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 mid 40’s to low 50’s on Wednesday (12/19/2012). The lake level was a few inches above the top of the dam. The water was light brown and very slightly cloudy in the lower lake. Most of the floating hydrilla mats in the main lake were gone, although a lot of hydrilla fragments mixed with duckweed and Azola were drifting in the upper lake. Most of the hydrilla mats in the major creeks had broken up and the fragments were drifting and sinking.

Bowfin and blue cats were hitting live minnows and were around bait schools on mid-depth and deep flats and in deeper channels in the main lake. Small active crappie, a few scattered larger crappie, and a few white perch were along the edges of the channels or on deep flats near channels (about 12-16 foot depths) in the main lake and were hitting live minnows, small blade baits, Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs, and tubes. Bass and pickerel were scattered on mid-depth and deep flats in the main lake and were hitting live minnows, blade baits, soft plastic stick baits, crank baits, and plastic worms.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Tom Porter and Malcolm Turnbull had 20 crappie, 2 roach minnows, 1 bowfin, 2 blue cats, and 2 bass. Capt. Bill Buck and Hollis Pruitt had 25 crappie, 1 bluegill, 1 yellow perch, and 5 blue cats.