West Point Fishing Report November 2012

West Point: Level: 11 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s to low 70s. Clarity: Clear.

Linesides: Guide Keith Hudson with Hudson’s Pro Bass Shop reports, “There has been some good schooling activity, especially on cloudy days in Maple, Wilson and Whitewater creeks among other places. Trolling with bucktail jigs or downlining bass shiners or shad has been producing. Look for schools of shad on the surface to help you figure out where the fish are as the stripers are usually nearby when you find bait. Also try trolling bucktail jigs or small Bandit 200 crankbaits in shad-colored patterns.”

Bass: Keith reports, “The best largemouths are shallow again on these cooler days. Try using buzzbaits, Zoom Flukes and Rebel Pop-Rs on rip-rap banks and the backs of pockets, especially first thing in the morning. As the day goes by, the key to catching them is to find slightly deeper structure and stained water. Try Zoom worms and football-head jigs around old roadbeds, ditches and brush (10-15 feet deep) for some big largemouths. Some also can be caught around blowdowns and brushpiles in 10-12 feet of water on jigs. You can catch some nice spotted bass by just dragging a shaky head or Carolina-rigged finesse worm or mini lizard around gravel banks or shoal markers. I also expect the spoon bite to kick in any day now.”

Crappie: Good. Keith reports, “The typical fall patterns are in full swing. The key is finding shade or brush. Try pitching the bridge pilings with Jiffy Jigs or tight lining with minnows for good numbers. Try casting around brushpiles, shooting boat docks and blowdowns, or use the float-n-fly technique. Jiffy Jigs or tube jigs in most light colors are working well. Light line is crucial to this type of fishing. Wehadkee, Yellow Jacket and Whitewater creeks are all producing good fish. Another good technique is dropshotting with minnows around brushpiles in 10 to 12 feet of water. The hard part is finding the brushpiles. It’s better just to put them out yourself, but you can catch fish this way all year long. Night fishing for crappie and other species is improving daily. You can tie up under bridges, put out a couple lights, relax and have some fun. Use minnows for the best result.”

Catfish: Good. Keith reports, “Catches of flathead catfish continue to come from the Grayson’s Landing area north to the Highway 27 bridge in Franklin and farther. Be sure to be careful if you don’t know this section, because there are sandbars, shoals, etc that will ruin your day. Channel cats can be caught just about anywhere on the entire lake. Try fishing with cut shad, worms or live bream. Lots of channel cats and a few nice flathead catfish are being caught.”