Art Conway (804-514-1486) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that
Chickahominy Lake mid-day surface water was 40 in the lower region of
the main lake and in the upper 30’s in the upper lake on Thursday
(1/22/2026). The lake level was about an inch above the top of the dam.
The water was light brown and clear in the top 2 feet, but much more
murky for several feet below 2 feet, apparently due to an algal layer.

Some coves above the no wake zones were ice-covered today, and the
forecast weather this next week will likely freeze the surface of the
rest of the lake. When it breaks up, please navigate with caution.

A few blue cats, channel cats, and bullheads have been scattered on
flats, along drop-offs, and in deeper regions of channels in the main
lake. Most crappies had moved to channel basins, and most have
subsequentially moved to the traditional winter holes. White perch have
been in schools roaming channels, especially at the upper end of the
lake. Most bluegills and shellcrackers have been in channel basins, and
were not very active today. A few scattered pickerel and bass are
occasionally in creek channels near creek mouths or on main lake flats
and channel edges, but many have moved deeper.

Over the past 2 weeks, Tom Porter caught 1 bluegill, 1 crappie, 24 white
perch, 2 yellow perch, and 1 largemouth bass. Larry Jenkins caught 37
white perch, 3 yellow perch, and 1 turtle. We also had 1 trip during
which we could not find the white perch schools and ended up skunked.