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The Corps of Engineers and others operate numerous free and daily fee access areas. Although most of West Point Reservoir is in Georgia, fishing licenses from Alabama and Georgia are valid, "with the exception of that portion of West Point Reservoir lying upstream (north) of Georgia Highway 109 Bridge on the Chattahoochee River arm of said reservoir." Special regulations apply.

Historically, West Point Reservoir provided exceptional bass fishing up until the early to mid 1990s. However, improved sewage treatment in the Atlanta metropolitan greatly reduced the fertility of West Point Lake over the past decade. Low fertility typically slows growth of all fish and favors the production of spotted bass over largemouth bass. This resulted in a steady increase in spotted bass numbers and reduced numbers of largemouth bass.

In 2003, an increase in the abundance of threadfin shad and smaller gizzard shad was observed. Consequently, largemouth bass and spotted bass were collected at similar rates during the spring 2007 electrofishing sample and spotted bass growth appeared to have increased. An abundance of Age-3 and Age-4 crappie were collected, suggesting a good crop of harvestable-size crappie should be available for the next few years.

The black bass fishery is still different from what it was in the early 1990s. According to tournament reports in 2007, West Point Reservoir ranked 12th for the least number of angling hours needed to catch a 5 pound bass.

Bass fishing success and techniques in West Point Reservoir are influenced by the water level. Although, the water level doesn’t usually change quickly, it may gradually become as far as 6 or 7 feet low during dry summers. West Point has very little marginal cover to attract fish, thus most fishing is offshore, especially during dry years.

A study by Richard Stiefvater in 1981 showed that largemouth bass ate mostly gizzard 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.

There is a minimum size limit of 14 inches for West Point Reservoir has a 14-inch minimum size limit for largemouth bass. There are no size restrictions on spotted bass from West Point. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the abundant small spotted bass, which would result in improved growth of the remaining fish. Other species of interest to West Point Reservoir anglers are hybrid striped bass, white bass, black crappie, channel catfish, bluegill, and redbreast sunfish.

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