Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-514-1486) out of
Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day water
temperatures were in the high 60’s to low 70’s in the lower main lake and
slightly higher in the major creeks on Wednesday (5/15/2019). The lake
level was about 8 inches above the top of the dam. The water was medium
brown and slightly cloudy in the central lake, and very cloudy along many
downwind shorelines. Many creeks and some shorelines were hard to fish due
to clumps of filamentous algae.
Some blue cats and bullheads were along drop-offs and in channels in the
main lake while others had dispersed onto flats and into creeks. When
active, cats were hitting live minnows and cut bait. Some crappie were in
creeks and others were in the main lake, in both cases frequently near wood
cover in shallow to moderate depths. Active crappie were hitting live
minnows, Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin
crappie scrubs, and small swim baits. Yellow and white perch were scattered
or in loose aggregates on deep flats, drop-offs, and channels in the main
lake and in major creeks. When active, both perch species were hitting live
minnows, small swim baits, and small jigs. Many bluegill and shellcracker
were on deeper flats and on some shorelines in the main lake, but some had
entered the creeks, and when active were hitting live worms and crickets,
Nikko nymphs, and small swimbaits. Pickerel were along shorelines in coves
and in creeks on sunny days. Bass were mostly post-spawn and were located
along shorelines and on shallow to moderate depth flats. When active, bass
and pickerel were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick
worms, crank baits, jerk baits, and jigs.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Mickey Cleveland had 1 bluegill, 16 crappie, and
3 bullheads. Mike and John Coyle had 21 bluegill, 2 shellcracker, 7
crappie, 1 bullhead, and 4 bass. Alice Anne and Anne Potts and Amy Hogge
had 19 bluegill, 3 shellcracker, 4 crappie, 2 white perch, and 3 bass. Tom
Porter had 7 bluegill, 12 crappie, 3 white perch, and 3 bass.
