West Point Fishing Reports – November 2020

West Point: Level: 0.8 feet above full pool. Temp: Low 70s and dipping into upper 60s on cool mornings. Clarity: Mostly clear.

Bass: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Expect fishing to get much better as we move into November. The  shallow bite should  improve drastically with the  cooler temps and a nearly full lake. Shallow-water baits such as unweighted flukes, Senkos, Rat-L-Traps and also ‘walk-the-dog’ topwater baits seem to do well on bass in the  fall. The trick is to fish these baits in or near cover or where you find big schools of shad in the shallows. Another productive pattern is to fish jigs around blowdowns. It won’t produce a lot of bites, and you are going to lose or break some off some jigs, but a kicker fish may be your reward. Old roadbeds, pond dams and channel ledges, especially those with fresh brushpiles, will hold some good bass. By the end of the month some fish can be caught on drop-shot rigs and  jigging spoons in these areas. Most of the tournament-winning sacks continue to come from private brushpiles. The spotted bass can  keep the day interesting. Carolina-rigged finesse worms or a Spot Remover rigged with a Zoom Trick Worm are good choices for spots. Try fishing bridge pilings, blowdowns, gravel banks or shoal markers. Usually when you catch one, there are others in the same area.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “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 the Flash Mob Jr. umbrella rig has also been producing some linesides in these same areas. Downlining with shad or bass shiners should continue to be effective. Vertical jigging with spoons on deep schools should also be good in November, especially with cooler weather. Freelining a live bait will also work at times. Most of the fish seem to be holding 20 to 30 feet deep when they are not schooling on the surface, and they are still moving around a lot. The lake is unusually high this year and that has changed the fishing a bit.”

Crappie: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Yellow Jacket, Wolf and Whitewater creeks are still producing some crappie. Try fishing the smallest minnows you can find or a 1/16-oz. or smaller jig around brushpiles and blowdowns in 10 to 15 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.”