October 30, 2023
Lake Shelbyville is giving up some good numbers and quality size for us lately. Vertical jigging structure like cubes, stumps, and laydowns in 6-13 feet of water is where we’ve been finding good concentrations of fish. Water temps have been consistently in the mid to high 50’s which is perfect for vertical jigging and big time thump action. With this cold front moving through I would expect surface temps to get even colder.
Our bait of choice has been a pink/chartreuse or white/chartreuse 2.5″ Big Slab Buster plastic on a plain 1/16 lead head jig with a 1/8 weight tied about 6 inches above it to help get down to the deeper stuff quicker. We’re using a 13′ Todd Huckabee Phantom 13 rod with 8 pound braid tied to a 6 pound fluorocarbon leader. I like to run a 1/8 bullet weight on my main line then tie a swivel below it and run about a 6 inch leader of the 6 pound fluorocarbon to tie my jig to. The idea is if you get the jig hung the leader line should break before the main line and all you have to do is tie on another leader.
Presentation has been different day to day. Some days they like it sitting still, some days the like the pendulum toss. I like to play around with presentation before I start switching baits. You can also try to let is sit then give it a little twitch or just a slow raise and let the fish follow it up out of the structure. I’ve seen a fish follow my jig 10 feet up out of a brush pile before committing to bite.
I have openings for November which is prime time to really load the boat in a hurry. Call, text or message me on Facebook to book your trip and let me put a crappie smile on your face!
Dan Lange
Tight Lines Guide Service
(217)475-1499