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 low to mid 60’s on Wednesday (10/10/2012) and had dropped about 10 degrees from the weekend due to the cold front. The lake level was about even with the top of the dam. The water was brown and slightly cloudy in the lower lake. Most major and minor creeks were filled with hydrilla except in the channels, and hydrilla beds extended out from the shoreline of most areas of the main lake. Many hydrilla beds had fairly distinct weedwalls along their outer edges. Some of the hydrilla mats were starting to break up.

Small to medium crappie were widely scattered on shallow to mid-depth flats and on the channel edges in the main lake. Mid-depth wood cover occasionally held some nice crappie. Crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs and tubes, small swimbaits, and Kalin crappie scrubs. A mix of sizes of bluegill were scattered along weedwalls and on shallow flats near shorelines in the main lake and up some of the major creeks. Bluegill were hitting live worms and crickets, flies, small Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs and tubes, small swimbaits, Kalin crappie scrubs, and small spoons. Bass and bowfin were scattered along the shorelines and mid-depths in the main lake. Bass were hitting live minnows, frogs and toads, surface lures, creature baits, soft plastic stick baits, crank baits, and plastic worms.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Mickey Cleveland had 32 bluegill, 1 yellow perch, 7 crappie, 4 shiners, 1 blue cat, 1 channel cat, 1 pickerel, and 2 bass.