By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor


As is often the case when the Bassmaster Elite Series comes back to a venue for a second or third or fourth time, things change. Year to year, week to week, day to day, it's one of the unavoidable truths of bass fishing. Whether it's a change in water level, water temperature, water clarity or the spawning phase, something's always different the second time around.

Such is the case at West Point Lake this week.

Two years ago, the Elite Series pros arrived at the sprawling Chattahoochee River reservoir that straddles the Georgia-Alabama border and found the bass were in their pre-spawn/spawn phase. The water was down and anglers searched high and low for any piece of cover that was wet. It resulted in a run-and-gun affair that saw the top finishers employ myriad techniques to fill their livewells.

Winner Steve Kennedy didn't even take the time to drop his trolling motor at points during the event as he ran to dozens of spots just to make a single cast or two. It remains to be seen if a frenetic pace will be what it takes to prevail again, but it probably won't hurt to try.

This week, the water is up more than 3 feet from where it was this time 2 years ago and it's currently higher than it's been at any point since September 2009. Just over the past 7 days, it has risen about 18 inches. Additional precipitation is on the way, too, as rain is expected to move through the region on Thursday as well Friday night into Saturday.

All the cover the pros wished had been in the water last time around is now drenched and that seems to have the fish scattered pretty thin. The rapid rise is water has also put a good amount of stain in the system, making it difficult to eyeball any late arrivals on beds. Reports today indicate the lake is coming down, so there's no telling where it'll be in the morning and what effect it'll have on the bite.

The lake is brimming with limit-filling largemouth and spotted bass, but the chunky specimens in the 3-pound and larger range are what will separate the contenders from the pack this week.

This week marks the opening leg of the second set of back-to-back events on the Elite Series schedule this season. The scene will shift to the Alabama River in Montgomery, Ala., once things wrap up in western Georgia.

Before getting into more about the bite, here's some information on the lake itself.

BassFan Lake Profile

> Lake Name: West Point
> Type of Water: Highland impoundment of the Chattahoochee River
> Surface Acres: 26,000
> Primary structure/cover: Points, brushpiles, flooded vegetation, laydowns, docks, riprap
> Average depth: 35 feet
> Species: Largemouths and spotted bass
> Primary forage: Threadfin shad, blueback herring
> Length limit: 14 inches for largemouths, 12 inches for spots
> Reputation: A lake with a fair amount of extremely large fish, but consistent quality is hard to come by
> Weather: Mixed bag of sun, clouds and rain (even a thunderstorm) is in the forecast
> Water temp: Low 70s (a little colder up the river)
> Water visibility/color: Stained to dirty
> Water level: A shade above normal pool (3 feet higher than it was for 2011 Elite Series)
> Fish in: 0 to 12 feet
> Fish phase: Mostly post-spawn, with a few still on the beds
> Primary patterns: Jerkbaits, Carolina rigs, plastics, crankbaits, topwater, jigs, flipping, spinnerbaits
> Winning weight: 63 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 12 after 3 days): 36 pounds
> Check weight (Top 50 after 2 days): 20 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 2.5 for West Point
> Biggest factor: The shad spawn – hitting it right can lead to a good day
> Biggest decision: Fish for a limit early or hunt potential game-changers.
> Wildcard: A couple of big females from the beds



BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Jeff Kriet will look to continue his hot start at West Point this week.

On The Fly

Pros talk about "fishing the moment" all the time. What they figured out in practice often doesn't hold up for 4 days of competition, no matter the size of the fishery. Conditions change, and that requires a mindset that allows for adjustment along the way.

That strategy plays a role in every tour-level tournament, but will be a major component of the winning pattern this week at West Point, where high water and a vast array of flooded bank vegetation has put a different spin on how the lake is fishing. Weights fluctuated mightily during the 2011 event – Kevin VanDam weighed a tournament-best 23-10 on day 2 and caught 9-05 the following day – and the same trend could play out this week.

"It's the first time in a couple years that it's been full and there's a lot of grass around the bank that's grown up along with some little trees and stuff that are in the water, but it doesn't seem like the fish are relating to that very much," said Ken Bearden, a longtime West Point bass guide who works out of Highland Marina. "They're still in the same places they normally are."

Bearden said a majority of the bass are in post-spawn mode and the pros BassFan spoke with confirmed that, although there may be a small population still looking to complete the mating process.

The river portion of the lake is where junk-fishing could be the ticket, but it might not be a 4-day deal.

