THE STATE OF DELAWARE LAKES AND PONDS

The Bass College

DELAWARE LAKES AND PONDS

Most of these lakes and ponds are too hard to get in to with a real boat of any kind, have no where to park, and no cover and very few bass, thats the reason. It is not fun though and thats another major reason.

I go there 2 or 3 times a year just for a trophy but it is not the thing I am into anymore. Honestly, I make it a point to go to all the semi-decent public places just to report what is happening for the people here so they can have some fun and see new tactics for the places they are forced to fish, but If it were not for all the members here, I would not even go to any of them at all except on rare occassions.
I still like to catch trophy bass from small places and be away from other anglers sometimes, but in my opinion most of the Delaware ponds except for a few are a joke and not what most people in other areas would consider real fishing.

If I lived closer to the Potomac or Upper Bay I would probably never go to another lake or pond again except in the very early spring a few times for a few trophy bass or to get away from people on vacation sometimes.

Thats just how I feel now after doing that stuff for 45 years
It gets old and they are really small beat up places. When you put 20-30 boats on a small pond every single week from April to November and then drag the fish in to weigh them etc over and over, and never improve them in any way, let the ramps fall apart, dont manage them properly etc it really hurts it and really destroys any fun that a recreational angler might be able to have.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE TOURNAMENTS. Thats what we do. But not in Delaware. I would never fish a tournament in a small lake or pond in Delaware again.

I would hold a get together etc for a few boats once in a while, but to have 3 or 4 clubs with 6-20 boats beat the living hell out of a tiny hole and kill 30% of the fish, (you do whether you know it or not), is not my idea of fun
If you want to fish tournaments go to a real place like the river, Nanticoke, Upper Bay, Potomac, Wicomico, etc and leave a tiny little pond to recreational anglers to have at least a little fun. I think its stupid to fish these things to death.

The state has NEVER managed any pond here the right way and even the ramps are falling apart etc and the excuse of no money does not hold water with me, because there were times over the last 30 years that we had major surplus’s in the budget and they have NEVER done a thing to take care of these ponds.
I think it is a shame that in order for people to even catch a bass over 5 or 6 pounds a few times a year, that they have to resort to going to a mudhole on the side of a road where the rest of the people have not beat to death, or to a private pond, or to some almost impossible to get to, out of the way hole, with no access for a real boat, when it could be so much better with just a little co-operation and a little effort.
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