Ed Allen's Boats & Baits

We rented a pontoon boat yesterday for 4 hours. The lake was beautiful and boat was a good size, but they didn't provide a ladder for us to get back on the boat... When we called from the boat asking if we could get a ladder, their response was "we don't have ladders anymore, people kept breaking them". We are all adults and getting back onto the boat from the water was a big struggle. The staff could not have cared less. We will definitely not come back to this location again; rent a boat elsewhere. The least they could do was pretend to care about our safety concerns regarding getting back on the boat. We got back to the dock and neither employee even responded to our concerns. Eeeek. Go somewhere else!

Nice little spot! It's attached to a camp ground, so you know what you're getting into. People were nice. The boat rental was cheap enough, especially since we spent a solid 4 hours on the water. Definitely would recommend.

Very cool set up, easy going and very informative staff. The boats were nice and would definitely recommend going there.

I love the south! Everyone is so accommodating and friendly. Found this place while looking for a boat launch for Chickahominy Lake. $5 for the launch, $10 for a map, southern hospitality: priceless (please excuse the pun).

The boats and service were nice but given that our entire party wanted to get in the water, we were very disappointed that the service didn't include any type of ladder or device to safely get back on to the boat. This is a huge safety issue, and upon our inquiry, the company said that "since people kept breaking them, they no longer offer them". This is not only a big inconvenience but a major safety issue. When we brought this up upon returning the boat to the dock, the employees literally didn't acknowledge or respond whatsoever.

We went here yesterday with family friends. The lake was absolutely beautiful! Things went very smooth initially and everything seemed great, until we wanted to get off the boat and into Chickahominy Lake. After getting into the water, we noticed that there was no ladder or any method of getting back onto the boat. We drove the boat back to the dock and called to request a ladder and were told that no ladders were available. Unbelievable. These are the kinds of things that should be disclosed upon boat rental. Luckily, there were enough of us to pull people out of the water and into the boat, but had there been fewer folks, we could have been stranded in the lake with no form of communication in order to get help. Downright unsafe. Rent a boat elsewhere!!!

This place is nice and on the cheaper side in my opinion which is great. A lot of water to cover and you can bring your dog with you on the boat or pontoon! Only bad thing is all the seaweed!! I went to fish and could not throw a line out without it being covered in gunk, unless your in the middle, open water, it's hard to fish.

They wont take my order horrible service dude was an hour late to work and just horrible

Great lake to fish or relax, great people, great prices.I fish, my review is based on my experiences renting boats and fishing at Ed Allen's on the Chickahominy Lake. One of my favorite things about this place, they open at 630 sharp, and are sometimes willing to open earlier for you if you call ahead they day before. And you can stay out til sunset, even if the shop is closed when you return. Just be courtious and clean out the boat, and leave the rental gear by the front door of the rental office and tackle shop. The john boat and pontoon boat rentals are a great price and well maintained. 9.9 horsepower engines to avoid the VA boaters license requirement on 10HP and up (so no license required to rent a boat). They provide a quick tutorial if you are new to the type of engine or boat. The staff is pleasant, very friendly, and super knowledgeable. Be sure to ask what fish are biting on what rigs and lures, and where on they lake they seem most active. You'll get great advice. They have plenty of live bait for sale in their shop, a nice variety too. Smallmouth are plentiful, some huge citations come from this lake. Also bowfin, perch, sunfish, cat, bluegills, and even the occasional massive alligator gar. And supposedly a variety of other fish I have yet to catch here. Plenty of tournaments to enter as well. Absolutely amazed by the quantity of bald eagles nesting in lone cypress trees throughout the lake. See at least one every time I've been. Huge, beautiful, but evasive raptors. They're always flying away by the time my camera is ready. Best to focus on the fish, anyway. Their campsite and lakeside cottage rentals look great, and the rates more than reasonable for all the amenities they provide. I plan to camp there soon, probably tonight, as we lost count of all the bass we caught yesterday. I can count the number of bass under 12 inches on one hand, lost count of all the guys over a foot long. Our biggest of the day was 19.5 inches. Largest citation the day before was a 24 inch small mouth. Another great perk to this spot, a restaurant! Right next to the dock and tackle shop. Great to stop in for lunch and get right back out where the fish are. Tasty food, great service. Very sadly, the owner, George, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in May of this year. His retired father, and some family and friends, are keeping the place up and running to help support George's family, four children and his wife. A memorial service is being held this September. George and his family are so great and so well loved that over 500 people have purchased tickets to the service, all proceeds to go to his family. I have held off writing a review for this beloved fishing spot of mine, as the lake and marshy creek never seems to be crowded, I want it to stay that way. But some things are more important than fishing, like supporting a family that has done so much for their community. If you decide to check out Ed Allen's, you're in for a treat. Just be respectful and courtious. Clean up after yourself and pick up any garbage you do see that isn't yours.