Lake Shelbyville Last Few Days

I am still doing what I have been for some time now. Fishing my Deep Ledge Jigs in water from fourteen feet to forty feet. Suspended fish in trees is a big part of my success so you must rely heavily on your electronics. I can downscan those standing trees and see the fish in the branches after I have found the tree with side imaging. Then go to regular sonar and fish the depth the fish are holding in the trees. I can watch my jig on the screen so I know what depth I am fishing.

Except for maybe two trips this past three weeks we have got the boats limit on every trip. Some days three limits some days five limits. This has been in any kind of weather. We have had big winds every day and plenty of rain and cold fronts and eighty degree temps. Fishing just remains good.

For the most part we are using some chartreuse tubes at first light then by nine o"clock we are switching to Pillsbury or Light blue sparkled or Smoke glow. Windy spots every morning produce well until wind just gets too strong. Bait is stacked up on these windy banks. I am seeing bait start to move into the coves big time. So the bigger fish will be in them soon.

Water temps mid lake are running about fifty and water is very clear. I have been going even deeper on main lake laydowns this week. Fourteen feet still has fish but twenty to twenty-five has bigger fish. Fishing pressure and water clarity has moved fish out even deeper.

I will be using this same pattern for probably two more weeks depending on water temps. but I will be checking coves more and more.

Hope this helps you fellow Crappie.com anglers.

Thanks for sharing all you do Steve. Keep puttin the hurt on the fish!

The Green Ranger Has Stayed In The Garage The Last Two Days. Too Windy For Me. Went Out And Walked The Banks Today. 5 Short Fish. Maybe Tomorrow P.m. Steve, That Wind Has To Just Wear You Out. Oh To Be A Young Buck Like You. Go Get Em.

Good to read your posts Steve--wind has to slow down someday--I,ll just wait my time to go--:):)

Thanks for the info Steve, it is always appreciated. I haven't been out in weeks but I got the new Opti today so I will be out. I hope it starts on the first turn like everyone says it will.

Thanks Steve, I will be enjoying another break from school/work fishing down at Shelbyville... a little info to get started with is a great help! If y'all see me bouncing in the waves in my Grumman Bass aluminum colored bass john, stop and say hi!

everytime you post water temperatures I seem to always be about 5 degrees different than you. I dont know why that is...we got a humminbird 887c so dont understand the difference. We passed you today comin back down the lake then you bout caught us coming back to the ramp so we were fishing the same areas and we were getting 52-55.5? Just weird.

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Originally Posted by birdman

everytime you post water temperatures I seem to always be about 5 degrees different than you. I dont know why that is...we got a humminbird 887c so dont understand the difference. We passed you today comin back down the lake then you bout caught us coming back to the ramp so we were fishing the same areas and we were getting 52-55.5? Just weird.

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I,ve got 2-- 510c sonars and they never have been within 3 or 4 degrees of each other ??

My trolling is different from the si by 2 degrees. Depth of transducer?

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Originally Posted by sparky197

My trolling is different from the si by 2 degrees. Depth of transducer?

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That's a good point. Also, have you ever compared the readings of all the different thermometers at a hardware store before buying one? I don't think I've ever seen two reading the same.

thats weird...stupid thermometers...I was just wondering. We have three graphs on the boat and 2 of the 3 read the same temperature within a couple tenths of a degree. the 3rd one isnt in the water so it just reads hull temperature.

All thermos are calibrated when you need to be accurate--:)

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Originally Posted by birdman

thats weird...stupid thermometers...I was just wondering. We have three graphs on the boat and 2 of the 3 read the same temperature within a couple tenths of a degree. the 3rd one isnt in the water so it just reads hull temperature.

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I take my surface temp. at daylight then really pay little attention to it rest of the day until we get closer to spawn. Then it can make a big difference on how shallow the fish are on what particular part of the lake I am using. I will be back north end very soon.

If the water is 55 degrees at the surface, is it cooler down in teh river channel or warmer? if they are lookin for warmest water why wouldnt they be near surface?

the water warms from the top down....im catching fish 2ft deep in 12fow right now....

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Originally Posted by lhumphre

If the water is 55 degrees at the surface, is it cooler down in teh river channel or warmer? if they are lookin for warmest water why wouldnt they be near surface?

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Crappie will suspend right under the surface once water temps climb up to about 48 degrees on surface. Yes water temps are warmer on surface than down deep. Clarity also has a lot to do with it. My water is very clear so my fish are suspending about ten feet down in anywhere from 18 to 46 feet of water. They are hiding just under branches that are on deep trees. 90 percent of my fish right now. I am catching them suspended, so you must trust your electronics. Once we start seeing morning temps of 55 then the males will make a big push to the banks and to the backs of the coves. I am watching for this daily and checking spawning coves every day.

Didn't have a trip today so I am getting every chore I can muster done. Right now I have the next 27 days booked. Try and fish that much believe me it wears on you. I have already done 22 with one day off. By end of May I will be somewhere around 70 then most likely back to construction job.

Sure have caught a ton of fish this year though and right now I am having a ball. This deep thing has kind of become my specialty.

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Originally Posted by LakeShelbyvilleGuide

Didn't have a trip today so I am getting every chore I can muster done. Right now I have the next 27 days booked. Try and fish that much believe me it wears on you. I have already done 22 with one day off.

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I really feel bad for ya there Steve...

no...really....

:D

steve, i have never fished shelbyville during the spawn.... what patterns do the crappie get on for the spawn?

I am down for the week, we'll see you out there...

I would start shallow eck---you might pick up a few if you are more comfortable doing this..it would take ya a week to figure out the deep ledge bite, just go have fun and do waht you do best!!!

i had a couple 100 fish days on the ledges last april..... i aint got it figured out, but i know some.....

just wondering what to look for as they move from there to shallow, i mean just because it is 2' deep doesnt mean a crappie will spawn there..... just because a cove has shallower water doesn't mean they will use it....

i am just trying to piece together a whole year cycle of crappie movements and the spawn is the ony time of the year that i havent fished shelbyville.....

thanks again - Adam