HallamTurcotte941
Illinois walleye fishing is quite similar to fishing other lakes at the same latitude. Shelbyville, little Shabbona, and also the productive Fox Chain are a few examples of some of the great walleye fishing you have in Illinois. All the lakes in this state are begging for anglers to apply some effective and often times nontraditional tactics. You possess some virtually untapped walleye and sauger fishing which i would rank right up there with some from the popular Northern destinations. Let's take a look at these 3 lakes and some good methods to catch walleyes that you could affect other lakes in Illinois.
In lake Shelbyville you find the walleyes split up when spawning. A major portion runs up the Kaskaskia river while another portion uses rocky points and also the rip rap dam within the main lake. A wonderful time to fish Shelbyville is within June. You find the two populations of walleyes uniting and feeding heavily in the middle third from the reservoir. Target large flats in 2 to 8 feet water. Troll bottom bouncers, spinners and crawlers to clean up on these fish.
On some flats you get subtle rises. These high spots on the flats are dynamite to troll over, so mark them with your GPS and play connect the dots with your trolling passes. As summer heat gets control the walleyes separate. Some move deep and another untapped segment of people suspends. Troll crankbaits sifting the 12 to 25 foot column of water out of the major flats during dog days. Occasionally bump structure and spend sufficient time chewing up open water on Shelbyville. If you hit a large pack of white bass, you're in the best area! Just get the baits below the whites for walleyes. It never fails. The other option is casting jigs or crankbaits to shallow wind swept rocky points. This is a great multi species tactic that will get you plenty of white bass, several walleyes, and largemouth bass on Shelbyville.
For Shabbona lake you need to work weed growth over the open water season. Before the weeds are up you'll find walleyes a little deeper, hanging just from these areas. If you realize the best weed beds be sure to pull a lindy rig and leach or fathead minnow just out from where a major weed bed will be developing. Once the weeds start approaching in Shabbona, get up on the weed flats and troll spinners or crankbaits within the weed tops. If you whack fish within the same area on each pass, anchor up and check out a slip bobber and leech, set to dangle just above the weed tops.
The Fox Chain is a well-liked walleye destination and it is certainly one of my top picks. Shallow cranking programs work well here. Use planer boards to spread your baits out or another good option - 10 foot trolling rods. You can take control of your baits better with long rods, but planer boards provide your baits extra action using the waves and offer more flexibility for really getting a crankbait away from the boat in skinny water. I also enjoy casting jigs to shallow rocky lipped shorelines or around the bridges as walleyes appear spawn within the Fox Chain. Get round the right bridge and you will really make hay. As summer wears on and dog days set in I find finesse crankbait patterns work the best. There are many variables that go into this deadly technique, however, the primary idea would be to very slowly walk your crankbaits within 1/4 inch from the bottom. You would like your treble hooks dragging at the base, with the lip of the bait occasionally smacking the bottom. Other overlooked patterns for dog days walleyes include fishing shallow out over deep water and fishing around moving water. Each includes a place and time on the Fox Chain.
