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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: 3.2 feet below 635. Temp: Mid 60s to low 70s. Clarity: Stained pretty much all over the lake. Bass: Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Good. Bass can be caught on several different patterns during April. You can try working the backs of pockets with topwater baits, such as Pop-Rs, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits. This can be extremely effective for shallow and aggressive prespawn and spawning fish, and everyone loves catching fish on top! The second pattern that works really well is to look for spawning shad. Try fishing rip-rap around bridges with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and Zoom Super Flukes. You need to be there early in the morning for the best chance at this being an effective pattern. Another tactic that pays off with some big sacks of largemouth in April is targeting fish that are locked on bed. A Senko or merthiolate Trick Worm rigged weightless will do…
Read MoreWest Point Lake Articles
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a pair of news releases yesterday with information for those interested in turning their live Christmas trees into fish habitat. The drop-off locations are in various locations around West Point and Allatoona. Lake-specific information is below. West Point Christmas Trees The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at West…
Georgia has stocked 2,000, 10-inch largemouth bass into West Point Lake, and fishermen will be able to tell if they catch one of those fish. The bass carry a brand that makes them easy to identify. “We freeze brand them with dry ice,” said Brent Hess, Fisheries Biologist II from the District I office in…
T.R. Clark, of LaGrange, may be the only angler on GON’s Georgia Lake & River Records listings to have a 50-pound-plus fish that was caught from a kayak. His recent 54-lb. blue catfish from West Point Lake taken while fishing from a Feel Free Lure 11.5 kayak smashed the old record of 37-lbs, 5.44-ozs. set…
West Point fishing guide Joey Mines says that crappie anglers are some of the kindest and most friendly people in the world. He should know since he has been guiding them to crappie for 38 years and averages 275 days a year fishing for them on West Point. That’s a lot of crappie fishing! Joey…
For the second time this year, the West Point Lake flathead catfish record has been broken. The latest angler to do it was Mike Felter, of Waco, with a 48-pounder caught before midnight on Aug. 22 while fishing in the Southern Catfish GA tournament. Video from the tournament’s weigh-in and the new record catfish is…
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 | 36-lbs., 2.72-ozs. | Mike Bradford | 03/08/2019 |
Shellcracker | 12.64-ozs. | Todd Garner | 05/06/2023 |
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…