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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: 7 feet below 635. Temp: Upper 40s to low 50s. Clarity: Clear water over most of the entire lake. Bass: Guide Keith Hudson reports, “Fair. So we had an actual winter this year. After a super slow bite for bass in January, hopefully we turn the corner going into February. Stained water and rocks warm quickly when the sun is out, so let’s hope for some warm rain followed by sunshine. Bass will seek out warmer water and baitfish and crawfish that are drawn to shallow, warmer water or around the sun-warmed, chunk rip-rap rocks. Just a few degrees can make a difference. In the stained water, lures of choice are crawfish color in No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps and other small cranks, red or chartreuse lipless vibrating type baits (Rat-L-Trap) Chatterbaits and white/white spinnerbaits. The Whitewater/Turkey Creek area seems to always be one of the…
Read MoreWest Point Lake Articles
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…
There is a new record channel catfish at West Point Lake, which fills a record that had stood as Open. Owen Knabe, of Newnan, landed the fish on April 22, and it weighed at 16-lbs, 7.5-ozs. to establish a new lake record channel catfish for West Point. Two species of invasive catfish—the blues and the…
About 25 years ago, West Point Lake was a prime largemouth bass impoundment that produced many double-digit fish, including at least one exceeding 14 pounds. Impounded in 1974, West Point runs about 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River and covers 25,864 acres near LaGrange. The lake spans part of the Alabama-Georgia line about an hour…
In 2001, Ken Bearden met Joe Gilham, a Vietnam War veteran. The two men became close friends and frequently fished West Point Lake. Gilham suffered from exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used to thin jungle growth during the war. Gilham’s declining health didn’t stop them from fishing as often as his condition would allow.…
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 | 72-lbs. | Aivis Tumovs | 01/02/25 |
| 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 |
| White Bass | 2-lbs., 6.08-ozs. | Shayne Goddard | 01/18/25 |
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…