West Point Fishing Report – September 2010

West Point: Level: 1 foot below full pool. Temp: High 80s. Clarity: Clear on the main lake; clear in the creeks; stained in the Chattahoochee River.

Bass: Fair. Paul Parsons reports, “Bass are in deeper water with the warmer water temps. Fish deeper structure like old roadbeds and humps and also the creek-channel ledges. Lots of bass are being caught on big crankbaits like DD22s and big worms like Zoom Ol Monsters.” Look for brush or rockpiles on the deep structure, and once you find fish, stay on them. There’s a good chance the fish will be grouped up. A big, deep-running crankbait like a DD22 or a Strike King Series 6 will catch fish. Stick with shad-imitating colors. To probe the brush, try a football-head jig in green pumpkin or a Spot Remover with a finesse worm. A Carolina rig with a big worm or creature bait will also work for ledge fish.

Linesides: Good. Paul reports, “Striper fishing is very good right now down on the main-lake humps and flats. Good humps and flats to fish can be found from the railroad trestle bridge all the way to the West Point dam. There has been some good topwater action first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon. We’ve been catching lots of stripers and hybrids on popping-cork rigs, but they will also hit Sassy Shads and Rooster Tails or any lure that looks like a small shad. Most of these surface-feeding fish are 3 to 5 pounds with a few up to 7 pounds. We’ve been catching stripers up to 16 pounds on live bait fished 25 to 35 feet deep.”

Crappie: Good. Paul reports, “Crappie are biting good with lights at night under the bridges. The most popular bridges are the Cameron Mill Road bridge in Yellow Jacket Creek, the railroad trestle and the Highway 109 bridge. Fish with minnows on downlines, and vary your depth.”

Catfish: Good. Paul reports, “Blue and channel catfish are biting good all over the lake. The best bait is cut shad. The best way to catch the big flatheads is to fish the deep holes upriver from the 219 bridge. The best bait by far is big, live gizzard shad.” Paul said the flathead fishing is starting to turn into a night bite. The best time has been from 9 p.m. until about 1 a.m.