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 70’s to middle 80’s in the lower main lake and
slightly higher in the major creeks on Sunday (5/19/2019). The lake level
was a few 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, flies, 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, Renee and Bill Vollrath had 1 bluegill, 6
crappie, and 1 bass. Jack and Dave Pong had 82 bluegill, 1 shellcracker, 2
crappie, 1 roach minnow, and 1 bass. Jerry Davis had 23 bluegill, 1
shellcracker, and 2 bass. Jesse Kelley had 8 bluegill and 4 crappie.
