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 were in the low 40’s throughout most of the lake on Wednesday (12/18/2013). The lake level was slightly more than a foot above the top of the dam. The water was light brown and very slightly cloudy in the central lower lake. Scattered floating patches of duckweed and hydrilla were present in a few places in the lake.

Mixed sizes of crappie were scattered in some of the typical winter holes, mostly main lake channels and channel edges, and were starting to become a little more active again after the cold front last weekend. Where active, crappie were hitting live minnows, blade baits, jigging spoons, tubes, and Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail grubs. A few bass, pickerel, bowfins, and blue and channel cats were in some channels and channel edges and were hitting live minnows and blade baits.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Tom Porter had 2 crappie, 1 blue cat, and 1 bass. Karen Anderson had 6 crappie, 1 roach minnow, and 1 nice pickerel. Capt. Bill Buck and Hollis Pruitt had 12 crappie, 1 blue cat, 3 pickerel, and 1 bass.