Why fish and fisherman alike are drawn to the magical Chickahominy Lake year after year

By Terri Aigner

Some places in Virginia mark the passage of winter into spring with the return of migratory birds, the blossoming of cherry trees, or the ritual of farmers plowing up their fields.

Around these parts, however, a sure sign of of the season is the endless procession of bass boats down Route 60: Some glittering and painted to match the fancy truck behind which they're being towed, some old and battered, tagging along behind rusting pickups. Locals know to avoid convenience stores around lunchtime when the season is in, when it's often difficult to maneuver to the gas pumps between all the fishing rigs jockeying for position. The checkout lines lengthen with the patronage of anglers, always easily identified by the wraparound sport glasses and faint aura of cutbait, who've stopped to refuel themselves and their boats.

The reason for the influx of anglers is a big one - the 1800-acre Chickahominy Lake. The lake and river system is listed by Woods and Waters Magazine as one of the leading fish citation producers for all of Virginia.

Of course, we already knew that.

It's just hard to keep a secret that big.

The city of Newport News created the lake in 1942 by damming the upper Chick-ahominy, forming a shallow lake with more than eight miles of fishable water. The freshwater is provided with a daily infusion of brackish water through boat locks at Walkers Dam, and a fish ladder allows migrating fish into the lake during spawning.

Shad, white and yellow perch, herring and striped bass migrate into the lake each spring, whose passage is heralded by people camped out on every inch of the dam snagging seemingly Biblical quantities of fish. The lake also has healthy populations of chain pickerel, catfish, crappie, and largemouth bass. Large bluegill sunfish in the lake draw anglers from all over.

The 25 miles of river flowing to the James below the dam serve up an abundance of fish. But the real lunkers lurk in the lake itself.

Ed Allen Jr., whose family has operated a fishing and camping business on the lake for decades, has his own theories about its phenomenally consistent gamefish population. "It's shallow, with a lot of aquatic growth...lily pads, cypress stumps, and particularly the submerged grass - elodea - which provide refuge for predators and prey alike," he said.

"Every year the state comes and "shocks" the fish (literally dynamites an area, counting the stunned or killed fish that float up) and are amazed to find the lakes inhabitants thriving despite intense year-round fishing.

"The fish ladders at Walkers Dam were always functional; then new step ladders were installed and spawning herring and black back minnows were given an extra assist into the lake from the river. The stripers (striped bass or rockfish) following the baitfish are now being caught all the way up to Providence Forge - I believe some are now actually spawning in the lake."

Crappie and ring perch (which spawn in February) use the ladders as well.

Apparently the brackish river, when mixed with the freshwater of the Chickahominy Lake, is quite palatable to the piscine inhabitants. Crabs are found in the lake, and sometimes even bluefish or trout.

"In a normal year, we will check in upwards of 600 citations at our place," said Allen, "and I'm sure there's quite a few that we probably miss. A lot of people - especially old-time bass fishermen like me, just check in a big fish and release it.

"Taking a 22" bass and keeping it is not something I want to do. I've caught dozens over 8 pounds. But I don't care about a length citation. Originally, citations were only given to fish over a certain weight, but they recently began awarding them to fish over certain lengths, as well. Some people feel the dual chances at getting a record fish cheapens the sport, while others contend that folks who normally wouldn't have a chance now have an opportunity to receive one of the coveted wall plaques awarded by Virginia for exceptional catches . I caught about 40 this summer; five of them were over seven pounds, and I didn't keep any of 'em," Allen admits.

here are about ten species of gamefish traditionally checked in by anglers at Chickahominy Lake. Bass lead the citation list, followed by pickerel. Allen estimates there are 10-15 bluegill sunfish a year weighed in at over a pound, about 20-25 crappie over 2 pounds, fifty ring perch over a pound and a quarter, and 25 or so white perch exceeding the same weight. One or two striped bass per year are landed which exceed citation size. Channel cats are also caught - Allen landed one tipping the scales at 24 1/4 pounds in the late sixties. Two catfish exceeding 40 lbs. were checked in at Walkers's Dam in late 1999.

