Art Conway (804-514-1486) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that
on Wednesday July 1, Chickahominy Lake mid-day surface water
temperatures in the lower lake were in the middle 80’s. The lake level
was a few inches above the top of the dam. The water was medium brown,
clear from the surface to about 1 foot, but much more murky for several
feet below 2 or 3 feet, apparently due to an algal layer. Several areas
also had numerous small algal colonies adhering to the surface and in
the 6 inches below the surface.

A few blue cats, channel cats, and bullheads were scattered in deeper
regions of channels in the main lake, but some were in some creeks and
on flats. Moderate numbers of crappies were on main lake channel-edge
wood cover, especially near creek mouths. Moderate numbers of bluegills
and shellcrackers were in scattered patches on main lake shoreline
flats, frequently associated with traditional spawning areas. A few
pickerel and bass have been in creek channels, on channel edge flats,
and on channel-edge brush piles.

Shallows in many areas in creeks and in some main lake areas were
becoming difficult to fish due to numerous clumps of filamentous algae
floating at or near the surface.

Garry Kwist, Steve Haley, and I caught 14 bluegills, 17 crappies, and 1
largemouth bass. Wayne Dementi, Austin Warner, Brian Dementi, and I
caught 14 crappies, 2 white perch, and 1 largemouth bass.

For bluegills, red wiggler worms under a bobber on spinning rods and
dragonfly nymph wet flies on fly rods were both effective. For
crappies, small minnows under bobbers were most effective.