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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
Efforts continue in 2019 to improve largemouth bass populations at West Point Lake. Georgia DNR, through its Fisheries Section of the Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), hopes to boost the number of largemouth bass in West Point Lake. The DNR has already stocked more than 350,000 bass fingerlings this year, and a different approach is being…
On March 8, Mike Bradford, of Douglasville, caught a West Point striper certified at 36.17 pounds, breaking the old record by more than a half pound. At 6:30 in the morning, Mike and his friend Jamie Townsend arrived at the lake. Mike said he’s been fishing West Point for 30 years. “My friend Jamie and…
Rocks, ramps and hard clay dropping into deep water—West Point spotted bass and largemouth are feeding on those kinds of places in late February and March. These prespawn bass will hit a variety of baits as the water warms and the fish move farther back into creeks and coves. Prespawn at West Point is a…
On Jan. 4, John B. McWhorter, Jr., 73, of Rochelle, passed away. John will always have a special place in the hearts of the GON family. His picture was on the front cover of the very first issue of GON, which was published March 19, 1987. John was photographed by GON founder Steve Burch and put…
Dropping water temperatures and dropping lake levels combine to force both spotted bass and largemouth to predictable patterns at West Point this month. Bass are feeding heavily on roadbeds, points and rip-rap and will continue to do so throughout the month of November. West Point is a border lake but is mostly in Georgia, so…
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…