West Point Lake Fishing Report October 2016

West Point: Level: 2 below full pool. Temp: Upper 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good, reports guide Keith Hudson. “We seemed to have finally turned the corner toward fall, and the fishing has improved dramatically. The shallow bite is pretty good now and will  improve even more, especially if we get some rain and continued cooler temps. Shallow-water baits such as unweighted flukes, Senkos, buzzbaits and Rebel Pop-Rs are catching bass right now. Try to fish these baits in or near cover and around schools of shallow baitfish. Fish the open water in the pockets with a KVD 1.5 crankbait or an A-Rig. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have a jig handy to pitch around any shallow wood cover. It won’t produce a lot of bites, and you are going to lose some jigs, but it’s a good way to catch a bigger fish. By the end of the month, especially if it cools off quickly, the big schools of spots mixed with hybrids, white bass and stripers can be caught on jigging spoons and drop-shot rigs on deeper offshore structures.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Downlining with shad or bass shiners should really pick up as the water cools off. Freelining a live bait will also work at times. Most of the West Point hybrids and stripers seem to be holding 20 to 30 feet deep when they are not schooling on the surface, and they are moving around a lot. Expect the topwater fishing to continue to be the best very early and very late or on overcast or rainy days. A popping-cork rig has been working well on these schooling 1- to 3-lb. fish. A 3/8- or 1/2-oz. white Rooster Tail, a chrome C.C. Spoon, and a number of other small shad imitators have been producing. The mouths of most creeks south of the 109 bridge and the flats around Amity Park have been holding fish. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits and Alabama Rigs has also been producing some linesides in these same areas. Some much  bigger fish seem to always show back up by the end of the month.”

Crappie: Good. “Wehadkee, Yellow Jacket, and Wolf creeks are producing some pretty good catches of crappie,” said guide Keith Hudson. “Try fishing the smallest minnows you can find or a 1/16-oz. or smaller jig around brushpiles and blowdowns in 5 to 10 feet of water. Concentrate on trees and brush that are close to the old creek channels. Pitching or shooting docks with small tube or feather jigs around or under the docks is also a very good technique during the  fall. As usual, crappie seem to love shade and cover. Cooler temps or a lot of rain should improve the fishing even more.”