West Point Lake Fishing Report – May 2021

West Point: Level: 1.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid to upper 60s. Clarity: Stained up the river and in the upper-lake creeks.

Bass: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Largemouth are being caught on several different patterns. Topwater baits such as popping frogs, Pop-Rs, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits can be extremely effective for shallow and aggressive spawned-out fish, especially around bream beds. Another pattern that works really well in late April and early May is to look for spawning shad. Try fishing rip-rap around bridges with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, and Zoom Super Flukes. When you find a shad spawn, expect a mixed bag of fish including bass and stripers to be feeding on the shad. An early start is important, as the best bite is almost always over about an hour or so after sunrise. Additionally, some big tournament sacks of largemouth are still being weighed-in by guys who sight fish, targeting fish that are locked on bed or guarding fry. This can be an aggravating way to fish, but can pay off in a tournament win. Lots of spotted bass are caught by casting Spot Remover jig heads loaded with Zoom Trick Worms or just dragging a Carolina-rigged Zoom Finesse Worm or Mini Lizard around sloping gravel banks. These tactics normally work very well for really good numbers of spotted bass.”

Linesides: Excellent. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Spawned-out hybrids and stripes show back up down the lake in May in big numbers. Expect the downline bite on live bait to be awesome for these hungry aggressive fish. Some linesides will have usually started surface schooling in May on the main lake, and they can be caught on small crankbaits, topwaters, popping-cork rigs and Storm Swim Shad lures.”

Crappie: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Spawned-out crappie will typically move out and hold on deeper brush and structure or under docks for a while to recover. They really stack up and make an easy target. Night fishing should also improve in May. Try under the bridges for  some of the best nighttime results.”

Bream: Good. “Finding an active bream bed can take a little effort but when you do, you can have a ball. Bedding usually takes place on the full moon cycles in May. Look for shallow cover in the backs of pockets. Sandy flats and stump beds tend to draw the fish like a magnet. Some really nice size shellcracker have started being caught on West Point in recent years. Use live pink worms for shellcrackers, and use crickets, worms and small jigs for the best results on bedding bluegill—they’ll bite about anything if you find an active bed.”

Catfish: “This is a great time of the year to catch a bunch of channel catfish. Nightcrawlers are good, as are cut baits and specialty catfish baits. Fished on the bottom, and you will catch cats pretty much all over the lake, as long as fairly deep water is nearby. Jug fishing is also fun and productive, and bait-stealing turtles aren’t as bed yet as they’ll be in the summer. To target flatheads, use live bait, and go to a larger bait like a 4- to 5-inch bream or large shiner, and fish deep holes in areas north of the 219 bridge. Be sure to increase the size of your rigs, as fish in the 20- to 30-lb. range are fairly common.”