Lake Shelbyville has been impounded for nearly 50 years has lost a significant portion of its’ woody structure to the natural aging process.  Fluctuating water levels have eroded shorelines resulting in shallow mud-bottom littoral areas. Long-duration floods, on occasion in excess of 12’, have made conditions difficult for aquatic vegetation to establish. This lack of habitat and associated erosion and reduced water quality are negatively affecting the quality of the fishery and habitat restoration efforts have not kept up with losses. Standard management practices help maintain the quality of the fishery, but the standard reduction in quality with reservoir age continues with rippling economic effects throughout the community and region.

The Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance (LSFHA) is a coalition of user-groups that include anglers, local communities and businesses that work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Illinois Department of Natural Resources to address the habitat impairments on Shelbyville. LSFHA has been building artificial structures (locally named Shelbyville Cubes) to replace the degraded woody structure so important as fish habitat and targeted structures by anglers. More than 1000 of these structures have been built and installed over the past 3 years (2018-2020). Click on the link to see dimensions and materials. Check out the videos that provide an excellent overview of the Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance’s restoration efforts. Video 1

Video 2