West Point Fishing Report February 2015

West Point: Level: 6.1 feet below full. Temp: 46-50 degrees. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Fair. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “As long as the weather remains cold and the lake continues to drop and clear up, expect the bass, especially spots, to stay stacked up on deeper structures such as humps, ledges, roadbeds and brushpiles in at least 15 to 25 feet of water. Drop-shot 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. Expect the largemouth bite to continue to be fair at best around rip-rap rocks, shallow wood or brush cover or around baitfish schools in the shallows. Shallow-water baits such as ChatterBaits, Rat-L-Traps and crawfish Shad Raps will work at times. Remember, a warming trend or heavy rain even during winter will usually improve the bite quickly. One of the main keys to this type of fishing is to look for stained water that is just a few degrees warmer.”

Linesides: Good. Keith Hudson said, “For winter fishing in clear water, my favorite is the chrome jigging spoon. Try vertical jigging on bottom on main-lake flats, roadbeds and humps in 20 to 30 feet of water. Stripers mixed with hybrids and white bass will continue to school sporadically on top all winter on prime cloudy days. The mouths of Yellow Jacket, Wilson and White Water creeks should continue producing 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 also is a good choice for larger fish. Expect the topwater 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. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits and Alabama Rigs has also been producing in these same areas. Downlining with shad or bass shiners is also fairly effective right now. Most of the fish are running a little small. Lots of 1- to 3-lb. fish are there for the taking. Oftentimes, bigger fish suspend under the smaller schoolies in the 25- to 35-foot range and can be caught using the live bait as well. Freelining a live bait will also work at times.”

Crappie: Good. Keith reports, “Time to start trolling for crappie. Wehadkee, Yellow Jacket and Beech creeks are already producing a few fish. Troll near the channels in 12 to 18 feet of water. You can also try fishing a minnow under a float around brushpiles or pitching small tube jigs under docks. Blowdown trees in 10 to 15 feet of water are also holding some fish. Concentrate on trees that are close to the old creek channels. Drop-shotting minnows over or near deeper brush will also produce results.”