Fishing Hearns Pond in Sussex County, Delaware

• Overview

  Hearns Pond is set in Sussex County, Delaware. The bank is 46 feet above sea level. The water covers some 61 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Delaware listings. The town to know is Seaford, 2.9 miles out. The nearest city of size is Baltimore, 68 miles away. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Hearns Pond

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Across Sussex County, recorded fish include American eel, white perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed and tessellated darter. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Hearns Pond a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 34°F in January up to 77°F in July. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. Anyone fishing Hearns Pond regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A boat ramp sits about half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Williams Pond is 2.4 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Hearns Pond.