Central Illinois Fishing Report – October 5th, 2012

Powerton

Smallmouth fair on crankbaits and tubes. Some smallmouths being taken with little jigs. A few channel catfish but not very big. Asian carp are showing up in increased numbers in the intake canal and throughout the lake, so beware. Flathead catfish have gone deep, but big blues are still being caught in shallows at night.

Spring Lake

A few catfish on dew worms and shad. Bluegills fair on wax worms off shore. Bass slow. Crappies biting on tube jigs at the south end bays.  

Lake Bloomington

Hybrid stripers are fair, with best action early and just before dusk when fish are chasing shad on the surface and hitting jigs or Roadrunners. Bass best on jigs, chatterbaits and soft plastics off points with timber and along the weeds in the evenings. Catfish are fair on dipbaits and crawlers. Late evenings are best. Anglers are catching some crappie up to 12 inches in 12-18 feet of water. Drifting jigs is working best.

Lake Shelbyville

Bass have been good in shallows and coves. Walleyes are good over newly covered rock and rip-rap. Crappies are spotty.

Evergreen Lake

The crappies, saugeyes, bass and catfish are all biting decently. Most of the crappie and bass are small, but some decent sized saugeye and catfish being caught. The crappies are fairly shallow around brush and structure and are being caught on small jig tipped with or without minnows. The bass are caught mostly on plastics or spinner baits, again, fairly shallow around structure. The saugeye are being caught on jig/crawler combo or trolling diving crankbaits around drops, humps, and mouths of coves. The catfish are still being caught on cutbaits and nightcrawlers around feeder creeks and around Swimming Beach and Boat Rental areas. Muskies have slowed back down.

Clinton Lake

Catfish very good on guts, shrimp and shad. Crappies being caught with jigs or minnows. A few walleyes and bass decent on buzzbaits. Large flatheads being caught on leeches in west side access. White bass fair on blade baits. Some walleyes on Big Dudes. Reports of hybrids and walleyes below the spillway.