West Point Fishing Report – April 2008

West Point: Level: 2.3 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 60s. Clarity: Light stain on the main lake. Heavy stain in the creeks. Muddy upriver.

Bass: Very good. “Largemouth and spotted bass are really close to spawning,” said guide Paul Parsons. “Good baits to use are split-shot-rigged lizards, Trick Worms and Super Flukes. Try lighter colors like watermelon seed in clear water and darker colors like junebug in stained water. Weeds and grass are getting flooded. Swimming a split-shot-rigged lizard through the weeds can be deadly. Spinnerbaits and Trick Worms are also good. Fishing for spotted bass is excellent. The best way to catch them is probably a light-weight Carolina-rigged finesse worm. Chartreuse pepper and watermelon seed with the tail dipped in chartreuse garlic dye are the best colors. Fish rocky points and the mouths of pockets.”

Linesides: Excellent. The river run is on. With muddy water, hybrids are taking cut bait and chicken livers. When the water clears, live shad will produce. “We’re catching lots of 6- to 9-lb. fish right now,” said guide Bobby Wilson. “For the next six weeks it should be awesome up the river. These fish are from Glovers Creek back to Graysons Landing. You can catch these fish in the mouths of the creeks, on sandbars in the river or at the mouths of the sloughs upriver. Paul said there have already been reports of big hybrids being caught as far up as Franklin. Good areas early in the run are from Grayson’s Landing up to the mouth of the New River. Once the run gets going good, striped, hybrid and white bass are caught up to the shoals above Franklin. Fish the mouths of the creeks and sloughs, sandbars, deep holes and bends in the river channel.”

Crappie: Excellent catches are coming from 5 to 12 feet deep in the backs of the creeks, both by trolling jigs and using minnows in the backs of the creeks, Bobby said. “These fish are hitting 2- to 3-inch grubs. Colors are black/chartreuse, blue/black/chartreuse, acid rain, John Deere/green, chartreuse and bubblegum grubs. The 1/16-oz. jig heads are working best. Also try putting a cork about 2 feet above the jigs, and troll in shallow in the afternoon when the water temp reaches 65 degrees or more. You can catch these fish on Jiffy Jigs trolling or casting.” Paul also said the crappie fishing has turned on. “Big crappie have started to move in very shallow in the afternoon after it warms up,” Paul said. “Fishing is also great up the river from the Hwy 219 bridge to Ringer access, especially back in the creeks.”

Catfish: Good. “Channel and blue catfish are biting good at night all over the main lake,” Paul said. “Fish with cut shad and liver around bridge pilings and rip-rap. Fishing is also good at the West Point Lake dam, both above and just below the dam. Flathead catfish up to 40 pounds are being caught up in the river. Good places to catch flatheads are the deep holes from Ringer access all the way up to Daniels Shoals.”