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 to mid 30’s in the lower lake and in the low 30’s in the upper lake on Wednesday (02/12/2014). The lake level was about a foot above the top of the dam. The water was very light brown and was clear in the central lower lake. The channel in the main lake was open from Ed Allen’s to above the first no wake zone on Wednesday afternoon, with shoreline ice in many areas and most coves and creeks mostly ice-covered. Use care when running up or down the lake under these conditions, because large ice sheets may break free from shoreline ice and drift into the channel.

Lower lake winter holes contained mostly blue cats with a few crappie, bowfin, pickerel, white perch, and bass. Crappies and pickerel were hanging around bait schools in eddy areas in the upper lake. Fish were hitting live minnows and blade baits, but were not very active.