Capt. Art Conway of Conway’s River Rat Guide Service (804-746-2475) out of Ed Allen’s Boats and Bait reported that Chickahominy Lake mid-day water temperatures were in the mid 40’s in the lower main lake on Wednesday (2/3/2016). Water temperatures were in the high 40’s at the upper end of the lake and in the lower parts of major creeks, and into the low 50’s in some shallow areas near heads of creeks. The lake level was about six inches above the top of the dam. The water was light brown and very slightly cloudy in the central lower lake, with more murky water in some bays and creeks.
Blue cats and a few bullheads were in channels and winter holes and were hitting live minnows and cut bait. Crappie action was still very slow due to the cold water. Most crappie were in loose schools in the main lake in channels and on channel edges, usually at depths of 8 to 15 feet, frequently in the neighborhood of wood cover, and when active were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin crappie scrubs, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits. Numbers of active crappie had not appeared in the creeks yet, but may over the next few weeks. Small to medium yellow perch were scattered or in loose aggregates on some deeper main lake flats and in channels and were hitting live minnows, small drop shot baits, and small jigs. Only an occasional bluegill or shellcracker was active along the deep edges of hydrilla flats, on mid-depth wood cover, or in channels and very lightly hitting live crickets and worms, small blade baits, and small plastics on drop shot rigs. Most bass and pickerel were on deeper flats and in channels in the main lake, but some bass, and pickerel and a few bowfin were along drop-offs in the major creeks and were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, crank baits, jerk baits, and jigs.