Delaware Fishing Ponds: Bass, Panfish and Catfish

Delaware’s public ponds are a good fit for anglers who want bass, bluegill and crappie without a boat or a long drive. DNREC describes its public ponds as ranging from 5 to 189 acres, surveys six to eight of them a year, and publishes the results. This guide compares the ponds we cover, explains how to read the survey numbers, and gives the rules that apply to every public pond.

The ponds at a glance

Pond	Size	Surveys on record	Guide
Lums Pond	about 189 acres	2010, 2015	Lums Pond
Millsboro Pond	about 101 acres	2011, 2016	Millsboro, Hearns and Haven Lake
Trap Pond	about 88 acres	2009, 2014	Section below
Haven Lake	about 82.5 acres	2011, 2016	Millsboro, Hearns and Haven Lake
Killens Pond	about 75.1 acres	2009, 2014	Section below
Hearns Pond	about 53.4 acres	2008, 2013	Millsboro, Hearns and Haven Lake
Wagamons Pond	about 41.1 acres	2010, 2015	Wagamons Pond
Becks Pond	special bass rule	not covered here	Section below

Pasture Point Pond at Bombay Hook is a different kind of water. It is catch and release only, and you can read about it in our Pasture Point Pond guide.

Rules that apply to every public pond

The summary above lists the limits and pond rules we confirmed, with the source and the date we checked each one. In short, largemouth bass must be at least 12 inches with a daily limit of six, except at Becks Pond. Panfish have no size limit, with a limit of 50 a day and no more than 25 of one species. Boats must be run at no-wake speed on every public pond. Swimming is illegal, traps and gill nets are not allowed, and no more than two rods may be used at once with three hooks or lures per rod.

You need a fishing license if you are 16 or older unless you are exempt. The Delaware rules and license guide covers the details.

How to read the survey numbers

DNREC surveys ponds by electrofishing and reports the catch as fish per hour of sampling, split by species and, for bass and bluegill, by a larger size class. A pond with many bluegill per hour is a pond where panfish are easy to find. A pond with a good number of bass in the 15-inch class is one where larger fish exist. Neither number is a promise. Electrofishing results change with water temperature, weather, vegetation and which stretch of shoreline is sampled, and ponds are surveyed only every few years.

Use the numbers to choose among ponds, not to predict a day. For example, Wagamons Pond had the highest bass count of any survey we cover, at 113 per hour in 2010, but its 2015 survey was much lower. Hearns Pond had 870 bluegill per hour in 2008, and Trap Pond’s 2009 survey recorded 75 black crappie per hour, more than any other pond we cover.

Killens Pond

Killens Pond is about 75 acres and sits in a state park in Kent County. The Delaware Fishing Guide lists an unimproved ramp and shoreline access, and it is one of the access areas run by the Division of Parks and Recreation, where a seasonal or daily fee may be required. An unimproved ramp suits a small boat, kayak or canoe better than a large trailered boat.

Survey year	Largemouth bass	Bass in the 15-inch class	Bluegill	Black crappie
2009	32	8	211	20
2014	58	14	293	22

Bass numbers rose between the two surveys, and bluegill were abundant in both. Panfish are the easy fish here, and bass are a reasonable target with soft plastics and jigs along the edges.

Trap Pond

Trap Pond is about 88 acres and sits in a state park in Sussex County. The Delaware Fishing Guide lists a boat ramp and shoreline access, and a fee may apply because it is a Parks and Recreation access area.

Survey year	Largemouth bass	Bass in the 15-inch class	Bluegill	Black crappie	Yellow perch	Redear sunfish
2009	60	26	390	75	54	36
2014	40	13	131	26	not recorded	33

The 2009 survey stands out for crappie and yellow perch, and more than two in five of the bass sampled in 2009 were in the 15-inch class. The 2014 survey recorded fewer fish across the board, though redear sunfish held steady. We have not confirmed claims you may read elsewhere about the pond’s national ranking or its habitat, so we do not repeat them.

Becks Pond

Becks Pond has a stricter largemouth bass rule than other Delaware ponds: a 15-inch minimum and a daily limit of two. It is the one pond where the standard 12-inch, six-fish rule does not apply, so check the rules summary above before keeping a bass. DNREC’s guide also says that carp and snakeheads may not be taken with a bow at Becks Pond. If you catch a snakehead anywhere in Delaware, DNREC’s advice is to kill it and report it rather than release it.

Wildlife area ponds

Ponds inside state wildlife areas have an extra rule. Licensed fishing in any Division-managed wildlife area pond is prohibited from September 1 through January 31 and during the spring turkey season, except as area-specific rules allow, so check before you visit one in the fall or winter.

Fishing ponds for bass

Pond bass hold near cover and edges. Fish fallen trees, docks, points, weed lines and drop-offs. A medium to medium-heavy spinning or casting rod around 6 feet 6 inches to 7 feet 3 inches handles most pond lures, and soft plastics, jigs, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits cover most situations. Where weeds are thick, weedless soft plastics and frogs keep you from fouling every cast. These are common starting points, not rules.

Fishing ponds for panfish

Panfish are the best choice for a relaxed day or for children. A light spinning outfit with 4 to 6 pound line, a small hook and a worm or tiny jig fished under a float catches bluegill, crappie and perch. Move until you find fish, because panfish school and a productive spot can be a few casts wide.

Safety and etiquette

Pond banks can be slick. Wear a life jacket in a boat or kayak, watch children near the water and give other anglers space. Pack out your line and trash.

Eating your catch

None of the ponds in this guide is named in DNREC’s fish consumption advisory table, so the statewide default applies: one 8-ounce meal a week, or 52 meals a year. Moores Lake, which is on the list, is 12 meals a year. The rules summary has the details and the date we checked them.

Where to go next

For young anglers, see the kid-friendly fishing guide. For trout in ponds, see the Tidbury and Newton pond guide. For the rest of the state, return to Delaware fishing.