West Point Lake Fishing Report November 2016

West Point: Level: 5.3 below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s to low 70s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good, reports guide Keith Hudson. “The shallow bite remains good now, and it will  improve even more, especially if we get some rain and continued cooler temps. Baits such as unweighted flukes, Senkos, buzzbaits and Rebel Pop-Rs are catching bass. Try to  fish these baits in or near cover or around schools of shallow baitfish. Fish the open water in the pockets with a Whopper Plopper, a  KVD 1.5 crankbait or an Alabama Rig. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have a jig handy to pitch around any wood cover. A jig won’t produce a lot of bites, but it’s a good way to catch a bigger fish. By the end of the month—especially if it cools off quickly— the big schools of spots mixed with hybrids, white bass and stripers can be caught on jigging spoons and drop-shot rigs on deeper offshore structures.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Keith Hudson reports, “The downline bite with shad or bass shiners has improved as the water has cooled off. Freelining a live bait will also work at times. Most of the fish seem to be holding 20 to 30 feet deep when they are not schooling on the surface, and they are still moving around a good bit. Expect the topwater fishing to continue to improve and be the best very early and very late or on overcast or rainy days as the water cools. Gulls and loons usually show up in November, which makes it easier to pinpoint schooling stripers. A popping-cork rig has been working on schooling 1- to 3-lb. fish with an occasional bigger one mixed in. A 3/8- or 1/2-oz. white Rooster Tail, a chrome C.C. Spoon and a number of other small shad imitators have also been producing. As the water cools, a bucktail jig becomes very effective, as well. The mouths of most creeks south of the 109 bridge and the edges of flats near the dam have been holding fish. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits and Alabama Rigs has also been producing some linesides in these same areas.”

Crappie: Good. “Try fishing the smallest minnows you can find or a 1/16-oz. or smaller jig around bridge pilings, brushpiles and blowdowns in 6 to 15 feet of water,” said guide Keith Hudson. “Concentrate on trees and brush that are close to the old creek channels. Pitching or shooting docks with small tube jigs or feather jigs around or under the docks is also a very good technique during fall. As usual, crappie seem to love shade and cover. Cooler temps and some rain should improve the fishing even more. Yellow Jacket, Wolf and Whitewater creeks are still producing good strings of crappie.”