Lake Profile -- SHELBYVILLE, LAKE

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SHELBYVILLE, LAKE

SHELBYVILLE, LAKE FISHING GUIDE

Lake Information

County: Shelby

Acreage: 11100

Average Depth: 18.9 feet

Shoreline Length: 120 miles

Recreational Amenities

Boat Fishing? Unrestricted

Boat Ramps? Yes

Boat Rental? Yes

Skiing? Yes

Swimming? Yes

Picnicking? Yes

Camping? Yes

    Click on area names for a more detailed map.
    Coal Shaft Bridge, Coon Creek, Eagle Creek,
    Kaskaskia River Access, Lithia Springs, Lone Point,
    Oppossum Creek, Shelbyville Dam, Whitley Creek,
    Wilborn Creek, Wolf Creek

Maps are not intended for navigation.

There are no zebra mussels in this lake.

Fish Stocking
Year	Species	Size	Count
2022	Muskellunge	Adult	10353
2022	Sauger	Fingerling 1 - 3"	112775
2022	Walleye	Fingerling 1 - 3"	145320
2023	Black Crappie	Fingerling 1 - 3"	75000
2023	Muskellunge	Adult	6167
2023	Striped Bass	Fingerling 1 - 3"	68210
2023	Striped Bass	Fry	1068
2023	Walleye	Fingerling 1 - 3"	98035

Additional information for stocking on Shelbyville, Lake

Fishing Outlook ( Full PDF Report )

Click here for a list of all reports.

Species	Rank	Fish Status
BLACK CRAPPIE	Very Good	Abundance has been decreasing slightly. Fish up to 11-12 inches can be found with the occasional larger fish.
BLUEGILL	Fair	Fishing is fair. Few fish exceed 7 inches.
CHANNEL CATFISH	Good	Are fairly abundant with 8+ pound fish present. Catfish spawning boxes will soon be placed in the lake in the hopes it will improve natural recruitment.
FLATHEAD CATFISH	Fair	Are low in abundance, but large fish are present.
LARGEMOUTH BASS	Average	Population is relatively stable. The 2022 year-class appears to have been a bit weaker than average, however 2020, 2021, and 2023 were all at or above average. The lack of aquatic vegetation and continued loss of coarse woody debris continues to be the biggest hinderance to the population. We are frequently asked about stocking of bass. Research has shown that stocked largemouth bass contribute very little to an established population, especially in a reservoir this large.
MUSKELLUNGE	Developing	Recent efforts have begun to successfully restore the muskie population in Lake Shelbyville. The 2022 and 2023 year-classes are particularly strong, with muskie over 30 inches expected to be moderately abundant in 2024. A decent fishery still exists below the spillway, with an abundance of 25–40-inch muskie.
SAUGER	Very Good	Annual stocking began in 2020 (only periodic stocking before that) and the population is doing well with most fish in the 12-16 inch range.
SMALLMOUTH BASS	Poor	Abundance is low as we attempt to develop a population through stocking. Brood stock are collected from the Kaskaskia River, transported to Jake Wolf Hatchery where they spawn, and fry are then reared on-site at the Fin-and-Feather rearing pond. The occasional fish is reported caught by anglers. No evidence of natural recruitment has been observed. Catch and release is encouraged.
STRIPED BASS	Developing	In moderate abundance thanks to annual stockings. Walleye up to 8 lbs. have been collected, as well as good numbers of intermediate sized fish.
WALLEYE	Very Good	In moderate abundance thanks to annual stockings. Walleye up to 8 lbs. have been collected, as well as good numbers of intermediate sized fish.
WHITE BASS	Excellent	Numbers have recovered rapidly over the last several years after a die-off in the mid 2010’s. White bass are abundant with 12-15 inch fish common.
WHITE CRAPPIE	Excellent	Recruitment and growth rates have been great over the last 5+ years. Catch rates and length distributions are in the ideal range. Anglers can expect to find White Crappie up to 13 inches, with the occasional larger fish.

Location: Lake Shelbyville is located in Shelby and Moultrie Counties in east-central Illinois, with the dam situated on the Kaskaskia River, east of the City of Shelbyville, Illinois.

Description: This lake has a surface area of 11,100 acres, with a maximum depth of 65 feet, and an average depth of 18 feet. Numerous public boat launching facilities are available, with a fee assessed on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed access area boat ramps, and free access on state park or Corps gravel boat ramps. All tournaments must be scheduled through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (217-774-3951).

History and Status of the Sport Fishery: The fish population in Lake Shelbyville is surveyed annually. Lake Shelbyville is home to at least 32 species of fish. In addition to the lake, a popular fishery exists in the Kaskaskia River just below the spillway and in the West Okaw and Kaskaskia Rivers upstream of the lake. The USACE and IDNR manage two nursery ponds, 6.5 and 0.7 acres, which are currently used to raise walleye, sauger, and smallmouth bass to stock into the lake.

