Random questions for you guys down near Richmond and east of there.  How does the Chick fish?

Ever since my dad and I watched an episode of "The Bass Pros" a couple years back and saw Timmy Horton hitting some cypress trees with jigs and craws we thought it would be a heck of a lot of fun to try.  Problem being not many lakes near us in VA that got em'.

I know one of a couple other ones but they are even further south or west than the Chick so...

Anyway, is the lake heavily pressured?  How tough is it to locate bass?  I'd imagine with a lot of wood cover and other stuff for them to get up on it could prove challenging.

I consider myself a pretty good flipper and have got a lot better with my casting accuracy/ bait entrance / etc over the last year and think this may be good practice for when I'm bed fishing later in the spring (flipping the wood cover here). 

Any info would be welcome.  I guess the best launching site and closest would be Eagle's Landing.  Looks like a two hour drive. 

Last question, how tough is it to navigate with a bass boat?  My dad and I fish out of a Lowe's fishing oat, I think it's 16 or 17' can't remember.

Oh, couple last things I forgot to mention, we would be planning on fishing it between March 29 and April 2nd (weekday). 

Does anyone know with current water temps and such where this would put fish down on this lake in regards to the spawn?  I know we have water thats about 37 - 39 in the local ponds and lakes here as I went out yesterday and checked a few so I wasn't sure how much warmer the water down there was.

Thanks again guys.

Im not sure about Chick. But I dont think its too hard to navigate a bass boat at all. I mean keep your eye on the back and motor if your in some thick stuff. Ive never had any problems and mines 21' long.

Fishing the chick lake is great . Put in at Eagles landing off rt 60 on rt 650 ,nice ramp good people . Fishing the cypress trees is great and manuevering your boat through them at high speed is also fun I drive my 21 ft through there and its a blast . Piching and flippin is great around the cypress. You might catch bowfin or pike . They have a thursday night and Saturday tourneys there . Hope to see you there .

Dan

I fished it today, and this past Sat, Sun, Mon.  Water temps are in the low 40s...43 degrees up in the creeks.  I've been chasing the pickerel and they are hitting.  I've also picked up several bass in the mouths of the smaller creeks...a little farther up in the big creeks.

There were several boats out on the weekends, far fewer during the week, maybe 6-7.  Had the lake to myself today.  By the end of March into April I would expect significantly more boats.

By the way, I prefer Ed Allens launch, good folks.

Ed. Allen's is a good place to launch however Eagles Nest has a better ramp setup.

Fish now before the grass starts to grow and clogs Lacy and Johnson creeks.

I can give you some suggestions where to try your luck. Will PM them to you this weekend if I don't forget.

Have everything required as per Virginia law on the boat as the DGIF conservation officers do patrol the lake.

Check out Ed. Allen Campground's web site to see if they have an update on the fishing this time of year.

Later. 

JCrzy, where are you in Dale city ? Im right off of Cardinal drive. We're pretty spoiled to have leesylvania only a few miles away. My gf has actually fished the Chick quite a bit so Im counting on her when Im ready to go down there. She loves it , says its one of her fave spots to fish in va. I never been tho. I always read the chick reports in woods and water magazine so I have some basic ideas for when I get down there. I hear the topwater bite is insane.

Steve,

Just off cardinal myself.  Not too far away from you it seems.  My dad and I launch out of Lees quite a bit throughout the year, normally fishing either Mattawoman, Neabsco, Powells, or Occoquan River/Bay and Belmont Bay.  We have a couple of nice spots pegged out and know some of the seasonal patterns on the Occoquan River too so we launch at Occoquan Park a bit as well.

Anyway, we should hook up sometime when we are both free.  I don't have a boat myself but I'm always up for shore fishing or pairing up if someones got a ride and needs help with gas.

Right now I have a few outings pegged for this month, it looks like the Chick is gonna be wiped from our plans, but just for the time being (maybe heading down next month).  This month we plan on hitting Anna on the 13th (public side out of Sturgeon), Briery on the 27th (so long as everything works out for this one) and Pohick Bay/Gunstons Cove on the 29. 

Each week I have half a day off because i work nights (Wednesdays) so that time is pretty open.  I just have to be off the water by 11:30 and be less than an hour from my job (Annandale).  Also I get one day off every 3 or 4 weeks (rotating schedule when we cover a Saturday), I try and make plans with my dad if he can get off but if it doesn't happen I'm free those days as well.

Thanks for all the info on the Chick guys, i appreciate it.

Ed. Allen's is a good place to launch however Eagles Nest has a better ramp setup.

Fish now before the grass starts to grow and clogs Lacy and Johnson creeks.

I can give you some suggestions where to try your luck. Will PM them to you this weekend if I don't forget.

Have everything required as per Virginia law on the boat as the DGIF conservation officers do patrol the lake.

Check out Ed. Allen Campground's web site to see if they have an update on the fishing this time of year.

Later.

Sam, you're right Eagle's Nest ramp is better.  I have a Lowe 16' so I have no problem with the ramp at Ed Allens and you can put a big boat in there. 

To give you an idea why I like Ed Allens, they have a lakeside restaurant.  It was closed on the day I fished.  I said something about it being closed and and the guy said it was his day off but he would open it up for me and cook me a burger if I wanted.  I didn't want him to dirty up the grill just for me so I said no but I've launched there since.

Anyhow, it's a fun lake to fish regardless of which ramp you launch from.

Mountaineer, my dad has the same boat as you I think, at least same make and length.  Don't know about the model.  That really clarifies whether or not we will be able to get it in there and not have issues.  We will consider Ed's sounds like a good place.  Thanks for the extra info man.

Chick Lake is friggin awesome. I fish it a lot. I loves it. In fact, I want some of my ashes scattered there when I croak (seriously).

Chick is good year round, but you need to know where to go at certain times of year. In winter, fishing deep, near the dam, fish ladder, and main channel is productive. In the spring, summer and fall, the weeds are good. You can fish the cypress trees, but I'll say they are WAY less productive than fishing along the weeds or in the creeks next to weeds. I catch more, and bigger fish along weeds than near trees. Getting way back into the backs of creeks will produce a lot of fish. In the spring and summer, there are pathways through the lilypad like roads. Fish these. Fish the duck blinds. Any place there is shade.

As much as I'd love to have a big, flashy bass boat, I pitty the fisherman that can't squeeze their $50,000 Ranger past the log jams and blowdowns and get back into the backs of creeks. I see those guys relegated to the main lake when I'm literally back in the soup. (Of course, then can handle bigger water than me, and can go a helluva lot faster).

Flipping and pitching are good techniques. But being able to make precision casts helps as casting along the edge of weeds is most productive. My favorite bait for the Chick is the Rage Tail Space Monky in green pumpkin. This bait rock on the lake for 3/4 of the year.

Here are some of my fishing pictures. Other than the smallmouths, all the largemouth photos were take at Chick Lake or Chick River. (Click on "Photos" if the link doesn't take you right to my fishing pics.)

http://cid-5014f77e07b8f0ed.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Fishing!

Here's my Chick lake YouTube video.