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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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Eastside Elementary School fifth-grade students in Coweta County have been busy constructing fish attractors and placing them in West Point Lake. The good works are a result of a newly established STEM club, where students learn more about science through hands-on projects. The fish-attracting structures were part of a larger effort that included learning more…
Hunters for Christ is a program created by the Baptist Tabernacle Church of LaGrange. They host events to get people involved in hunting who never would have thought it was possible. It is a ministry all about fellowship and outreach to people who are wheelchair-bound. One of the most popular events hosted by Hunters for…
On the drive in to work, I can’t help but notice the bright pink flowers of an early dogwood bloom. Another sure sign that Old Man Winter’s time is short, yellow pollen will soon blanket everything. Of all the things indicated by dogwood blooms, biting fish is decidedly my favorite. Many sportsmen will be looking…
Jake Saunders, of Bowdon, broke the West Point blue catfish record by 9 pounds with his 29.57-lb. catch. “I went out fishing intending to catch striped bass,” said Jake. “I caught some shad with my cast net in the afternoon, and I went out to the mouth of the river and anchored out. I had out…
There are some new fish in West Point Lake—41,264 to be exact. The DNR on May 12 stocked the lake with largemouth bass grown in a hatchery in Richmond Hill, near Savannah, according to Brent Hess, a fisheries biologist with DNR. “This is the first time we’ve ever done that, except for when it opened,”…
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…