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 mid to high 80’s in the main lake on Wednesday (7/22/2015). The lake level was a few inches above the top of the dam. The water was moderately brown and slightly cloudy in the lower lake.

Blue cats and a few bullheads were scattered throughout the lake and were hitting live minnows and cut bait. Moderate numbers of crappie were in loose schools in the main lake on deeper flats and channel edges, usually at depths of 6 to 12 feet. A few crappie were scattered singly or in small schools on shallow to mid-depth cypress knees, wood cover, and shoreline weed beds in the main lake and in mouths of major creeks. Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin crappie scrubs, and small swim baits. Some small to medium yellow perch were scattered on main lake shoreline flats and were hitting live minnows and small jigs. Some nice bluegill and shellcrackers along with smaller bluegill were in small loose aggregates along shorelines in the main lake and were hitting live crickets and worms, flies, and small tubes and jigs. Some bass and pickerel were on lily pad flats and along shorelines in lower reaches of major creeks and in shallow bays and some shorelines in the main lake and were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, and jigs.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Malcolm Turnbull had 72 bluegill and 1 bass. Lisa, Chad and Delaney Chandler had 13 bluegill. Terry Rivers had 53 bluegill, 6 shellcracker, and 1 roach minnow. Capt. Bill Buck had 39 bluegill, 1 shellcracker, 5 crappie, 2 bullheads, 1 pickerel, and 2 bass.