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 high 70’s to low 80’s in the lower lake on Wednesday (8/21/2013). The lake level was about 8 inches above the top of the dam. The water was light brown and slightly cloudy in the central lower lake, but appeared more murky around some shoreline and shallow flats hydrilla.

A mix of sizes of crappie were scattered on weed flats near shoreline cover in the main lake, along weed walls in creek mouths, and on mid-depth wood cover and were hitting live minnows, tubes, and Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail grubs. A mix of sizes of bluegill and shellcrackers were scattered on many shorelines, on hydrilla flats, and on some mid-depth wood cover in the main lake and along hydrilla weed walls around creek mouths and were hitting flies (especially black or brown wet flies and nymphs), small tubes and jigs, small spoons, and live worms. A few bass were on flats and shorelines in the main lake and on mid-depth wood cover, and were hitting flyrod bugs and topwaters near sunup and sundown and stick worms, spinnerbaits, and live minnows a bit later in the mornings and earlier in the afternoons.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Ted Antol and Jim Atkinson had 38 bluegill, 4 shellcrackers, 3 crappie, 5 yellow perch, and a 3 ½ pound bass. Carolyn Conway had 38 bluegill, 2 shellcrackers, 2 crappie, 1 yellow perch, 1 warmouth, 1 bass, and 1 pickerel. Capt. Bill Buck had 34 bluegill, 2 shellcrackers, 25 crappie, 1 blue cat, and 3 bass.