West Point Fishing Report December 2014

West Point: Level: 4.7 feet below full pool. Temp: 55-59 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear.

Bass: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Expect the largemouth bite to continue to be fair around any shallow wood or brush cover or around baitfish schools, especially north of Highland in the Hooch. These bass will hit shallow-water baits such as ChatterBaits, Strike King KVD 1.0 and 1.5 crankbaits and topwater baits such as Zara Spooks and Pop-Rs. A warming trend or heavy rain will usually improve the bite quickly. One of the main keys to this type of fishing is to look for the schools of shad in the shallow water you’re in. As the weather continues to cool down and the lake level continues to drop, expect more fish, especially spots, to stack up on structures such as humps, ledges, roadbeds and brushpiles in 15 to 20 feet of water. Drop-shot rigged worms, jigging spoons or a green-pumpkin 1/2-oz. football-head jig are good choices for deeper mixed fish. For specifically targeting spotted bass, try a Tommy Head with a Zoom Shakey Head worm around rip-rap, brushpiles or rocky banks with blowdowns. Another good spot technique this time of year is drop-shotting directly in brushpiles.”

Stripers & Hybrids: Good. “Downlining with shad or bass shiners is becoming more effective as the water cools,” Keith said. “Lots of 1- to 3-lb. fish are there for the taking. Oftentimes bigger fish suspend under the smaller schoolies in the 25- to 55-foot range and can be caught using the live bait, as well. Stripers mixed with hybrids and white bass will continue to school on top all winter on prime cloudy days. The mouths of Wilson and White Water creeks and in the main river channel near the dam continue to produce some fish. Russ’ Hand-Tied Bucktails or a white 1/2-oz. Rooster Tail should be kept handy in case a school pops up. A big Red Fin is a good choice for larger fish. Expect the fishing to be best very early and very late or on overcast days. The fish are mostly less than 3 pounds or so, but there is an occasional big one mixed in. Gulls and loons help pinpoint their locations, so keep your eyes and ears open. I still expect the size to continue to improve as the water continues to cool down. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits, Alabama-rigs and vertical jigging chrome Challenger spoons has also been producing in these same areas.”

Crappie: Good. Keith reports, “Try fishing a minnow under a float around brushpiles or pitching small tube jigs under docks. Blowdown trees in 5 to 10 feet of water are also holding some fish. Concentrate on trees that are close to the old creek or river channel. I like the area from Highland Marina north to 219 in the Chattahoochee. Covered docks with brush in this area will also hold fish. Drop-shotting minnows over or near deeper brush will also produce results. Trolling should start to improve soon.”