Where to Fish Near Lewes, Rehoboth and Millsboro

The Lewes, Rehoboth and Millsboro area has almost every kind of Delaware fishing within a short distance: a bay pier, a canal, an ocean inlet, drive-on surf, sheltered bays and freshwater ponds. This guide groups the water by what you want to do. It links to a full guide for each place and gives you the rules that apply across all of them. We do not give drive times, because we did not have map data to check them.

The area at a glance

If you want to…	Go to	Guide
Fish a pier on Delaware Bay	Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier	Cape Henlopen
Drift or fish a protected canal	Lewes–Rehoboth Canal and Roosevelt Inlet	Canal and Roosevelt Inlet
Fish current and jetties	Indian River Inlet	Indian River Inlet
Fish the ocean beach	Drive-on surf beaches	Delaware surf fishing
Fish sheltered bays and piers	Masseys Landing, Rosedale Beach, Holts Landing	Inland Bays
Fish a pond for bass and panfish	Millsboro Pond, Hearns Pond, Haven Lake	Millsboro, Hearns and Haven Lake
Fish a small pond in Milton	Wagamons Pond	Wagamons Pond

Around Lewes

Lewes has a six-lane public boat ramp on Delaware Bay and no fishing pier of its own. The nearest pier the Delaware Fishing Guide lists is the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier, in the state park at the mouth of the bay. Beaches in Cape Henlopen State Park are also among Delaware’s drive-on surf beaches, which need a vehicle permit. The Lewes–Rehoboth Canal runs inland from Lewes toward Rehoboth Bay and is a sheltered place for flounder and sea bass in season.

Around Rehoboth

Rehoboth Bay is one of the Inland Bays, and the Delaware Fishing Guide lists Masseys Landing on Indian River and Rehoboth Bay with a four-lane boat ramp and a fishing pier. Roosevelt Inlet and the canal connect Rehoboth Bay with the water near Lewes, and Indian River Inlet, a larger and faster ocean inlet, lies to the south. The inlet is for anglers with experience on moving water.

Around Millsboro

Millsboro sits on Indian River, and the options are freshwater and the bays. Millsboro Pond, Hearns Pond and Haven Lake are public ponds, each with a boat ramp and shoreline access and no pier, according to the guide. On the water side, Rosedale Beach on Indian River and Holts Landing on Indian River Bay both have a one-lane boat ramp and a fishing pier.

Milton and the Broadkill River

Wagamons Pond is a small public pond at Milton. The Broadkill River also runs past Milton, where the guide lists a one-lane boat ramp with an ADA courtesy dock and no fishing pier. We have no separate Broadkill River page, and we have not confirmed fishing details there.

Rules that apply across the area

The summary above lists the limits we confirmed. For salt water:

• Summer flounder. The minimum size is 16 inches through May 31 and 17.5 inches from June 1, with a limit of four a day.
• Striped bass. One a day, 28 to 31 inches. When fishing with cut or whole natural bait, you must use a non-offset circle hook.

For the ponds, largemouth bass must be at least 12 inches with a limit of six, and panfish have no size limit, with 50 a day and no more than 25 of one species. A Delaware fishing license is required at 16 unless you are exempt. A surf fishing vehicle permit is required to drive on a designated state park beach. See the rules and license guide for details.

Planning a day

Pick the water by the wind and the tide. When the ocean is rough, the Inland Bays, the canal and the ponds stay fishable, and DNREC’s October 29, 2026 fishing report said as much: with a northeast wind blowing, the fish being caught were in sheltered waters such as Indian River Inlet, the back bays and freshwater. On a calm day the bay pier and the surf open up. If you are bringing a child, the ponds and the piers are easier than the inlet. If you are fishing the inlet, read the safety section of its guide first. Whichever you pick, buy your bait close to the water, because the local tackle shops know what is running that week.

Waters we have not covered

Some small waters near the coast, including Lake Gerar at Lewes, Shawnee Lake in Cape Henlopen State Park and Red Mill Pond, appear in local lists. We have not confirmed their rules or access from a source we can read, so we are leaving them out until we can.

Gear

A 7 to 9 foot medium spinning rod covers the piers, the canal and most of the bays. A lighter spinning outfit suits the ponds, and a 10 to 12 foot rod belongs to the surf. These are typical setups, not requirements. If you fish more than one kind of water, a custom rod can be built for your main target. Tell us where you fish and what you target.

Safety

The inlets and the open bay can be dangerous in wind and current. Check the marine forecast and tide table, and keep a life jacket on in a boat or on rock. See the individual guides for the details that matter at each place.

More places

For piers across Delaware, see the fishing piers guide. For fishing by boat on Delaware Bay and the reefs, see the Delaware Bay boat guide and the artificial reefs guide.