Recreation Fishing

You Don't Have To Go North To Catch A Muskie

Lake Shelbyville has an abundance of game fish. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources began to stock Muskie in 1978, moving up to a year-to-year release in 1988. The lake record Muskie was a 28.48 pound beauty landed by Charlie Martin Jr. The legal limit for Muskie in Lake Shelbyville is 48 inches.

Fishing Report

Bait Shops

Fishing Guides

Larry's Shelbyville Guide Service

(217)774-2841

Walter Watts

(217)423-0167

Ora Janke

(217)774-3252

Dean Byers

(217)797-6479

Mary Benge

(217)756-3299

Don Satterfield

(217)459-2870

Fish Cleaning Stations

Spillway Recreation Area (2)

Shelbyville Dam West Recreation Area (3)

Oppossum Creek Recreation Area (4)

Coon Creek Recreation Area (5)

Lone Point Recreation Area (6)

Wilborn Creek Recreation Area (7)

"Bo" Woods Recreation Area (8)

Whitley CreekRecreation Area (9)

Lithia Springs Recreation Area (10)

Eagle Creek State Park (14)

Wolf Creek State Park (15)

Lake Shelbyville Fishing Limits

FISH TYPE	MIN. LENGTH	NO.	DAY/POSSESSION
BLUE GILL	NO SIZE LIMIT	NO LIMIT	NO LIMIT
CRAPPIE	10"	10	20
SMALL MOUTH BASS	NOT AVAILABLE	NOT AVAILABLE	NOT AVAILABLE
CATFISH	NO SIZE LIMIT	NO LIMIT	NO LIMIT
WHITE BASS	NO SIZE LIMIT	NO LIMIT	NO LIMIT
WALLEYE	14"	6	12
MUSKIE	48"	1	1
CARP	NO SIZE LIMIT	NO LIMIT	NO LIMIT
LARGE MOUTH BASS	14"	6	12

Most productive times for the various species.

MONTH	BLUE- GILL	CRAPPIE	CATFISH	WHITE BASS	WALL-EYE	MUSKY	LARGE- MOUTH BASS	CARP
APRIL	POOR	GOOD	POOR	GOOD	POOR	GOOD	POOR	POOR
MAY	GOOD	BEST	GOOD	GOOD	GOOD	GOOD	GOOD	GOOD
JUNE	BEST	BEST	GOOD	BEST	BEST	GOOD	BEST	GOOD
JULY	BEST	GOOD	BEST	BEST	BEST	BEST	BEST	BEST
AUGUST	GOOD	GOOD	BEST	BEST	GOOD	BEST	GOOD	BEST
SEPTEMBER	GOOD	GOOD	BEST	BEST	POOR	GOOD	GOOD	BEST
OCTOBER	POOR	BEST	GOOD	GOOD	POOR	GOOD	GOOD	POOR
NOVEMBER	POOR	BEST	POOR	GOOD	POOR	GOOD	POOR	POOR