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West Point Reservoir
Spotted bass in the one to three pound range are abundant on West Point Lake, so anglers that enjoy catching one to three pound spotted bass should enjoy fishing lake. West Point Lake also has some really big largemouth bass, too, so be ready! West Point Reservoir is a 25,864-acre mainstream Chattahoochee River impoundment located on the border of Alabama and Georgia, just north of Interstate 85 and an hour southwest of Atlanta. West Point Dam is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Even though most of the reservoir is in Georgia, Alabama fishing license holders may fish anywhere except the portion of the reservoir that is upstream of the Higway 109 bridge on the Chattahoochee River arm. This is possible due to reciprocal agreements between the conservation agencies in Georgia and Alabama regarding portions of the Chattahoochee River where the two states border. Special regulations apply.
West Point Lake is a fairly deep (mean depth of 23 feet), rocky reservoir with little submerged structure other than rocky points and humps, so any site with underwater woody debris tends to concentrate fish, especially largemouth bass. Spring 2012 sampling indicated that largemouth bass were not as abundant as spotted bass, but of the 105 largemouth bass collected, eight fish weighed more than five pounds with the largest weighing 8.5 pounds.
A study by Richard Stiefvater in 1981 showed that largemouth bass ate mostly gizzard shad in the spring, bluegill during the summer and threadfin shad and gizzard shad in the fall. Gizzard shad eaten in the fall were larger than in the spring, possibly due to lower than normal water level that fall - the surface area was estimated to be 38% less than normal, 4.3 meters below normal from July through September of 1981. As with other Chattahoochee River impoundments, the crappie population consists of black crappie. In 2012, anglers reported catch rates of 0.45 crappie per hour, which was about half the rate of angler catch rates from other Chattahoochee River impoundments in previous surveys. Spring 2012 sampling indicated that all sizes of crappie exhibited slow growth and low condition factors. Most successful crappie anglers during the creel survey reported catching fish in the Wehadkee Creek section of the reservoir. Bream were abundant but small in the spring 2012 sample. Most of the bluegill population sampled were between 5 and 7 inches long. West Point also supports an abundant population of channel catfish. Several boat ramps service anglers in Alabama, including Dewberry Park, which receives the most boating traffic. Other public boat ramps along the Alabama side include Anderson Park, Southern Harbor Resort, Amity Campground, Rocky Point, and Veasey Creek Park. Southern Harbor Resort, 334-644-3881, also has a marina, boat rental, cabins, and a restaurant available for most of the year. Links (disclaimer): Fishing license information may be found at: www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/license/. Instant licensing is available via the Internet (2% fee), via the telephone by calling 1-888-848-6887 ($3.95 fee), or at 900 vendors and probate offices in Alabama. All youth age 15 and younger fish for free. Possession and creel limits for Alabama public waters of the Chattahoochee River and its impoundments are found at www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/regulations/chattahoochee.cfm. Fishing quality for black bass at West Point Lake is assessed from bass club tournament results here. State fish management information and Alabama reservoir location, size and elevation are listed at: /fishing/freshwater/where/reservoirs/. The State of Georgia provides information on West Point Lake. From georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/, go to "Fishing," "Places to Fish," and then "Georgia Reservoirs Fishing Prospects." They will list a link to "West Point" Lake. Bass fishing reports West Point Lake may be available at: www.wmi.org/bassfish/reports/alabama/ and www.havefunfishing.com/fishingreports/sr_westpoint_lake_fishing_report.htm. Local area information is available at: www.greatervalleyarea.com/ and www.lagrangechamber.com It shall be unlawful to intentionally stock or release any fish, mussel, snail, crayfish or their embryos including bait fish into the public waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries as provided in Rule 220-2-.42 except those waters from which it came without the written permission of a designated employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources authorized by the Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries to issue such permit. The provisions of this rule shall not apply to the incidental release of bait into the water during the normal process of fishing. The Fisheries Section’s District IV Supervisor can answer specific questions about West Point Reservoir by sending mail to Ken Weathers at: Ken.Weathers@dcnr.alabama.gov or calling the 334-347-9467.
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