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| SportsFriday, June 29, 2007 7:53 PM CDT |
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What’s biting?: Wake up early to catch white bass
SHELBYVILLE — White bass are exploding like fireworks at Lake Shelbyville, according to guide Steve Welch, who takes a big cooler along to handle his catch with two clients. “By 8:30 a.m., it’s full,” he said. Don’t sleep in. The fish chase shad on the flats until boat traffic spooks them back to deep water. “By 10 a.m., it’s done,” he said. Welch uses two methods. His clients are generally fixed up with a drop-shot rig and a minnow on spinning gear with 10-pound line. Make a one-inch loop knot about a foot above a quarterto a half-ounce weight. The fish are 4to 10-feet down. Look for signs of whites busting bait on the surface. “You pull into it, they look like piranha,” he said. Welch also uses big blade baits. Though he catches fewer fish, action is still plenty fast enough and he often catches the biggest white bass. Lately, he’s caught some big channel catfish at the same time. He also catches walleyes that are on the flats chasing bait fish along with the white bass. In systems where whites and walleyes share the water, walleyes learn to hover below the white bass which attack schools of shad and wound many more than they eat. The walleyes are in position to grab the leftovers. White bass fishing improves through August. Phone Welch at (217) 840-1221. Big bass John Reimer of Normal recently entered a 5-pound, 13-ounce largemouth bass in the Evergreen Lake Big Fish Contest now under way at Comlara Park in northern McLean County. The fish measured 21 inches. The contest seeks the biggest fish of several game species with the exception of muskies. Musky madness Tim Niebus of Downs caught a 42-inch muskie at Evergreen last weekend while fishing with guide Dave Ludington (309-663-2483) before water temperatures began nudging the 80-degree mark this week when releasing muskies after a hard fight can become an effort. Watch the gauge. What’s biting Crappie -- Good at Shabbona. Fair to good at Shelbyville. Fair at Clinton, Sangchris, Dawson, Spring Lake, Banner Marsh, Evergreen. Slow at Bloomington. Saugeye -- Slow at Evergreen. Sauger -- Fair at the Illinois River near Henry trolling crankbaits on leadcore. Walleye -- Good at Shelbyville. Fair at Dawson. Slow at Clinton, Shabbona. Largemouth bass -- Very good at Shabbona. Good at Sangchris, Spring Lake, Decatur, Dawson, Clinton, Evergreen, Lake Bloomington. Smallmouth bass -- Fair at Powerton. Poor in area rivers due to the rain according to guide Jonn Graham at (309) 399-7055. Striped bass -- Good in spillways at Clinton and Decatur. Slower in main lakes. White bass -- Very good at Shelbyville, Decatur. Fair Clinton, Illinois River. Catfish -- Very good at LaSalle, Illinois River, Powerton, Sangchris, Decatur, Dawson, Shabbona, Evergreen, Spring Lake. Muskies -- Slow at Shelbyville. Fair at Evergreen, Shabbona. Bluegills -- Good at LaSalle, Sangchris, Evergreen, Shabonna, Powerton. Fair at Spring Lake. Got a fish story, a hot spot, big fish or lots of them? Something funny happen? Phone Pantagraph outdoor editor Scott Richardson at (309) 820-3227 or e-mail srichardson@pantagraph.com . Read past fishing reports and outdoor columns and take part in online discussions at www.pantagraph.com /blogs. Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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