag on. North end from Eagle Creek to Bo-Woods has been are target as of late. Water temps. are in the low 50's on that end of the lake. Look for the shad with your side scan or look for the gulls diving in these areas then look for some kind of structure. Fish down 3-6 feet tight lining or throw a jig under a float. You will have to weed out a lot of small fish to catch a over 10" fish but those small fish are called future. So try to release the smaller fish with care so you can enjoy this great fishier we have for years to come.. Tight lines         

Lake Shelbyville - - As of 7:00 a.m. on Sunday February 14th  the pool elevation at Lake Shelbyville was 602.18 feet, referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD), with a release of approximately 4430 cubic feet per second (cfs). The inflow for Sunday February 14th, 2016 was approximately 690  (dsf).
With current precipitation on the ground, Lake Shelbyville crested at 617.4 feet NGVD on Tuesday January 5, 2016.
Lake Shelbyville Dam is operating as designed, helping reduce flood stages on the Lower Kaskaskia River, Carlyle Lake, and the Mississippi River.
The rising pool has impacted some recreation areas around the lake. Boat launch facilities will remain open in all major recreation areas. All secondary boat ramps are closed. This includes Coal Shaft Bridge, Sand Cove Road, Johnson's Bluff and Bruce West.
The Chief Illini Trail, Coon Creek Nature Trail, and Okaw Bluff Trail are all closed. Hikers can still use the Camp Camfield Trail and parts of the General Dacey Trail.
During this high water period, boaters should use extra caution on the lake and be aware of lower bridge clearances, floating debris and submerged hazards. As the water at Lake Shelbyville continues to remain above normal levels, visitors should be aware that some areas will be temporarily impacted. If an area is posted closed please do not enter the area. Do not put yourself and others at risk.
For more information, contact the Lake Shelbyville Project Office at (217) 774-3951 or email at [email protected]

Ken says:  With the last cold snap we had last week put the crappie on the move and they are feeding up for the winter. As of this report the water temps have hit the low 50's on the south end and high 40's on the north end. Lake level stands at 599.98 which is a little over normal summer pool. Draw down starts around Dec. 15th and then the crappie will pull out to there normal winter areas. The fish we've  been catching now are mostly from sand creek north to the Wilborn ramp. We have been tight lining jigs with our baby shad baits in all chartreuse or a blue back pearl belly in the 2 3/4 inch. Also we have been using a jig and a cork casting over shallow stumps and brush. We use a 1/16 oz. jig and a 2 inch tube for this presentation. On windy days we just tight line a 1/4 oz. jig and baby shad to control the bait better. Casting a cork and small jig in the wind can be frustrating to so the least. So if you what to catch some nice fish this winter get out and enjoy some of this el Niño winter we are supposed to have this winter. Be safe out there and try to partner up for safety reasons and were your PFD's... Tight lines     

Ken says:  The lake level stands at 599.97 as of todays report. Normal summer pool is 599.7 As it stands we our right at normal summer pool. Water temps. are running in the mid 70's.  The crappie are starting to move back in to some of the major creek arms and bigger coves. Look for the shad schools and bait balls of this year hatch of shad midway back in coves on the depth finder. We look for cover halfway back on our Hummingbird side scan (laydowns, stumps and brush piles) back in a cove in 6-8 feet of water and throw a 1/16 oz. jig under a small cork or you can use minnow under a slip cork. The large mouth bass should be in the shallows in the morning. Buzz bait, chrome and blue spook, pop r' s or a square billed shad color crank bait early in morning. Then when sun gets high in the sky go to black and blue brush hog or 10" red shad worm on a heavy shaky head jig in cover on shallow stumps and cover . Walleye and White bass can be caught from first light up feeding on wind blown sand flats( look for the gulls diving) and rocks and the outside of boat ramps rock. Also they can be caught trolling Bandit 300 series crank baits or shad raps on main lake points up in the day. Be safe and watch for other boaters... Tight Lines