West Point Fishing Reports – August 2007

Level: 5.7 feet below full pool. Temp: 86 degrees. Clarity: Clear down the lake and slightly stained upriver.

Largemouth: Good said guide Paul Parsons.“Fish roadbeds, humps and shoal markers 10 to 20 feet deep with DD22s or big worms like a Zoom Ol Monster in green pumpkin or watermelon seed,” Paul said. “Fishing has been best on weekdays during periods of generation.”

Spotted Bass: Good. “Throw a Carolina-rigged finesse worm in watermelon seed or chartreuse pepper on rocky points,” Paul said.

Linesides: Excellent, said Paul and guide Bobby Wilson. Bobby said the hybrids and stripers are taking downlined threadfin and gizzard shad in 25 to 45 feet of water. He said he is catching lots of 5- to 9-lb. linesides, with largemouth thrown in weighing up to 10 pounds. “The kids I have had the past few weeks have been having a blast catchin’ these large fish,” Bobby said, “the adults, too.” Bobby said the fish are on the flats and roadbeds, and that there are still lots of schooling fish below the 109 bridge back to the dam. Paul said humps and flats are producing fish from the railroad trestle to the dam on shad downlined 20 to 30 feet deep. “Early morning fishing has been best, with lots of nice-sized hybrids and small stripers in the 2- to 5-lb. range being caught,” Paul said. “Please release these stripers that were just stocked, so they have a chance to get big.” Paul also said there has been and fantastic topwater bite the first couple of hours of daylight from Southern Harbor down to the dam. “Throw popping-cork rigs, Sassy Shads, 1/4-oz. Rat-L-Traps or Rooster Tails,” Paul said. “We have been catching 50 to 100 hybrids or stripers a trip, plus big bass and crappie. The fish are biting better now than they were in the spring.”

Crappie: Bobby said the crappie fishing has been slow during the day, but Paul said he is catching plenty of fish at night. A few fish are biting around brushpiles and bridge pilings in daylight. At night, Paul said the crappie are biting minnows beneath the bridges. He said to try the Yellow Jacket, railroad trestle or 109 bridges. “We are still catching big crappie in the 1- to 2.5-lb. range on live threadfin shad during the day on ultra-light tackle,” Paul said.

Catfish: Good. Lots of good catfish are biting on live bait on the flats, Bobby said.