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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: The lake is 10 feet below 635 as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts spillway maintenance. Temp: 60-70 degrees. Bass: Guide Keith Hudson reports, “We tend to forget about fishing a bit this time of year, but you can really be missing out. November is normally a great month to be out on the water. Thankfully, the bass fishing has gotten much better over the last month. The lower surface temps and the lake being a little stained in places definitely helped. The lake was about 10 feet down on Nov. 1 and should stay that way at least until mid January. The below normal level is because of repairs needed on the dam. Quite a few ramps should still be accessible, but I would recommend Pyne Road Park on 109 (definitely the best dock). If you do want to fish shallow for bass, any wood or…
Read MoreWest Point Lake Articles
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…
You might think it’s too hot to go fishing, or that this time of year thunderstorms may run you off the lake. But the largemouth and spotted bass at West Point are feeding both shallow and deep. Anglers can catch quality largemouth on topwater around shallow wood and grass, and both species can be patterned…
Gene Schmitt, of LaGrange, probably has the coronavirus to thank for his name being placed in the West Point Lake records chart. He caught a 41-lb. flathead at 12:05 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, an hour when he’d normally be in bed resting for work. “I’ve been out of work for almost two months now.…
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…