Additional Lake Information: See the Illinois Fishing Information guide for a complete list of regulations for Lake Shelbyville and other USACE and IDNR project ponds and lakes. Regulation signs are posted at all boat ramps and major access points. All fishing tournaments on USACE ramps require a permit from the USACE office.

Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance: The Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance (LSFHA) was formed in 2017 in an effort to improve habitat in the lake. To date, the LSFHA, USACE, and IDNR have placed over 2,000 artificial structures in the lake, as well as over 350 tons of offshore rock pile habitat. To keep up to date with habitat builds and other volunteer opportunities, follow the LSFHA at https://www.facebook.com/fishlakeshelbyville/

Artificial Habitat Maps can be found at:
https://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lake-Shelbyville/Recreation/Fish-Attractor-Maps/

Contact Information:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
217-774-3951
IDNR Fisheries Biologist, Jim Garavaglia
217-345-2420

There were 67 tournaments held on this waterbody in 2023.

Species	Total Fish Caught
Channel Catfish	3
Crappie	2093
Largemouth Bass	2795
Muskellunge	2

Top 5 Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2023 tournaments:

1 6.12 lbs

2 6.12 lbs

3 6.12 lbs

4 6.12 lbs

5 5.95 lbs

Top 5 Total Tournament Weight of Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2023 tournaments:

1	669.38 lbs
2	640.31 lbs
3	358.67 lbs
4	313.50 lbs
5	259.02 lbs

Multiple day tournaments are listed with * end date.

Interested in participating in one of these public tournaments? Contact us with tournament ID for more information.

2024 Approved or Pending Tournaments
Start Date	ID	Approval	Ramp Location	Bank/Boat Hook/Bow	Max Boats	Species	Youth?	Open to Public?
April-20	26074	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	Yes	Yes
April-21	25898	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
April-27	26106	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	100	Crappie	No	No
April-28	25338	Approved	Forrest "Bo" Wood Rec. Area	boat hook	45	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
May-01	26275	Approved	Eagle Creek State Park	boat hook	120	Crappie	No	No
May-02	26310	Approved	Eagle Creek State Park	boat hook	24	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Spotted Bass	Yes	Yes
May-04	25090	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
May-04	26743	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	25	Crappie	No	No
May-05	25092	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	45	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
May-05	25211	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	No
May-11	25167	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	No	No
May-11	25639	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	15	Crappie	No	No
May-18	25330	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	110	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
May-18	25719	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Crappie	No	Yes
May-18 *May-19	26086	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
May-19	25077	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	80	Largemouth Bass	Yes	Yes
May-19	25901	Approved	Opossum Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
May-19	26166	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Crappie	No	Yes
June-01	26109	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
June-02	25902	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
June-08	25217	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
June-08 *June-09	25373	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
June-09	25360	Approved	Forrest "Bo" Wood Rec. Area	boat hook	45	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
June-09	26016	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	17	Largemouth Bass	No	No
June-15	26154	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass	No	No
June-23	25122	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
June-29 *June-30	26200	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	18	Largemouth Bass	No	No
July-06	25176	Approved	Eagle Creek State Park	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	No
July-14	25903	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
July-21	25174	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
July-27	25206	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	No	No
July-27	25520	Approved	Opossum Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
July-28	25178	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	45	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
August-03	25351	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	110	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
August-04	25207	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
August-04	26017	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	17	Largemouth Bass	No	No
August-10	25222	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	No	No
August-10	25597	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass	No	No
August-11	25904	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
August-11	26896	Pending	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	10	Largemouth Bass	No	No
August-18	25249	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	80	Largemouth Bass	Yes	Yes
August-24	25227	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	No	No
August-24	25521	Approved	Opossum Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
August-25	26897	Pending	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	10	Largemouth Bass	No	No
September-01	25233	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	40	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
September-14	26283	Approved	Forrest "Bo" Wood Rec. Area	boat hook	12	Largemouth Bass	Yes	No
September-15	25421	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	45	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
September-21 *September-22	25434	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
September-22	25244	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	45	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
September-28	25596	Approved	Opossum Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass	No	No
September-28	26741	Approved	Forrest "Bo" Wood Rec. Area	boat hook	75	Crappie	No	Yes
September-29	25087	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	150	Largemouth Bass	No	No
September-29	25905	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	No	Yes
September-29	26161	Approved	Wilborn Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	15	Crappie	No	No
October-04	25796	Approved	Dam West Rec. Area	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass	No	No
October-05	25720	Approved	Whitley Creek Rec. Area	boat hook	20	Crappie	No	Yes
October-12 *October-13	26259	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Spotted Bass	No	No
October-26 *October-27	26019	Approved	Wolf Creek State Park	boat hook	17	Largemouth Bass	No	No

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SHELBYVILLE, LAKE

Lake Information

Recreational Amenities

Maps are not intended for navigation.

There are no zebra mussels in this lake.

Fish Stocking

Year

Species

Size

Count

Species

Rank

Fish Status

There were 67 tournaments held on this waterbody in 2023.

Top 5 Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2023 tournaments:

Top 5 Total Tournament Weight of Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2023 tournaments: