West Point Fishing Report – May 2007

West Point: Level: 2.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid to high 60s. Clarity: Light stain upriver; stained in creeks.

Bass: Fair. Fishing slowed a little for largemouth due to the bad mid-April cold fronts, said guide Paul Parsons. He suggested backing off the banks and fishing the brushpiles in 5 to 8 feet of water with a Texas-rigged lizard, finesse worm or a jig ’n pig. Later in the day, try a Rat-L-Trap, spinnerbait or a Shad Rap on wind-blown banks and rip-rap. The spotted-bass bite has been good on main and secondary points with Carolina-rigged finesse worms in watermelon seed, green pumpkin or chartreuse pepper.

Linesides: Good. Paul and guide Bobby Wilson both said the fish are still up the river. They are hitting live shad, cut shad, chicken liver and sassy shads. Use extreme caution running up the river, Paul warned. Bobby said the rest of the fish should probably drop their eggs around the full moon on May 2, then they will start moving back into the main lake. “About a week after the full moon, it’ll be over with,” Bobby said. When they go back out in the main lake, Bobby likes to catch them downlining the flats, humps and road beds with livebait.

Crappie: Good. Bobby said the crappie have been shallow feeding on shad early in the mornings, and he suggested pitching jigs or minnows to them. When the sun warms the water, the fish move back out into 8 to 12 feet of water and they can be caught trolling. “The rest of the fish will go on the bed in the first week of May. They’ll school up around those sandy flats in the creeks,” Bobby said. “You can wear ’em out still, even though they’re on the beds.” After the spawn, the fish will move back out into the creeks, and Bobby suggested targeting treetops, brushpiles and ledges around the channels.