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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
In the catfish world, you often hear the term “big fish October.” I am convinced that is more applicable to water bodies farther north than my home lake down here on the Georgia/Alabama line. Our cooler weather and water conditions seem to lag behind other major catfish waters just a bit and so do the big catches. Nonetheless, it is big fish season now on West Point Lake! Let’s be honest, overall fish activity will slow as their metabolism slows. However, the percentage of big fish caught will indeed go up. If you are targeting cats, expect much more blue cat activity over flatheads, as the flatties seem to slow way down once water temps dip to 50 degrees or below. Gizzard shad is always my favorite bait on this lake. The cats will often show preference for other baits during warmer seasons, but, gizzards are THE bait to have…
Read MoreWest Point Lake Articles
When an angler thinks of West Point Lake, perhaps the first things that come to mind are the vast hybrid bass runs each spring or the heavy bass-tournament sacks. However, there is a burgeoning new fishery up the Chattahoochee arm of the lake. Flathead catfish have staked a claim in deep holes on the northeast…
Two Elite 8 Skeeter Eliminator Series tournaments took place last month, sending two anglers to semi-finals matches in June. Shawn Malcom advanced after a West Point win against Tim Peek on Friday, April 18. Shawn spent the two days prior to the tournament practicing. He had 15 pounds Wednesday, but only boated one keeper Thursday,…
April may well be the best month for bass fishing, and West Point may be the best lake in Georgia to catch bass this month. The lake has great spawning coves that attract bass to predictable places, and some simple pat- terns will catch them from late March through the end of April. West Point…
A quarter of a century spent on a body of water will teach a man a few things. Mike Squires, who has been fishing on West Point since 1982, has figured out a few sure-fire ways to catch bass on the reservoir. Mike, who grew up in Riverdale, moved to Newnan a few years ago…
Glenn Goodson casts a long shadow. He is a tower of a man who teaches at Callaway Middle School. In addition to his duties as a math teacher, he is a coach for the school’s baseball and football teams. On the water, he is quite a professor as well. His extensive knowledge of bass and…
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 | 61-lbs. | Jerrimie Tolbert | 10/22/2022 |
| 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 |
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…