Art Conway (804-514-1486) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that
Chickahominy Lake mid-day surface water temperatures were in the middle
to upper 70’s in the central lower lake on Wednesday (5/8/2024), with
temperatures in the lower 70’s below 10 feet. The lake level was about
6 inches above the top of the dam. The water was medium brown, clear at
the surface, slightly to moderately cloudy at 1 foot, and quite murky at
3 feet due to an apparent layer of suspended microscopic algae.

A few small blue cats, channel cats, and bullheads have been scattered
on flats, along drop-offs, and in channels in the main lake, and when
active have been hitting live minnows, shrimp, and cut bait. A fair
number of small to medium crappies were around creek mouths. Some days
they won’t touch minnows but will hit a tube jig suspended under a float
or a curly-tail grub on a jig. Other days they want nothing but
minnows. A few crappies were still in spawning mode around cypress
trees and would hit small jigs or live minnows. A few White perch have
been scattered or in loose aggregates on deep flats, channel edges, and
in channels in the main lake and occasionally in creeks, and when active
have been hitting small baits including live minnows, Gulp minnows and
Fry, and swim baits. A few yellow perch have been in the creeks and in
the main lake and hitting small curly tail jigs. Increasing numbers of
bluegills and shellcrackers are in the major creeks and some main lake
shorelines and are hitting live worms, wet flies, and small jigs. Some
pickerel and largemouth bass have been on flats and channel edges in the
main lake and shorelines in the main lake and major creeks. Although
bass beds are almost impossible to see, casting topwater and very slow
sinking baits tight to shoreline vegetation has worked, suggesting some
bass are bedding. When active and deeper, bass and pickerel have been
hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, crank
baits, and jerk baits.

Catches have varied with weather, with many species becoming relatively
inactive after heavy rains or cold fronts, then gradually becoming more
active as weather moderated. Alice Anne Potts and her mother Anne Potts
had 10 bluegills, 5 shellcrackers, 6 crappies, 3 white perch, 1 yellow
perch, and 1 Bowfin.