KILLENS
Some of the best ponds during the heat, day or night, have been
Millsboro, Killens, and Canal pond. First of the closest ponds to
both upper and lower Delaware is Killens in Dover. Killens is
located right off rt.13. Turn left onto State Park Road, follow the
road around the curve, past the main park entrance, and about a mile
and a half down the road is the pond. It has parking for about six
to eight trucks with trailers, with an adequate launching ramp.
Killens is a state park, and they also rent boats and cabins, but
you will find little competition for bass except on the weekends.
Most of Killens is 1-5 feet deep at the shoreline,
except in the extreme upper end, where it is just inches deep.
The lake has an Island in the center with some wood cover and
grass. It
drops off to 6 feet quickly on the channel side(main lake), and
is about 3 feet on the right side. This is a particularly good
area to
work in the day with "Senko's" in 4 and 5 inch sizes in black and
watermelon on a 3/0WG hook, with 8 & 10 lb test line. In
addition, clacker type buzzbaits produce bass in the three to six
pound range many times in this area, even in the bright afternoon
sun. A Tournament frog is a good choice for the pads especially
in
the daytime heat. The action will be slower, but you can connect
with some big explosions through the grass and pads at times. A
Tournament frog is the best choice of topwater, and a 1/2 ounce
in
black works best all around. Vary the retrieve, both day and night,
sometimes letting the frog sit after hitting the water,! as long
as
30 seconds, then use a few quick hops. If this doesn't produce,
try working it very fast and pausing only once, on the way back
to the
boat. This is especially effective in large pads.
Jigs in black and blue take their fair share of nice bass from
here also, but you must be extremely accurate and quiet in your
presentations or you will not connect. The bass will be in the
heaviest of cover, lying in wait for a slow moving, crippled bait to
come overhead.
"GO AT NIGHT"
Fishing at night when the water cools to 70-75 degrees, should
not frighten you in exploring shallow water right at the drop-offs
on the left side of the lake with buzzbaits cast to the main
channel
edge. Do not be afraid to experiment with some older, forgotten
baits, such as a "Devils Horse", or similar prop baits. They
work wonders sometimes in highly pressured lakes.
MILLSBORO POND
Millsboro Pond is in Sussex County, Delaware, in the town of
Millsboro off Isabella and Main Street. It has room for only a few
boats, and the launching ramp is very shallow, you can get off all
right, but getting back on the trailer can be real tricky. Most of
the lake is shallow, with lots of grass. It has several Islands, but
the bass go to shallow water at night in the upper end. Buzzbaits
are best, but Tournament frogs work well also, in the day and night.
Several bass have been caught in the 3 to 6 pound range in the past
at night, using the Frog and Senko's mostly in the day. Cast the
buzzbait wherever possible at night, it is worth removing the grass.
Use Senko's by the lower end of the lake in deeper water in the day,
and do not forget to let them sit a long time, raise the pole once
or twice, and then cast again. Use these techniques and bring plenty
of insect repellent, and you will connect with some lunkers, and
many other 2 and 3 pounders.
CANAL POND
Canal Pond is located by the railroad bridge in the C&D Canal
area. Turn right under St.Georges Bridge and follow the road to the
pond. It has beautiful structure, pads, and has a deep shoreline
with a deep hole. This was where a few years ago, the 30 pound
landlocked Striped bass was caught. There are some real Lunker
largemouth's still there also. You will need a small cartop boat to
fish it, but it is worth the trouble of getting in. It is about 30
acres of real good drop=offs, and structure, where bass up to 9
pounds have been caught. Please remember to practice Catch, Photo,
and Release so we can all enjoy the bass fishing there for a long
time to come. SENKO's and 4" straight tailed worms work best
throughout the year in watermelon and green. At times spinnerbaits
and frogs will work, but this is a plastics lake.