AgnetaFortuna33
Illinois walleye fishing is very much like fishing other lakes in the same latitude. Shelbyville, little Shabbona, and the productive Fox Chain are a few examples of a few of the great walleye fishing you have in Illinois. All the lakes within this state are begging for anglers to apply some effective and often times nontraditional tactics. You have some virtually untapped walleye and sauger fishing which i would rank right up there with a few from the popular Northern destinations. Let's take a look at these 3 lakes plus some good ways to catch walleyes that you can affect other lakes in Illinois.
In lake Shelbyville you find the walleyes separate when spawning. A major portion runs in the Kaskaskia river while another portion uses rocky points and also the rip rap dam in the main lake. A great time to fish Shelbyville is within June. You find the two populations of walleyes uniting and feeding heavily in the middle third of the reservoir. Target large flats in 2 to eight 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 together with your trolling passes. As summer heat gets control the walleyes split up. Some move deep and the other untapped segment of the population 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 right area! Just get your baits underneath the whites for walleyes. It never fails. The other option is casting jigs or crankbaits to shallow wind swept rocky points. This is a superb multi species tactic that get you plenty of white bass, several walleyes, and striped 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 just a little deeper, hanging just out from these areas. If you realize the prime weed beds be sure to pull a lindy rig and leach or fathead minnow just from in which a major weed bed will be developing. Once the weeds start coming up in Shabbona, get up on the weed flats and troll spinners or crankbaits over the weed tops. If you whack fish within the same area on each pass, anchor up and try a slip bobber and leech, set to dangle just over the weed tops.
The Fox Chain is a popular walleye destination and it's certainly one of my favorites. Shallow cranking programs work nicely 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 provide more flexibility for really getting a crankbait from the boat in skinny water. I also relish casting jigs to shallow rocky lipped shorelines or around the bridges as walleyes come off spawn in the Fox Chain. Get round the right bridge and you'll really make hay. As summer wears on and dog days occur I find finesse crankbait patterns work the best. There are many variables that go into this deadly technique, however, the main idea would be to very slowly walk your crankbaits within 1/4 inch of the bottom. You would like your treble hooks dragging on the bottom, using the lip from the bait occasionally smacking the underside. 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 around the Fox Chain.
