Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day main lake water temperatures were in the mid 80’s on Wednesday. The lake level was about 6 inches above the top of the dam. The water was brown and moderately murky in the lower lake and up the major creeks. Most major and minor creeks are filled with hydrilla except in the channels, and hydrilla beds extended out from the shoreline of most areas of the main lake.

Small to medium crappie with a few large crappie were widely scattered on shallow and mid-depth flats in the main lake. Mid-depth wood cover occasionally held some crappie. Crappie were not biting consistently, but when biting they were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs and tubes, small swimbaits, and Kalin crappie scrubs. Small to medium bluegill were scattered in the creeks and around shorelines in the main lake. Most larger bluegill had moved off shorelines and were on shallow or mid-depth flats near shorelines. Bluegill were hitting live worms and crickets, flies, small Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs and tubes, small swimbaits, Kalin crappie scrubs, and small spoons. Bass and bowfin were scattered, with a few next to shoreline vegetation and in channels in the creeks and others along the shorelines and mid-depths in the main lake. Bass were most active at sunrise and were hitting live minnows, creature baits, soft plastic stick baits, crank baits, and plastic worms.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Tom Porter had 35 bluegill on the fly rod. Malcolm Turnbull and Hollis Pruitt had 50 bluegill and 2 crappie, mostly on fly rods. On a second trip, Hollis Pruitt had 44 bluegill and 3 blue cats.