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West Point Lake
West Point is a great fishing lake, but it has undergone major changes in the past several decades. Once overly fertile because of Atlanta's upstream influence, environmental changes have reduced the flows of nutrients that once created pea-green waters and super largemouth bass fishing. The lake is clearer these days, and the less fertile waters are transitioning from largemouth to spotted bass. Bass fishing is still excellent, just more spotted bass are caught these days. Hybrid bass fishing is very good, especially during the famed spring run up the Chattahoochee River to Franklin. West Point is a man-made reservoir of 25,900 acres impounded by the West Point Dam, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
West Point Lake Resources
West Point: Level:1 foot below 635. Temp: Upper 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Mostly clear. Bass: Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Fair. Topwater baits, such as Pop-Rs, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits, continue to be effective for shallow and aggressive fish, especially around bream beds during June. Have an unweighted Senko ready if you get a strike that misses, and cast it directly on the miss. It’s a great way to pick up some extra fish. Some big tournament sacks of largemouth are still being weighed in by guys who sight fish, targeting bass that are around these beds feeding on the bream. Also, you can try fishing rip-rap around bridges with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and shaky-head rigs, especially during water generation times. Later in the month, some fish should start showing up on deeper brushpiles and roadbeds as the water warms. Try deep crankbaits or Texas-rigged Ol’ Monster worms. Good numbers of spotted…
Read MoreWest Point Lake Articles
West Point is an excellent lake to have fun catching bass right now, especially if you follow the tips of a local expert who can catch winter bass shallow, deep and in between. West Point, located on the Chattahoochee River along the Georgia-Alabama border, has a good population of both spotted bass and largemouth. It…
Justin Tomlinson caught this 37-lb., 14.7-oz. lake-record flathead catfish on West Point Lake on July 4, 2012. Flatheads first start showing up in substantial numbers on West Point Lake around 2002, when hybrid anglers starting catching them up the Chattahoochee River during the spring lineside run. In a 2008 article detailing how to catch West…
West Point Lake anglers will benefit from the efforts of Boy Scout Jacob Buchanan. The 15-year-old, of Sharpsburg, spent Saturday, May 12 with six other Boy Scouts from Troop 897, out of Newnan, and sank PVC-style fish attractors in Wehadkee Creek on West Point Lake. Jacob had to plan, organize and carry out the project…
Rick Gasaway, of Woodstock, and David Millsaps, of Ranger, put together plenty of weight to capture their second straight championship title in Highland Marina’s Georgia State Championship. They were also crowned the 2010 Georgia State champs, meaning they are the only team to ever win back-to-back titles. First place this year was $35,000. “You got…
There’s a reason tournament partners Earl Kitchens, of Gray, and Wayne Ard, of Lizella, drive halfway across Georgia to fish West Point Lake. The crappie fishing can be that good. And, in late February and early March, when the first waves of egg-heavy females begin pushing into the shallows to spawn, the fishing gets that…
West Point Lake Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 14-lbs., 2-ozs. | Richard Little | 04/15/1988 |
| Spotted Bass | 6-lbs., 9-ozs. | Wendell Young | 02/07/1990 |
| White Crappie | 3-lbs., 14-ozs. | Willie Arnold | 02/15/1989 |
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 6-ozs. | Edward Cagle | 03/14/1996 |
| Hybrid Bass | 14-lbs., 12.75-ozs. | Dustin Pate | 03/13/2009 |
| Shoal Bass | 3-lbs., 7-ozs. | Danny Swafford | 08/02/1997 |
| Blue Catfish | 72-lbs. | Aivis Tumovs | 01/02/25 |
| Flathead Catfish | 48-lbs. | Mike Felter | 08/22/2020 |
| Yellow Perch | 1-lb., 2.4-ozs. | Toney Booker | 11/18/2017 |
| Channel Catfish | 16-lbs., 7.5-ozs. | Owen Knabe | 4/22/2018 |
| Striped Bass | 40-lbs. | Mike Steele | 3/24/2024 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 8-ozs. | Justin Tomlinson | 10/26/2024 |
| Longnose Gar | 23-lbs. | April Waldrop | 07/21/2023 |
| White Bass | 2-lbs., 6.08-ozs. | Shayne Goddard | 01/18/25 |
West Point Most-Read Articles
Many of our lakes and rivers are loaded with large, trophy-sized trash fish that no one really cares about fishing for because they are supposedly not that good to eat. Carp and gar are at the top of that list, and even if their taste and table quotient is questionable, they sure are sporting. Just…
There’s a reason tournament partners Earl Kitchens, of Gray, and Wayne Ard, of Lizella, drive halfway across Georgia to fish West Point Lake. The crappie fishing can be that good. And, in late February and early March, when the first waves of egg-heavy females begin pushing into the shallows to spawn, the fishing gets that…
In July, the days are often long and hot, and the lakes can be crowded with pleasure boaters. Conditions can be tough for bass fishermen. To lower your frustration and catch some fish, head to West Point Lake. The spotted bass and largemouths there feed even on the hottest days, and summer bassin’ at West…
There’s no doubt that amongst the beautiful scenery of West Point Lake there’s a huge population of hungry, eager and hard-fighting linesides. And, as the weather continues to warm this month, the action should only get hotter, according West Point Lake angler and part-time guide Todd Pursley. Now that the crowded spring striper and hybrid…