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 water temperatures ranged from the high 70’s to low 80’s in the lower lake and slightly higher in the backs of the major creeks on Wednesday (6/12/2013). The lake level rose rapidly overnight last Friday and has been slowly dropping since, and was about a foot above the top of the dam on Wednesday. The water was medium brown and moderately cloudy in the lower lake.

Blue cats and a few channel cats were widely scattered in a variety of depths in the lower main lake and in the creeks and were hitting live minnows. A mix of sizes of crappie were scattered on submerged wood cover, along channel edges, near some lily pads, and near shoreline cover in the main lake and creek mouths. Crappie were hitting live minnows, Roadrunners, Kalin crappie scrubs, tubes, swim baits, and Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail grubs. Bluegill and shellcrackers were scattered on many shorelines in the main lake and in some areas up the creeks and were hitting flies (especially wet flies and nymphs) and small tubes and jigs. A few bass and pickerel were in the major creeks, around creek mouths, and on flats in the main lake, and were hitting flyrod bugs, topwaters, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and plastic worms, particularly early and late in the day.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Carolyn Conway had 21 bluegill, 1 shellcracker, and 1 shiner. Capt. Bill Buck had 14 crappie, 1 white perch, 54 bluegill, and 1 blue cat.