West Point Fishing Report February 2011

West Point: Level: 6.5 feet below full pool. Temp: 44 degrees. Clarity: Stained in the Chattahoochee; main lake and creeks are clear.

Bass: Slow. Chris Bell reports, “We can only hope Mother Nature will let up a little to pull fish up. We have both lower temperatures and extremely cold water. A lot of movement with the bait will not get you bites right now. My best bites have been on deep shaky heads, drop shots and jigging spoons on humps and roadbeds. The fish are really lethargic right now, so fish very slowly giving the bait only a little movement. On our drop-shot rig we use a 1/4-oz. bell sinker with a 18-inch difference between hook and lead. For hooks we use a No. 1 Gamakatsu drop-shot hook with a Z Man Rain Minnowz soft plastic in a mud-minnow color. Letting the bait sit in offshore schools with no movement has worked best. If you enjoy throwing jigging spoons, they will produce fish in these same areas. My best roadbeds have been from Wehadkee Creek to the Glass Bridge Access.”

Linesides: Slow. Chris reports, “Hybrid and striper fishing is slow. The best bites have come from downlining live bait on humps and roadbeds on the main lake. The best humps have been in Wehadkee and Maple creeks.”

Crappie: Fair. Chris reports, “Crappie have pulled out even more with the lower winter water levels. Their depth ranges have not changed much ranging from 12 to 15 feet. With the lower water levels, you will need to fish the first break off of the main channel going into pockets. These channel contours are anywhere from 12 to 15 feet deep. Use pink-and-white or black-and-chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows. Trolling patterns has seemed to work the best to locate fish. The best creeks have been Whitewater and Wilson creeks.”