Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
50.6-acre pond near Milford. The lake tops out around 3 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 44 acres wrapped in 1.7 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (1.9) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. The basin spans about 0.5 mi end to end and 0.3 mi across at its widest. Sussex County claims this one. If the bite dies, Wagamons Pond is 3 mi to the south.
Spring largemouth bass on Waples Pond hold shallow, usually 1 to 3 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 3 ft in summer, 1 to 3 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 3 ft. Even in summer they hold at 1 to 3 ft; winter keeps them in 1 to 3 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 1 to 3 ft. Even in summer they hold at 1 to 3 ft; winter keeps them in 1 to 3 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 3 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, common carp slide up into 1 to 3 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 3 ft, winter 1 to 3 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) |
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 3 ft. Summer keeps them at 1 to 3 ft, and they winter in 1 to 3 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 3 ft | dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 3 ft | midday | Deep basin (3 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 3 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (3 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Count 5 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Secondary point, sits near 3 ft.
Access data: Delaware DNREC — Fishing Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Delaware waters are set by the Delaware DNREC — and special regulations can apply to Waples Pond specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Delaware fishing regulations →
Waples Pond is about 3 ft (1 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, common carp, yellow perch on Waples Pond.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Waples Pond is regulated by the Delaware DNREC. Check the official Delaware regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Wagamons Pond 3 mi · Red Mill Pond 7 mi · Silver Lake (Milford) 9 mi · Haven Lake 10 mi · Abbotts Mill Pond 10 mi · Griffith Lake 10 mi · Blairs Pond 11 mi · McColley Pond 14 mi · Indian River Bay 15 mi · Millsboro Pond 15 mi · Coursey Pond 16 mi · Killens Pond 16 mi
See how Waples Pond stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Delaware · best crappie lakes in Delaware · best bluegill lakes in Delaware · best yellow perch lakes in Delaware
More water nearby: Sussex County fishing maps (18 charts). Browse all Delaware fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.