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Lums Pond Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Delaware’s biggest freshwater: Lums Pond holds bass, crappie and catfish in a state park on the C&D Canal.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
87 / 87 F
Wind
NW 9 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Lums Pond serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings cloud cover, wind NW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 87. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 79 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp87 F
High / Low87 / 73 F
WindNW 9-16 mph
Pressure1011.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain85% cloud, 63%
Sunrise / Sunset06:33 / 19:29
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 87/73 F, wind 10 mph, rain 63%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lums Pond: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Lums Pond calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lums Pond today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 86 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 78 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Delaware requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Delaware license. Bass, pike and panfish limits per current DNREC regulations; boating restrictions apply in the park.

Access

Lums Pond State Park boat ramp, rentals and shoreline access; trail circling the pond.

About this water

A 200-acre pond in Lums Pond State Park, New Castle County, Delaware: the state’s largest freshwater pond.

Fishing Lums Pond: the full guide

A pond with a canal history

Lums Pond covers about 200 acres in New Castle County, created in the 1800s to feed water to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and now the centerpiece of Delaware’s largest state park. It is the biggest freshwater pond in the state, shallow and fertile, holding largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, carp and northern pike stocked to control the panfish.

Bass and panfish

The shoreline is timbered and the pond holds submerged wood, weed beds and lily pads: work the cover with plastics, spinnerbaits and frogs in the warm months, and target the deeper water near the dam and the old channel when heat pushes fish down. Crappie stack around any structure in spring, and bluegill fill the shallows for families.

Pike and catfish

Northern pike were stocked and provide an unusual trophy option for Delaware: work the weed edges with spoons and large plastics, best in spring and fall. Channel catfish are abundant and reliable from the bank on cut bait through the warm months. The state also stocks trout in nearby waters, though the pond itself runs too warm.

State park logistics

Lums Pond State Park provides a boat ramp, rental boats, extensive shoreline access and a trail circling the pond, with camping and a full slate of recreation. Electric motors and small craft are the norm. The park sits minutes from Newark and Interstate 95, making it Delaware’s most accessible freshwater fishing for a large share of the state.

Common questions

Are there really pike in Delaware?

Yes: northern pike stocked in Lums Pond provide an unusual trophy option in a state with little coldwater habitat.

Can I use a motor?

Small craft and electric motors are the norm under park rules: check current restrictions before launching.

Is it good for families?

Very: rentals, trails, camping and abundant panfish make it Delaware’s most family-friendly fishing spot.

Is fishing good at Lums Pond right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Christina River12 miBrandywine Creek18 miSusquehanna Flats19 miSilver Lake30 miUnion Lake37 miDelaware Bay41 mi
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