THE BASS COLLEGE

KILLENS POND

Directions

Travel west along State Route 12 approximately 5 miles. Turn left (south) onto Chimney Hill Road. Travel 1.2 miles to Killens Pond Road. Turn left onto Killens Pond Road and follow to the east side of the spillway. Boat ramp is located on right.
Description

Killens Pond encompasses 75 acres and supports thriving populations of largemouth bass, catfish, perch, crappie, bluegills, and pickerel, all of which await the patient angler. Exploring by boat is easy, thanks to a convenient boat ramp. Fishing along the shore is also a popular pastime. Canoes, rowboats, surfbikes, kayaks, and pedal boats can be rented during the summer. With the park's strategic location, about midway between the northern and southern state boundaries, this pond gets a lot of use.

The pond is 75 acres and offers access to the Murderkill River Canoe Trail. This route provides a challenge for the more adventurous paddler. It is a 15-mile trail with put-in at the park and take-out located at Delaware Bay. Skill level for the canoe trail is rated B. Much of the route is characterized by tidal water, swamp and marsh lined with reed grass past Frederica.

Since 1965, the Division of Parks & Recreation has been protecting lands along the Murderkill River. To date over 2,028 acres and 3 miles of river corridor have been protected at Killens Pond State Park and the Murderkill River Nature Preserve stretching from Route 13 to Frederica.

.
NOXONTOWN LAKE

Directions

Noxontown Lake is located in Middletown, Delaware, right by St.Andrews Prep School, just minutes from the main highway, Rt#1, on Noxontown Lake Road. It is in New Castle County Delaware, 40 minutes south of Wilmington.

Description

Rules and Regulations

Noxontown Lake is a privately owned lake, and is bordered on both sides by St. Andrews school. This is the place that "Dead Poets Society" with Robin Williams was filmed. They allow fishing here by the public, but can revoke permission, or prohibit your access at any time. They do not allow any fishing either before dawn or after Dusk. They have a groundskeeper that opens and closes a locked, fenced in area around the lake. They will come to open it at 15 minutes or so, before light, and will lock it up once it is dark. If your vehicle is in there after this time, you are spending the night there! They have a 5 HP restriction on motors, but that was to stop the army of bass boats that descended on the lake from various states in the late eighties and early nineties, when the word got out about the size of the fish in Noxontown. Now, in the last few years, they have been permitting people with bass boats to come there, but a NO-WAKE policy is in effect. If you cause a commotion or disturbance they can prohibit them again, so you must be respectful. The school has boats docked in the lake on their property for students to use, and there is an area that is restricted and marked by signs in the water. They also hold races there, and there are lanes marked with floats for this purpose, so be careful with your outboard when fishing or crossing these areas. They also prohibit alcoholic beverages, and there is a State Game Warden there at the ramp most times in the spring and summer. He will check your license, coolers, and boats. The ramp is good, but has a slight drop-off when you get a few feet in, so launch slowly. The parking lot itself holds about 8-10 vehicles, but you can park on the side of the road, and walk back down. There are signs on the fences clearly stating all the rules.

Locations

Noxontown Lake is larger than most other Delaware Lakes and ponds, and you need to have a game plan when you arrive for the first time, as the time you can spend on the lake is limited. The massive decent of out-of-state anglers is over now, but it still receives it's fair share of pressure. Many days there will be 8-10 boats here. The area by the dam and the road to your right after you leave the ramp is not worth spending your time with. Small bass and panfish are caught here, but there are better locations. Noxontown is about 4 feet deep on average, but most of the shoreline up close, is in 1-2 feet of water. The water is always stained to muddy, so your selections of lures and colors should reflect that. There are just hundreds of trees, rocks, gravel, sand, and laydowns, so you need to know where to spend most of your time. There are various types of vegetation, including lots of lily pads, that rise above the surface. The extreme upper end, is shallow and muddy, and holds less large bass than other sections of the lake.

The first place to start is the North shore, about 200 yards up from the school. This area is best probed with spinnerbait and buzzbaits first for active fish, but it is definitely a jig or tube area. Work all this cover, (and there will be a lot of it), with a 3/8 oz. black/blue jig with a Zoom or Uncle Josh trailer. Work each limb on the laydowns, and move in to the bases, before moving on to the next. The trees extend out over the water from the shore in many areas, so you need to practice skipping, and pitching, as well as flipping, if you want to work this lake properly. Work these lures all the way to the next cove on your right, then move up the lake about 200 yards, and start over again. These areas all hold large bass in the 4-8 pound category, and could come anywhere along this shore. Bass in excess of 9 pounds were caught at Noxontown in the past, which is why it received so much pressure. Very large bass still reside here, but the numbers have declined over the years. In 1999, I caught and released a 10.1 pound largemouth from Noxontown, that was just ounces off the state record. The primary forage is panfish, white perch, and shad, but there are a good number of Golden Shiner also. This lake also produced the state record White Crappie, over 4 1/2 pounds, which can be viewed at the Tackle Box store, on the main highway, just south of the 13 and 40 split, by the Dairy Queen. They have a variety of lures and bait, and can give current lake information also.

