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Fishing Lake Shelbyville: what the data says
10,235-acre lake near Illinois. The lake tops out around 65 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Bluegill fishing at Lake Shelbyville
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Shelbyville
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Common Carp fishing at Lake Shelbyville
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Lake Shelbyville
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Shelbyville
Start shallow in spring: flathead catfish sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 29 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Lake Shelbyville
In spring, freshwater drum run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 45 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring freshwater drum. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Tie on a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 15 to 45 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Lake Shelbyville also holds largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), muskellunge (8 to 25 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer), saugeye (8 to 22 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), striped bass (25 to 60 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), white bass (8 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 55 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 29 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 26.81753753624531 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 26.34255381045939 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 25.253831669714273 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 16 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 16 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 15 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 12.69920335905033 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9.539089801757225 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Shelbyville?
Lake Shelbyville is about 65 ft (20 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Lake Shelbyville?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, saugeye, sauger, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, muskellunge, striped bass, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Lake Shelbyville.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Shelbyville?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Shelbyville?
For bluegill, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Lake Paradise · Lake Mattoon · Sara Lake · Lake Decatur · Lake Altamont · Charleston Lake
See how Lake Shelbyville stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best walleye lakes in Illinois · best white bass lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.