September 16, 2024
September is off to a great start! On Lake Shelbyville I have been finding fish in less than 10 feet of water and having a blast fishing a drop shot minnow rig swinging slabs in the boat. Some days we opt for a slip bobber and a minnow fished in the same depths but that’s only if we notice fish spooking when we get too close. Stumps have been producing well for me with the occasional cube mixed in but the cubes I like to fish have been holding a lot of little fish and the natural wood seems to be holding larger fish.
The lake level is sitting right an 598.8, about a foot below normal summer pool. Surface temps have been running about 72 first thing in the morning and depending on how much sun we get during the day climbing up to about 77. With daylight hours getting shorter and over night temps dipping into the 50s and 60s the water temperature should start dropping and really help us push towards a jig bite, but for now it’s just a plain gold hook with a lively minnow.
I have opened up my calendar for Lake Decatur guide trips for the fall and will be running a special rate for up to 2 people on Lake Decatur. If you’ve never fished Lake Decatur for crappie it is an awesome lake to put big slabs in the boat. It has the largest crappie out of all of our lakes here in Central Illinois and I’ve been fishing it my whole life. Right now we are fishing a slip bobber and minnow rig on Lake Decatur about 5 feet deep bouncing around from structure to structure. Also, I have been targeting those big open water slabs with the Livescope on days the wind allows to change it up. White bass are also in abundance on Lake Decatur and fall is a great time to target them.
If you want to book a fall fishing trip I have openings available in September, October and November so give me a call or text and we’ll go catch some fish!
Dan Lange
Tight Lines Guide Service
(217)475-1499