West Point Lake Fishing Report – Feb. 17, 2024

Michael Freeman with a 6.06-lb. West Point largemouth and a 5.11-pounder to anchor an 18.2-lb. catch on West Point for the win and big fish in the Auburn Bassmasters tournament. His co-angler Rodney Bailey had a 6.03-lb. bass. “We felt the rush today!” Michael said.

I fished a club bass tournament at West Point Lake on Saturday, Feb. 17. The water was muddy and the level was 628.7, about 6.4 feet below full pool. What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday under the same conditions I had 13 keepers! Saturday, in eight hours, I managed four bites, all little spotted bass, and I came in fifth place in Potato Creek club tournament out of 13 fishermen. I had 4.36 pounds, and two of the spots were line burners! Raymond English was placed fourth with three bass at 5.91 pounds, and  he had a 3-lb. largemouth.

No idea what changed from the previous weekend. West Point water is still very muddy, maybe a little worse than last Sunday. And the surface temperature was still 53 degrees or so. However the wind did blow worse, and it was colder. Same type of cloudy day, no rain though this weekend.

Lee Hancock won the tournament had two nice largemouth weighing 3.77 and 3.79 pounds in his five-bass limit that weighed 13.71 pounds. He said he caught them on shallow-running Bandit and Frittsside crankbaits. Mike Cox was second place with the only other limit at 10.02 pounds. Caleb Delay had big fish with a  4.17-lb. largemouth, and he had three bass at 8.05 pounds for third place. We also had a 3.92-lb. largemouth weighed in, so four largemouth from 3.77 to 4.17 pounds.

I caught one on a Rapala CCR 8 crankbait, one on a shaky head and two on Carolina-rigged pumpkinseed Baby Brush Hogs with tails dipped in chartreuse JJ’s Magic. The second-place limit was caught on a Carolina rig. Big fish and third place fish came on a spinnerbait fished in any blowdown Caleb Delay could find. The biggest bass hit in about 18 inches of water.

The club had four zeros and two limits in the tournament. We landed 27 keepers weighing about 47 pounds.

Michael Freeman was on the largemouth while fishing the Auburn Bassmasters tournament. Michael had 18.2 pounds, including the 6.06-lb. big fish and 5.11-pounder. His co-angler had a 6.03-lb. bass. Second place had 9.11 pounds and third had 9.03 pounds.