West Point Fishing Reports – December 2020

West Point: Level: 1.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Mostly clear.

Bass: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Early in the month of December, the shallow bite should be pretty good and could improve even more, especially with a little stained water, higher than normal lake levels  and water temps still in the 60s. Baits such as flukes, Rat-L-Traps, squarebill crankbaits and ChatterBaits are catching some of these shallower fish. Try to fish these baits in coves and pockets that have small feeder creeks and structure, and a key is to find schools of shallow baitfish. Also you can fish the open water in the pockets with a Flash Mob Jr. Keep a jig or shaky head handy to pitch around any wood cover that is still in the water. Fishing rip-rap with a jig can also produce good results this time of year. By the end of the month, the water should clear back up, cool down and the lake level should drop. Big schools of spotted bass mixed with hybrids, white bass and stripers can be caught on jigging spoons, drop-shot rigs and shaky head rigs on flats, humps and drop-offs. Finding the big schools of deep bait is the key. For more spots, target deeper offshore structure like brushpiles and old roadbeds in 20 to 30 feet of water near the mouths of major creeks or in the main river south of Highland.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “The downline bite with shad or bass shiners has improved as the water has cooled off. 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. The fish are still moving around a good bit but should ‘lock in’ to a certain thermocline as the water cools. The mouths of most creeks anywhere south of the Highland Marina area all the way to the dam and in  Maple Creek have been holding  fish. Topwater fishing for hybrids, striped bass and white bass can be sporadic in December. It’s usually best very early and very late, or on overcast or rainy days. Gulls and loons usually show up strong in December, which makes it easier to pinpoint schooling stripers. Keep your eyes open! A popping-cork rig has still been working at times on schooling 1- to 3-lb. fish, with an occasional bigger one mixed in. A  3/8- or 1/2-oz. white Rooster Tail, a chrome C.C. Spoon and a number of other small shad imitators have also been producing. Try a big Redfin or a Pencil Popper topwater plug—you’ll get less hits, but bigger fish. The colder it gets the more consistent the fishing usually is. As the water cools casting a bucktail jig becomes very effective, as well. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits and Flash Mob  Rigs continues to produce some linesides in these same areas.”

Crappie: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Try tight line fishing with minnows or a 1/16-oz. or smaller jig around bridge pilings, brushpiles and blowdowns in 6 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 can still produce this time of year. As usual, crappie seem to love shade and cover. Yellow Jacket, Wehadkee and Whitewater creeks are still producing some crappie. Spider trolling usually starts back in December as well and can be very effective. If December turns unusually warm and wet,  the crappie can show back up surprisingly shallow very quickly and can even be caught from the shoreline!”