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 main lake water temperatures were in the low to mid 70’s on Wednesday (10/03/2012). The lake level was about even with the top of the dam. The water was brown and slightly cloudy in the lower lake. Most major and minor creeks were filled with hydrilla except in the channels, and hydrilla beds extended out from the shoreline of most areas of the main lake. Many hydrilla beds had fairly distinct weedwalls along their outer edges. Some of the hydrilla mats were starting to break up.

Small to medium crappie and a few yellow perch were widely scattered on shallow to mid-depth flats and on the channel edges in the main lake. Mid-depth wood cover occasionally held some nice crappie. Crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs and tubes, small swimbaits, and Kalin crappie scrubs. Small to medium bluegill were scattered along weedwalls and around shorelines in the main lake and up some of the major creeks. Most larger bluegill had moved off shorelines and were on shallow or mid-depth flats or along deeper weedwalls. Bluegill were hitting live worms and crickets, flies, small Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs and tubes, small swimbaits, Kalin crappie scrubs, and small spoons. Bass and bowfin were scattered along the shorelines and mid-depths in the main lake. Bass were most active at sunrise and sunset and were hitting live minnows, frogs and toads, surface lures, creature baits, soft plastic stick baits, crank baits, and plastic worms.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Hollis Pruitt had 50 bluegills, 18 crappie, 2 yellow perch, and 1 bass. Mary and Richard Simons had 39 bluegill, 11 crappie, 2 yellow perch, 3 blue cats, 1 gar, 1 bowfin, and 7 bass. Capt. Bill Buck and Hollis Pruitt had 36 bluegill, 16 crappie, 3 shellcracker, 1 flier, 3 yellow perch, 3 shiners, 1 blue cat, 1 pickerel, and 1 bass.