SHELBYVILLE, Ill. — It seems Lake Shelbyville is not going to make things easy for anglers this year.
When the Illini Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine visited earlier this spring, water levels went from 2 feet low to 2 feet high in a week. But that’s nothing compared to what anglers will see when they return Saturday for the third Illini event of the season.
What to expect
Garrett McDowell has seen high water on Shelbyville plenty of times. But 8 feet high? That’s abnormal. And 8 feet in June?
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before,” McDowell said. “I really don’t know what to expect.”
Significant rains in the last week – including tornadoes that were “a little sporty” – have caused the lake to hit highs McDowell hasn’t seen in at least a half dozen years. Even more remarkable is he doesn’t think the lake has crested yet, figuring it will continue rising through the weekend.
That will be great for anglers next week, as McDowell said Shelbyville is known for an outstanding bite on falling water. But for the competitors this weekend, it’s likely going to make things tough, especially considering the rain has also cooled the water temperatures to the mid 70s.
“The fish want to be out deep right now, and I’m sure they’ll still be out there,” McDowell said. “Just know that anything deep is now going to be really deep.”
McDowell figures offshore is still going to produce the winning bag, but with so much water, he wouldn’t be surprised to see new patterns emerge, especially on the northern end of the lake.
Typically too shallow and with a smaller population of fish, the high water may push a ton of fish to the abundant flooded brush up there. The same could go for newly flooded cover all over the fishery.
“I think it’s going to be a grind, both because I’ve never seen the water rise so much so fast,” says McDowell, “and there’s just so much more water for them to spread out.”
Baits to bring
When asked about lures, McDowell really had no answer.
“I have no clue,” McDowell said. “It will be a hodgepodge. I guarantee I’ll have a full deck of rods with just about everything on them, from swim jigs to 3/4-ounce jigs.”
Needless to say, pros should definitely prepare for everything, from jighead minnows if using FFS to flipping gear for the bushes.
What will it take?
Until the lake’s water levels started to go nuts, Shelbyville was having one of the best springs locals could remember, with 20-pound bags being the norm. However, as the BFL last month showed, when the water comes up, the weights go down. Hunter Russell won that one with just shy of 16 pounds.
McDowell expects more of the same, figuring 15 pounds will be a solid bag for this event.
“We all complained for years there were no 3-pounders,” McDowell said. “Then this spring, 3-pounders were everywhere. With this high water, though, I think you’re going to see them disappear again and make it tougher.”