The state record bowfin - an ancient species indigenous to the lake - checked in this year at 15 3/4 pounds, and one 17 1/4 pounds was brought to the Allens in recent weeks.

"They're no good to eat, but they put up a heck of a fight - they'll really jump around," says Allen. "The bad thing is, they go crazy when you get them in the boat - knocking over tackle boxes as they flop around, wreaking general havoc." Allen had one bowfin get its fishhook hung in his leg in its desperate attempt to regain freedom.

"We see a lot of bass in the 4-7 lb. range," he continued. "The nine and ten pounders of the 1950s and '60s are gone. I've caught 11 over eight pounds... only one of those since 1992. My mom caught two over ten pounds, and another one over nine. But I honestly believe there are no more really big ones left in the lake anymore." He hesitated to hazard a guess as to why. "Could be the fishing pressure, bass boats... I don't know. There are plenty of bunkers, shoals of baitfish...I'll look out in the morning and see the rockfish feeding on them. So there's plenty to eat for them. "

Another difference, Allen notes, is that you will see 25" or 26" fish which don't weigh over eight pounds, possibly owing to the abundance of food. "I've caught a 23" fish that weighed only 9 1/2 pounds, and 26" fish that weighed much less."

NO GUARANTEES

Allen recently had a customer who caught 25 fish in three hours, four over 5 lbs., and didn't go out til after 10 a.m. "It's nothing unusual to catch 8, 10, 25 fish in an hour and a half. But, by the same token, you can come back the next day and fish the same way and get only a few...if a front comes through, or the barometer drops...That's why people enjoy bass fishing so much - it's not guaranteed."

Amazingly, the lake has never been stocked. According to Allen, the fish caught down the river below the dam are not quite as good a quality - not as large. "Sometimes 30 to 50 tournament boats will lock through up to the lake, two at a time, to fish for the big ones."

Allen maintains that the old adage "90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen" is "probably more true than you'd want to believe." Advice to novice bass enthusiasts includes: Ask the local bait shop to recommend the best kind of lure to use. If you're unfamiliar with the lake, get a topographical map. Go with someone who knows the area. It may take you four or five trips before you start catching anything til you get to know the lake.

"You listen, you watch, you experiment. Watch the baitfish - use your common sense. The bass doesn't have eyelids, so he's not going to stay over in bright clear water. He'll be on the shady side of that log, or in the grass where he can ambush prey."

What's in Allen's own tackle box? Surprisingly little. "I pretty much just use spinner baits; I also have a baby torpedo, a swimming worm, a crankbait, and sometimes a jerk worm. That's pretty much it. I don't use any of that electronic stuff. That can show you where the fish are, but it doesn't help you catch one. "

Many people claim that the best time to fish the Chickahominy is June through September - and one has to admit, those warm summer sunsets on the lake are hard to beat for pure beauty and tranquility. But uninitiated anglers may be surprised to learn that, according to Allen, the best time to fish for the big bass and pike is between November and late February "on those really big minnows up in those creeks.

"There's less pressure from the fishermen. My mom caught all hers that way," he recalled. "Some people fish April through the fall with just a swimming worm, and that's all they'll use."

Allen's busy schedule as coach and director of sports, as well as being the county's only student driving instructor, limits his free time to fishing from the shoreline in August, September and October, early mornings and later afternoons. "I mostly fish the bank; a lot of your fish are caught in just two or three feet of water. I look in that grass, that's where I catch most of my fish."

Allen says the lake itself has changed over time. "One thing a lot of people don't know is that the lake doesn't freeze up any more. I've seen people drive a car across this lake. When I was a kid, we always packed up and went to Florida every winter when the lake froze. I believe the warmed climate has an effect on the grass...the cold doesn't kill it back so bad.

"The wildlife which flourishes here includes eagles, osprey, native Canada geese, a fairly decent duck population, beavers, muskrat, minks, and birds. We have people come on a regular basis just to birdwatch or photograph the wildlife," says Allen. "The lake is so picturesque."