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 ranged from the high 30’s to the low 40’s in the lower main lake, the high 30’s in the upper main lake, and the low to mid 40’s in the major creeks on Wednesday (2/17/2016). The lake level was a few inches above the top of the dam. The water was light to medium brown and slightly cloudy in the central lower lake, with more murky to moderately muddy water up the lake and clear water in the major 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 slow throughout most of the lake due to the cold water. Crappie schools were largely gone from the winter holes in the main lake in channels and on channel edges and had not yet appeared in the creeks, but should be there soon. Active crappie had been hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin crappie scrubs, and small swim baits, and these should work when the crappie appear in the creeks. Small to medium yellow perch were scattered or in loose aggregates on some main lake flats and in channels and were hitting live minnows, small drop shot baits, and small jigs. Some bass, pickerel, and bowfin were along drop-offs in the major creeks and when active were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, crank baits, jerk baits, and jigs.