"There's a lot of overhanging trees and bushes and flipping in those with a Beaver-style bait should be really good," Bearden said. "The guys that do that are going to have to move around a lot. It's not like you can go down a stretch and catch four or five. You'll catch one and then have to find another stretch with some good blowdowns or some good overhanging green trees."

Bearden said the La Grange area has been under pretty thick cloud cover for most of the spring that's held back the water temperatures from soaring into the upper 70s and 80s. The weather's hardly supposed to remain stable the rest of the week, so that will dictate a lot of pros' strategies.

"If it's sunny and the lake has stabilized, wacky worms and topwaters over humps and cypress trees and bushes will do well," he said. "If it's sunny, the fish will be up around the cover. The fish still wanting to relate to the cover that's close to the bank, when the water's rising and it's cloudy, it tends to pull them out away from that. They'll change overnight with the weather."

Herring Habits

Bearden said blueback herring have established themselves at West Point over the past 10 years, but rarely show themselves in the shallows. Coming upon an area where they happen to be spawning, however, could be the ticket to a successful day or week.

"On the lower end, we do have (blueback) herring in here and if you can find those herring spawning on a long, clay point, you can whack 'em and they will be big ones," he said. "Working a swimbait over those long clay points could be winning pattern."

A fairly strong shad spawn has been happening in the mornings as well so there's a good bet someone could stumble upon a school of fish feasting on them and get a quick limit.

"The shad are spawning on red clay banks, floating docks and overhanging trees in the water," Bearden added.

Notes from the Field

Following are practice notes from a few of the anglers who'll be competing this week.

David Walker
"My practice has been like cell service around here – terrible. It's been spotty. I can't figure it out, to be honest. I'm catching some fish, but catching fish big enough to keep is the chore. I would've thought that we're past the spawn. I've seen fry and no fish guarding them.

"The biggest difference is the water level. Two years ago, finding cover was the key – an object or a little rocky bank. Now it looks like it's a 4 feet higher, which doesn't sound like a lot, but with the amount of cover in the water now, it's a needle-in-a-haystack scenario. There's an unlimited amount of cover and the fish are spread out. There are a lot of things going on and I can't really get a handle on it. I've been catching fish several ways. It's a good thing winning practice doesn't pay anything. Hopefully, I'll get it turned around before the weigh-ins start.

"The guy that's able to make the right changes is going to do well. This is going to be one where stuff is going to be constantly changing. That's the case pretty much everywhere we go, but this week especially."

Matt Reed
"It's going to be similar to the last time we were here. I can catch a lot of fish. I just haven't figured out the big ones yet. You'll need to find one or two of those a day to do well. I think people will catch a lot of fish. It's just going to be a major key to get a 5-plus pound bite. There are a couple of wildcard possibilities to get that done.

"I think (the water's) come up so quickly from where it was that I don't know how long it'll take them to adjust to that stuff. I do think it'll be a factor before it's over, though. I just don't think they've adjusted to what's available for them.

"There's a ton of current right now. It's running wide open through the lake. That's a concern of mine and what it'll do to the water level. Are they going to suck it out while we're here? I went up the river (Tuesday) and there were logjams all the way across the river. The big wildcard is going to be whether they suck the lake back down. They have the capability to do it. The last time we were here, it came up 18 inches on day 3.

"Bedding fish played a major role last time and that's going to play again. There won't be a big number of them, but some important fish will be caught that way. There are a lot of people looking. With the shallow deal, it's hard to tell what stage they're in – if they're coming to spawn or if they're coming to the cover."

BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Practice hasn't yielded much in the way of confidence for David Walker.

J. Todd Tucker
"Monday was okay, but (Tuesday) was a little harder. I went to some places that weren't productive. It's a hard lake to fish this time of year. We're in a post-spawn situation and there might be a few on beds, but we've had a lot of water come into the lake. It's up 18 inches since we got here.

"It's been tough on me. It's as tough as I've seen it in a long time. I can catch spots, but largemouth have been hard to find for me. I've got about 20 rods on the deck and I'm just working hard on it. I have two patterns that I think I can catch some fish on and one of them I know will hold up. It's just a bite here and there, but you can catch a good one here and there.

"With the weather coming in, you have to fish the moment to do good and hope to make the right decisions. It's no different than any other tournament, but it'll be a big player this week."

Rick Morris
"I bombed here last time and I got a check. It's not my favorite lake, but I did catch a 6-pounder the first day, which is like a 10 somewhere else. Overall, though, I'm not doing too good. I think it's worse than last time or about the same.

