West Point Fishing Report November 2013

West Point: Level: 0.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Mostly clear with slight stain up the lake.

Bass: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “This time of year is probably my favorite time of year to fish. The weather is usually pretty stable, the lake is usually not very crowded, and the fishing can be outstanding. The largemouth bass continue to remain on basically shallow patterns. Some bass should stay in the grass patches as long as the lake remains at or near full pool and the grass stays alive. Most of the pockets north of 219 bridge in the Chattahoochee are holding some quality fish. Try Ribbit frogs, Zoom Super Flukes and ChatterBaits. If the Corps of Engineers hold true to their past actions, then they will almost surely start dropping the water level after the first of November. When this happens, I always enjoy fishing deep structure. Drop-shot rigs and jigging spoons in 15 to 25 feet on old roadbeds work especially well. Look for spotted bass to be bunched up and mixed with some largemouth and linesides. This bite only gets better as the water continues cooling.”

Linesides: “The birds—gulls and loons—will start showing back up to help you find stripers. Often, spotting just a few diving birds can literally make your day,” Keith said. “Of course, if the fish are actively on the surface feeding, throw a topwater bait such as a popping cork, a Zara Spook or a Pencil Popper. If they go down, watch your graph, and more often than not, you can catch them on a bucktail jig or a spoon. If that doesn’t work, try slowly trolling the area with a bucktail or mid-depth crankbait. Concentrate on the mouths of creeks where they meet the river channel. The downline bite on live bait will also continue to improve as the water cools.”

Crappie: “Whitewater and Wolf creeks have been producing,” said Keith. “Try pitching small jigs around deeper blowdown trees. A small minnow under a float will work. Concentrate on trees that are close to the old creek or river channel. Docks with brush also continue to hold fish. As usual, the fish seem to stack together tighter when the sun is out. Fall crappie always seem to run smaller than the ones caught in the spring. The night fishing also remains good. Try fishing under Yellow Jacket or 109 bridges with lights for your best results.”