Art Conway (804-514-1486) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that
Chickahominy Lake was partially ice-covered on Wednesday (2/11/2026),
with extensive melting in the lower lake. The mid-day water temperature
at 3 feet below the surface in the melted area was 41.5 degrees F. The
lake level was about an inch above the top of the dam. The water was
light to medium brown and slightly cloudy in the top 2 feet, but much
more murky for several feet below 2 feet, apparently due to an algal
layer.

The forecast weather later this week and weekend will likely continue
the melting. As the ice breaks up, please navigate with caution.

Prior to freeze-up, a few blue cats, channel cats, and bullheads were
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
had subsequentially moved to the traditional winter holes. White perch
had been in schools roaming channels, especially at the upper end of the
lake. Most bluegills and shellcrackers had been in channel basins, and
were usually not very active. A few scattered pickerel and bass had
occasionally been in creek channels near creek mouths or on main lake
flats and channel edges, but many had moved deeper.