West Point Fishing Report – July 2007

West Point: Level: Down 5.5 feet below full pool. Temp: 80 to 85 degrees. Clarity: Clear in main lake; slight stain in creeks.

Largemouth: Good. Guide Paul Parsons said the largemouth are moving out due to the dropping water level. Try cranking rip-rap around bridges early with medium to large crankbaits, then move out to shallow brushpiles around shoal markers and on roadbeds in 8 to 12 feet of water. Paul suggested throwing a Carolina-rigged worm or a Norman’s DD22.

Spotted Bass: Very Good. The spots can be caught all over the lake on rocky points with a Carolina-rigged finesse worm in green pumpkin, watermelon seed or chartreuse pepper. “We have been catching a lot of magnum spots in the 2- to 4-lb. range,” Paul said.

Linesides: Excellent, said Paul and guide Bobby Wilson. Hybrid fishing is great right now, with fish coming in between 2 and 7 pounds. The stripers are small, weighing in between 2 and 6 pounds, and Bobby and Paul both said they are catching 40 to 50 fish a day. Downlined live threadfin and gizzard shad down to 25 or 30 feet on the flats and roadbeds down the lake are catching fish from the pumping station back to the dam. Bobby said he has also heard reports that the fish are schooling in the afternoons on the main lake. Paul said there is a good topwater bite for about the first hour of daylight back in some of the creeks. He suggested throwing popping-cork rigs, Rat-L-Traps or Sassy Shads.

Crappie: Very good. Bobby has been catching between 75 and 120 fish a day. He said to concentrate your fishing on brushpiles and bridge pilings. He suggested fishing Carolina-rigged minnows down 10 to 12 feet deep around the bridge pilings or brushpiles. Paul said the night bite is on, but he said the big crappie from 1 to 2 1/2 pounds are being caught during the day.