West Point Fishing Report – January 2008

West Point: Level: 12.54 feet below full pool. Temp: Low to mid 50s. Clarity: Clear on the main lake. Light stain up the major creeks and up the Chattahoochee River.

Boating advisory: Low lake levels. Use caution. According to guide Bobby Wilson, the following boat ramps are open: Yellowjacket ramp closest to the road; Horace King, Georgia access upriver, Rocky Point, Glass Bridge access. Use caution at every ramp.

Largemouth: Good said guide Paul Parsons. “Largemouth fishing is still good in shallow. There has been a good topwater bite early in the morning fishing buzzbaits, Pop-Rs and Sammys around the shallow brushpiles,” Paul said. “Once the sun gets up, fish wind-blown banks and the mouths of feeder creeks with Rat-L-Traps. Jigging-spoon fishing will be picking up in January as the water temperature drops down toward the 50-degree mark and largemouths start moving deeper.

Spotted Bass: Good. “Spotted-bass fishing is good on main-lake flats and roadbeds fishing with Carolina-rigged finesse worms and 1/4-oz. jigging spoons,” Paul said.

Linesides: Very good. “We’re catching a lot of fish trolling small Sassy Shad on 1/8- to 1/4-oz. jig heads,” said guide Bobby Wilson. “Fish are ranging from 1 1/2 pounds to 4 pounds. We’re also picking up spotted bass with these hybrids and stripers. We’re also catching fish downlining live shad down on the flats and roadbeds on the lower part of the lake. If these warm days keep it up in January, fishing should pick up, especially trolling crankbaits and jigs.” Paul also likes live bait for linesides. “Striped and hybrid bass are on main-lake humps and flats from the Railroad Trestle to the West Point Lake dam. Live-shad fishing is the best way to catch a lot of fish. Fish with threadfin or gizzard shad 15 to 25 feet depths,” Paul said. “Jigging spoons are a good way to catch striper, hybrid and white bass if you don’t have any shad. Find the shad on your graph, and the stripers, hybrids and bass will not be far away. Look for the seagulls. There are thousands of them on the lake right now, and they can be a great way to locate bait and fish. Fishing has been best from daylight until 10 a.m. Hybrids and stripers are also hitting slow-trolled 1/4-oz. Sassy Shads and curly tailed grubs over channels. Loads of small striped bass to 8 pounds have been caught downlake. Please practice catch and release with these small stripers, and West Point Lake will be one of the best striper-fishing lakes around very soon.”

Crappie: Excellent. “We’re catching fish in the treetops downlining minnows,” Bobby said. “January should be an excellent month to start back trolling jigs and flies in the mouths of the creeks.” Paul also has seen some action trolling jigs. “Crappie fishing has picked up during the day trolling with 1/16- to 1/8-oz. jigs on the creek channels and up the Chattahoochee River,” Paul said. “Limits of good-sized crappie and some up to 2 1/2 pounds have been caught trolling jigs in the last few days. Crappie fishing is best after the sun has warmed the water up. Crappie fishing is also good around shallow brushpiles during the day with minnows and jigs.”

Catfish: Very good. “Channel and blue catfish are biting good at night. Fish around the bridge pilings and the rip-rap with cut shad and livers,” Paul said. “Another good area is the West Point Lake dam, both above and below the dam. Several big flathead catfish, one that was up to 39 pounds, have been caught recently way up the lake on big gizzard shad, but boating is extremely hazardous above the 219 bridge due to the low lake level.”