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Chickahominy Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Tidewater Virginia’s bass factory: Chickahominy Lake stacks largemouth and crappie in cypress-lined blackwater.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
28 cfs
Air / High
96 / 97 F
Wind
WNW 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02042500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Chickahominy Lake locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 28 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 97. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 91 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Chickahominy River near Providence Forge.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02042500.

9622435328 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp96 F
High / Low97 / 75 F
WindWNW 3-11 mph
Pressure1011.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 25%
Sunrise / Sunset06:41 / 19:33
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 97/75 F, wind 8 mph, rain 25%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Chickahominy Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Chickahominy Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Chickahominy Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 93 F, wind to 4 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Virginia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Virginia license. Largemouth and crappie limits per current DWR regulations; tidal river sections may have different rules.

Access

Public ramps and fish camps on the lake (Ed Allen’s, Rockahock); DWR access on the tidal river below Walkers Dam.

About this water

A 1,230-acre blackwater impoundment on the Chickahominy River behind Walkers Dam, Charles City and New Kent counties, Virginia.

Fishing Chickahominy Lake: the full guide

A blackwater impoundment

Chickahominy Lake covers 1,230 acres behind Walkers Dam on the Chickahominy River, a tannin-stained, cypress-lined water east of Richmond that fishes far bigger than its acreage. Largemouth bass are the primary draw, with crappie in numbers, bowfin and gar for anglers who appreciate them, plus catfish and bream. Below the dam, the tidal river adds a completely different fishery.

Bass in the cypress

The pattern is cover fishing: pitch jigs and creature baits to the cypress knees and stumps, work frogs and buzzbaits over the pads and grass mats in summer, and slow-roll spinnerbaits along the wood in spring. The stained water favors dark colors and vibration. Fish move with water levels and seasonal vegetation growth: spring and fall are the strongest windows, with summer offering excellent early-morning topwater.

Crappie and the tidal river

Crappie stack in the brush, cypress and around any structure: minnows and jigs under floats from late winter through spring, deeper as summer sets in. Below Walkers Dam, the tidal Chickahominy holds largemouth in the grass beds and creeks, plus blue catfish that reach substantial size and, in the lower river toward the James, striped bass in season.

Access near Richmond

Public ramps and fish camps serve the lake, including access at Ed Allen’s and Rockahock, with the state maintaining launches on the tidal river below. The lake is shallow with abundant wood: navigation demands attention, especially away from the main channel. Richmond and Williamsburg are both within an hour, making this an easy day trip.

Common questions

What is the best bass season?

March through May and again in October: pre-spawn and fall feeding, with topwater over the pads excellent on summer mornings.

Is the water always dark?

Yes: it is a blackwater system stained by tannins. Dark and chartreuse baits, plus vibration, outfish natural colors.

What about the tidal river?

Below the dam it becomes a tidal fishery with largemouth in the grass, big blue catfish and seasonal striped bass.

Is fishing good at Chickahominy Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

James River29 miYork River39 miLake Anna62 miRappahannock River67 miVirginia Beach71 miRoanoke River75 mi
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