Ben Wheeler West Lake 12.8.19

Dec 09 2019

Harrison Papaila

Fry

Member Since :
2019
Number of Posts :
41

Reservation Number : 22602
Property Name : Twin Lakes
Reservation Date : 12/08/2019 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 11 up to 3.46
Lures Used : chatterbait/jig/senko

Fished Ben Wheeler Sunday for the first time in windy/cloudy conditions. Water temp 53-55; visibility 18 inches; max depth 7 ft. 

As previous reports indicate, you must drive through the woods to get to the boat launch area for West Lake. Launched my boat without difficulty at 11 am, and caught my first bass within 15 minutes. The eastern third of the lake is essentially inaccessible. With the low visibility and low water level, you're likely to hit a stump or get stuck in the mud, so I wouldn't venture more than about 50 yards east of the boat launch area.

I had most success along the north and west (dam) banks in about 4 ft of water using a chatterbait. Currently, the majority of the deeper parts of the lake reach 5-6 ft, with a small area dipping just over 7 feet around the dam. I got tired of fighting the wind and the bite slowed, so I pulled my boat out at 2:30 with 11 caught up to 3.46 pounds. Most of the fish were about 14 inches.

I stopped at East Lake on the way out and considered launching my boat, but the wind was really howling. I fished the bank for about an hour without success, and headed home. Not bad for December.