West Point Fishing Report September 2015

West Point: Level: Down 1.4 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Mostly clear; river is slightly stained.

Bass: Fair. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “I don’t expect much change in the fishing as we move into late August and on into September. However, things could change quickly if we get a lot of rain or unusually cool temps. Some of the largemouth will stay on the deeper structure as the water temps stabilize. Zoom’s Ol’ Monster worms either Texas- or Carolina-rigged or a Bomber Fat Free 7 or 8 crankbait in citrus shad are a couple of the favorite baits for exploring the offshore structure. Bass are also being caught on drop-shot rigs. Old roadbeds, pond dams, channel ledges, etc., especially those with fresh brushpiles, will hold some good fish. Most of the tournament-winning sacks come from large man-made brushpiles. At least a few of our largemouth have decided they want to stay shallow all summer, and this shallow largemouth bite should only improve as we move toward fall. Shallow-water baits such as unweighted Trick Worms, flukes, Senkos, buzzbaits and SPRO Poppin Frogs should catch some bass. Fish them in cover, around bream beds or around balls of shallow baitfish. This is usually an early bite. Another productive pattern is to fish jigs around trees—not a lot of bites and you are gonna lose or break some off, but a kicker fish can still be your reward. The spotted bass fishing has even been fairly slow. Carolina-rigged finesse worms or a Tommy Head rigged with a Zoom Shakey Head worm are good choices. Try fishing bridge pilings, blowdowns, gravel banks or shoal markers.”

Linesides: Good. Keith Hudson reports, “Expect the topwater fishing to continue to be best very early and very late or on overcast or rainy days. A popping cork rig has been working well on these 1- to 3-lb. fish. A 1/2-oz. white Rooster Tail, a Challenger chrome spoon and a number of other small shad imitators have all been producing. The mouths of most creeks south of 109 bridge and the flats around Amity Park have been holding fish. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits and Alabama Rigs has also been producing some linesides in these same areas. Downlining with shad or bass shiners should continue to be effective. Freelining a live bait will also work at times. Most of the linesides seem to be holding 20 to 30 feet deep when they are not schooling on the surface.”

Crappie: Fair. Keith reports, “Yellow Jacket, Wolf and Whitewater creeks are still producing fish. Try fishing the smallest minnows you can find or a 1/16-oz. or smaller jig around brushpiles and blowdowns in 10 to 15 feet of water. Concentrate on trees and brush that are close to the old creek channels. Pitching or shooting with small tube jigs or feather-tail jigs around or under docks is also a very good technique during the summer. As usual, crappie seem to love shade and cover.”

Catfish: Good. Keith reports, “Try using worms or cut bait fished on the bottom for good catches of channel cats. Bottle fishing is also a fun way to catch a good mess of cats. Channel cats bite well over most of the lake and are way under fished. For big flatheads, try using a big live bream. Most of the best flathead fishing is in the deeper holes north of 219 bridge in the main Chattahoochee River run. Fish the baits on bottom, and be prepared with some heavy gear if you expect to land a big one. Don’t be surprised if you hook in to a bonus striper in the same areas.”