"There are fry everywhere. The spawn is mostly done with the exception of a few stragglers. The bass are just in that post-spawn funk they get in just before they start chomping on Spooks and that stuff, so the finesse guys might do okay. The water has come up so far, even the fry-guarders are hard to catch. There's a lot of junk in the river, too. If anyone needs a basketball, I know where to find a couple hundred of them.

"I've focused mostly shallow and haven't done any deep stuff. It's hard to not fish shallow when the water's up and there's all of this stuff in the water. Now, I'm wishing I'd spent more time deep. With all the stuff in the water, it looks great and it gives the fish great places to spawn, but it seems like all of the big girls have vacated."

Jonathon VanDam
"I don't know what the deal is. It's weird. There's definitely a shad spawn in the morning, but I've found places with tons of shad and no bass. There is a bunch of bluegill up shallow, but I haven’t seen a bass around them yet. Honestly, I don't know what's going on.

"I think they're mostly post-spawn, but the ones that are spawning might be spawning out deeper now with the high water. As of right now, I'm frustrated. It's just tough to get bit, period. I have caught a couple big ones, but they're just random. There's been no rhyme or reason to them.

"For someone to do good, they'll have to capitalize early and get three or four within the first 45 minutes. If we get some clouds and a little rain, I think that'll help definitely. I don't know about wind on this place. The last 2 days have been slick calm."

Top 10 To Watch

With the above in mind and more, here, in no particular order, is BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch at this event:

1. Kevin VanDam – Don't look now, but his pursuit of an 8th B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year title is picking up speed. Three straight Top-20 finishes have him tied for 2nd and BassFans know this winless streak is probably eating at him pretty good.

2. Steve Kennedy – He's probably forgotten more about West Point than most Elite Series pros know about the lake. He grew up 90 minutes from the lake and cut his teeth there. Figured out a swimbait bite when he won there in 2011 and with conditions changing constantly this week, he'll know where and when to shift gears.

3. Jason Christie – The hottest name in the bass-fishing game right now coming off back-to-back Tour wins in Arkansas (Beaver Lake and Bull Shoals Lake). The world's top-ranked angler has limited experience at West Point, but momentum can be a great equalizer.

4. Edwin Evers – It's impossible to ignore the current AOY points leader, considering he's missed just one check in the last 16 Elite Series events. He was the runner-up to Kennedy at West Point in 2011 and would love nothing more than to strengthen his grip on the AOY lead.

5. Greg Hackney – A lake at full pool or higher usually means there's "stuff" in the water and few are better at picking over the "stuff" than the Louisianan. His finishes have gotten progressively better this season and he could be a sleeper of sorts this week.

6. Jeff Kriet – A solid start to 2013 has put some dirt on the dismal close to 2012. West Point wasn't kind to him in 2011, but his finesse know-how for spotted bass should keep him in the game.

7. Davy Hite – His blueback herring know-how has guided him to multiple Top-10s on lakes where the evasive baitfish are part of the forage base. Has missed three checks to start the season and finished a miserable 95th at Bull Shoals, so getting back in his comfort zone should reverse that trend.

8. Ish Monroe – On a bit of a roll right now with four straight results in the Top 50 across both Tours. He had a shot at the win at West Point back in 2011, but settled for 3rd.

9. Mike Iaconelli – After a disastrous start to his season, he's gradually getting things back in order. After a 36th at Bull Shoals, he notched an 8th at the Red River Central Open this past weekend. With back-to-back Elite events on tap, these next 2 weeks are crucial to his continued turnaround.

10. Jared Lintner – Has to hustle from here on out to make up for a 94th-place showing at Falcon, but West Point was the site of his last Top-12 placement and he knows a few tricks if he comes upon some late spawners.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will launch at 6:45 a.m. ET each day from Pyne Road Park (4481 Roanoke Road, LaGrange, Ga.). Weigh-ins will begin at 3:15 p.m. at the same location.

Weather Forecast

> Thurs., May 2 – Cloudy, Rain Likely - 72°/54°
- Wind: From the ENE at 8 to 12 mph

> Fri., May 3 – Patchy Clouds - 70°/45°
- Wind: From the E at 8 to 14 mph

> Sat., May 4 – Thunderstorms Likely - 70°/45°
- Wind: From the E at 12 to 18 mph

> Sun., May 5 – Partly Sunny - 71°/48°
- Wind: From the ENE at 10 to 16 mph

Notable

> Brent Chapman hasn't been this frustrated heading into a tournament since the last West Point Elite Series 2 years ago. He's hoping to put something together during the event. Aaron Martens intends to focus on largemouth right away on day 1 and then take it from there. To get a feel for how practice wound up for both veterans, click here to check out BassFan's Pro View Reports.