The next area to work is the South shoreline by the cabins, and the adjacent cove. Large bass spawn in this area, and will also feed on baitfish and frogs, in the coves here, especially in the early mornings and near dusk. Many bass in excess of 4 pounds were taken here on 3/8 ounce buzzbaits worked in the brush and pads, and on 4 and 5" Senkos and Tube baits in black and blue. The area by the launching ramp up to the first cove should be worked thoroughly with these same lures, and then you should back off and work the same area, a little further off shore, with a Rat-L-Trap in Chrome/Blue, and Crawfish patterns, and a Spinnerbait in shad or Bluegill colors, slow rolled on the drop-off. The areas by the floating docks in the middle portion of the lake is also a good choice for small straight tailed worms rigged with a 1/8 ounce bullet sinker, or a Senko, with no weight. Work them slowly around the floating docks and in the coves here. The Tournament frog has taken some large bass from the pads also, and shouldn't be overlooked later in the year.

"Equipment"

You should have a spinning rod in a 6 and 6 1/2 foot length, for the Senko and small grubs, worms, etc. It should be a high modulus graphite of good quality such as G.Loomis, and have a quality spinning reel geared at 5:1:1 or 5:3:1 . You will also need a 6-6 1/2 foot baitcaster, that you can get in close under the overhanging branches with, and a good Crankin rod in 7 foot length with a medium and a med/hvy action. A good quality reels geared in 5:3:1 and a higher speed for the buzzbaits such as a 6:1:1 or a 6:3:1. I use Stren line in 8-10 pound test on the spinning reels, and 17-20 pound test on the baitcasters. Remember, get out on the water early, as soon as it reaches 48-50 degrees. I have caught large bass here early and late in the year. Sometimes with air temperatures in the low 30's. Your chance at the fish of a lifetime is possible if you follow these simple rules.

State Record for Largemouth Bass is 10.6 pounds. This was almost broken in 1999
with a 10.16 pound lunker from Noxontown Lake.

To learn even more bass fishing secrets click here.  

ALL CAUGHT FROM THESE PONDS ABOVE and A FEW OTHERS IN DELAWARE

AN OVERLOOKED POND IS WYOMING MILL POND

Wyoming Mill Pond is located in Camden/Wyoming near Dover.  The Pond is off the railroad tracks just north of the downtown area.  The pond itself is not a DNREC pond or even owned by the city.  Its owned by the farm thats located on the north bank of the lake and they use it to water their crops.  The dirt boat ramp is off a city road on the south eastern side of the lake near the spillway, also if your launching a larger boat 4WD may help when the water is low.  Parking is available about a hundred yards away at the city park parking.  I have noticed that the pond goes through more fluctuations of water depth than other ponds, sometimes there are whole sets of lily pads in mud; assuming that its because of the farm watering crops.

The lake has a lot of cover both on the bank and further out.  Spatterdock covers much of the shoreline and can be thick in places.  Deepest point is 6 feet but i've heard of a 7 or 8 foot hole somewhere. You can find the deeper parts of the lake near the spillway and right in the middle just like most of the other lakes.  Some of the banks have steep dropoffs

These are the "PUBLIC PONDS" but as far as the best, RED MILL is number one, and you can also fish SILVER LAKE in Rehoboth Beach in a very small boat .

You can also carry a small boat to BURTONS which is the best in the Springtime. Many of the Delaware Lakes and Ponds get chocked out with grass in the mid to late summer and almost unfishable.

the 7-8 hole you mentioned at wyoming is all the way in the back as you enter the feeder creek on the left push thru the grass and look for the pump pipe for the farm and there you are. not a spot for bigger fiberglass rigs but a little effort will usually pay off

I caught a couple 6's in wyoming last year. Nice fish for a small unattractive (LOL) bowl

please can you tell me where to put in at red mill & prime hook? thanks

You cant launch at Red Mill its Private. lol 

I am adding 3 others to this list also with some minor conditions.

First, I will say that Millsboro, which is close to Ingrams, on 24, is a really Pond until late June or whenever the vegetaion grows to the point of it not being fishable. The parking is limited, without being on the grass, and the ramp sucks pretty bad, but it holds a good number of bass in the 2-4 pounds range with occassional 5 and 6's. 

Silver lake in Dover is hard at times, similar to Noxontown, but is a top notch lake. There is a premit needed, available from the City, but it is worth getting one which is cheap, at the beginning of the year. In the spring, you can cacth 30 bass in a day that are alll quality 3 plus, with a chance at a giant anytime. The upper end pads area good bet then.

hmmm.... Love Burton pond. Spent half of my life living right on the water and growing up on the pond.. I go back regularly as I live not too far from it and have private access to launch my tin boat in there... Actually will be there Wed before I get grown out with lillys

Steve, I never actually realized how many articles you've written throughout the years on Delaware stuff. Occasionally, while google searching I'll come across like full informative articles written by you.. pretty cool stuff. You're an expert in almost all fields lol

Thanks I have several hundred.

Noxontown pond is open on Sundays only until 7/1, boats with 5hp or less are permited by state law to run on the pond,all others are trolling motor only.and the pond is typically mobbed every Sunday. Crappie fishing is the big attraction with citation fish almost guaranteed. Good luck Steve

http://blip.tv/delaware-valley-outdoors/dvo-404-redmill-delaware-bass-fishing-1977131

Mabye I should look for small lakes like these in Texas

Yep.