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 low 50’s in the main lake on Wednesday (11/18/2015). The lake level was a few inches above the top of the dam. The water was medium brown and very slightly cloudy in the central lower lake.
Blue cats and a few bullheads were moving toward the channels and winter holes and were hitting live minnows and cut bait. Moderate numbers of crappie were in loose schools in the main lake on deeper flats and channel edges, usually at depths of 7 to 15 feet, sometimes suspended, and frequently in the neighborhood of wood cover. Active crappie were hitting live minnows, Wright Bait Co. curlytail jigs, small tubes, Kalin crappie scrubs, small swim baits, jigging spoons, and blade baits. Some small to medium yellow perch were scattered on main lake flats and on flats in creek mouths and were hitting live minnows, small jerk baits, and small jigs. A few bluegill and shellcracker were scattered along some shorelines and shallow flats and were hitting live crickets and worms and small jigs. Many bluegill and shellcracker had moved to the deep edges of hydrilla flats, to mid-depth wood cover, or into channel edges and were hitting live crickets and worms, small blade baits, tubes, and jigs. Some bass and pickerel were on lily pad flats and along shorelines in lower reaches of major creeks and in shallow bays and some shorelines in the main lake, while other bass and a few pickerel were on deeper flats and channel edges in the main lake. Bass and pickerel were hitting live minnows, spinnerbaits, swim baits, stick worms, crank baits, jerk baits, and jigs.
Fishing with Capt. Conway, Abe and John Longmire had 9 crappie, 1 warmouth, 5 blue cats, and 2 bass. Floyd Geouge and Duane DeVane had 7 crappie, 1 blue cat, and 1 bass. Capt. Bill Buck and Tom Porter had 3 bluegill, 21 crappie, 2 yellow perch, 2 pickerel, and 1 bass.