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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…
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July 17: Valley Sportsman, West Point The fishing was pretty slow at the Valley Sportsman tournament at West Point. Twenty-two boats decided they’d try to beat the heat and fish, and in the end it was Martie Murphy and Mike York who won with 15.46 pounds. Second went to John Pearson and Trey Rhodes with…
Eighty-six Georgia bass clubs sent anglers to this year’s Georgia B.A.S.S. Chapter Federation Top Six tournament on West Point Lake. For the April 11-12 tournament, 502 anglers showed up to fish in hopes they’d make the top-12 cut and move on to the Southern Division tournament in June at Lake Okeechobee. The best-finishing angler in…
April is arguably the best month to catch a nice mess of slab crappie on Georgia lakes. West Point Lake, on the Chattahoochee River near LaGrange, is no exception. In April, the water temperatures are warming, reaching the range where crappie head to the shallows to spawn, and you can find crappie there in large…
March can be one of the best months to catch bass on Georgia lakes, and West Point is often the best bass lake in the state this month. West Point is full of quality largemouths as well as spotted bass, and they are all moving shallow to feed as they get ready to spawn in…
Even when the water is January cold, you can catch a mess of crappie. According to our three experts, who catch crappie with three different techniques in January, you just have to fish a little deeper, and a little slower. When the surface temperatures of Georgia reservoirs drop during the winter, the fish move into…
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…