| Some of the best ponds during the heat, day or | | | | right, but getting back on the trailer can be real |
| night, have been Millsboro, Killens, Canal Pond and | | | | tricky. Most of the lake is shallow, with lots of |
| Noxontown | | | | grass. It has several Islands, but the bass go to |
| First of the closest ponds to both upper and | | | | shallow water at night in the upper end. Buzzbaits |
| lower Delaware is Killens in Dover. Killens is located | | | | are best, but Tournament Frogs work well also, in |
| right off rt.13. Turn left onto State Park Road, | | | | the day and night. Several bass have been caught |
| follow the road around the curve, past the main | | | | in the three to six pound range in the past at |
| park entrance, and about a mile and a half down | | | | night, using the frog and Senko's mostly in the |
| the road is the pond. It has parking for about six | | | | day. Cast the buzzbait wherever possible at night, |
| to eight trucks with trailers, with an adequate | | | | it is worth removing the grass. Use Senko's by |
| launching ramp. Killens is a state park, and they | | | | the lower end of the lake in deeper water in the |
| also rent boats and cabins, but you will find little | | | | day, and do not forget to let them sit a long |
| competition for bass except on the weekends. | | | | time, raise the pole once or twice, and then cast |
| Most of Killens is one to five feet deep at the | | | | again. Use these techniques and bring plenty of |
| shoreline, except in the extreme upper end, | | | | insect repellent, and you will connect with some |
| where it is just inches deep. The lake has an | | | | lunkers, and many others in the two to three |
| Island in the center with some wood cover and | | | | pound range. |
| grass. It drops off to six feet quickly on the | | | | CANAL POND |
| channel side (main lake), and is about three feet | | | | Canal Pond is located by the railroad bridge in the |
| on the right side. This is a particularly good area | | | | C&D Canal area. Turn right under St.Georges |
| to work in the day with "Senko's" in four and five | | | | Bridge and follow the road to the pond. It has |
| inch sizes in black and watermelon on a 3/0 WG | | | | beautiful structure, pads, and has a deep shoreline |
| hook, with eight and ten pound test line. In | | | | with a deep hole. This was where a few years |
| addition, clacker type buzzbaits produce bass in | | | | ago, the thirty pound landlocked striped bass was |
| the three to six pound range many times in this | | | | caught. There are some real Lunker largemouth's |
| area, even in the bright afternoon sun. | | | | still there also. You will need a small cartop boat to |
| A Tournament Frog, or "Sumo Frog" is a good | | | | fish it, but it is worth the trouble of getting in. It is |
| choice for the pads especially in the daytime heat. | | | | about thirty acres of real good drop-offs, and |
| The action will be slower, but you can connect | | | | structure, where bass up to nine pounds have |
| with some big explosions through the grass and | | | | been caught. Please remember to practice Catch, |
| pads at times. A Tournament Frog is the best | | | | Photo, and Release so we can all enjoy the bass |
| choice of topwater, and a 1/2 ounce in black | | | | fishing there for a long time to come. Senko's and |
| works best all around. Vary the retrieve, both | | | | four inch straight tailed worms work best |
| day and night, sometimes letting the frog sit after | | | | throughout the year in watermelon and green. At |
| hitting the water, as long as thirty seconds, then | | | | times spinnerbaits and frogs will work, but this is a |
| use a few quick hops. If this doesn't produce, try | | | | plastics lake. |
| working it very fast and pausing only once, on the | | | | Noxontown Lake |
| way back to the boat. This is especially effective | | | | Noxontown has long been known for producing |
| in large pads. | | | | big bass. In the late seventies and early eighties |
| Jigs in black and blue take their fair share of nice | | | | largemouth of seven and eight pounds were not |
| bass from here also, but you must be extremely | | | | uncommon to hear of each week. |
| accurate and quiet in your presentations or you | | | | Since that time, with all the recreational and |
| will not connect. The bass will be in the heaviest | | | | tournament pressure, its big bass numbers seem |
| of cover, lying in wait for a slow moving, crippled | | | | to have declined, or have they? |
| bait to come overhead. | | | | The answer is no! They are still there, just older |
| "GO AT NIGHT" | | | | and wiser. |
| Fishing at night when the water cools to seventy | | | | This was proven when I caught a 10.16 pound |
| or seventy-five degrees, is the best time to | | | | largemouth bass in 1999 in Noxontown, just |
| connect with bigger bass now. Explore the shallow | | | | ounces short of the state record. |
| water right at the drop-offs on the left side of | | | | That bass was featured in a full page article in the |
| the lake with buzzbaits cast to the main channel | | | | News Journal paper, in Bassmaster Magazine |
| edge. Do not be afraid to experiment with some | | | | Lunker Club, North American Fisherman, and Bass |
| older, forgotten baits, such as a "Devils Horse", or | | | | Pro Shops Master catalogs. |
| similar prop baits. They work wonders sometimes | | | | The trick to getting these larger bass to strike is |
| in highly pressured lakes. | | | | to fish the lake at low pressure times during the |
| MILLSBORO POND | | | | weekdays, and employing some western |
| Millsboro Pond is in Sussex County, Delaware, in | | | | techniques such as swimbaits off the deeper |
| the town of Millsboro off Isabella and Main Street. | | | | points. Just because they are northern strain bass |
| It has room for only a few boats, and the | | | | and aren't 20 pounds, it doesn't mean they don't |
| launching ramp is very shallow, you can get off all | | | | want a big easy meal. |