Becks Pond Fishing Spot
- Mean Depth: 3'
- Max Depth: 10'
- Last Modified By: vinny60 on 09/21/09 08:07 PM
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vinny60 posted in DE Fish Species
Comments
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Spatterdock is abundant wherever water depth is two feet or less in both Belltown Run and Salem Run. Various species of submerged aquatic weeds, such as coontail, periodically become abundant over large areas of the pond. Filamentous algae occurs with other plant species and often forms floating mats adjacent to the old "swimming area" and the face of the dam.
The drowned timber located at the split of the two branches of the pond is a bass concentration spot during late fall.
Becks Pond Description
Fishing is permitted again at Becks Pond with completion of the drawdown and boat ramp repairs. According to Rob Hossler, regional manager of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the water has not yet reached normal levels but will continue to rise gradually this spring. All but one row of the new boards have been replaced this week and the final row will be in place very soon. The drawdown began in January to replace worn dam boards that affected the ability to maintain normal water level at the pond due to excessive leakage between the boards. Also, because the installation of new boards necessitated a drop in water level, the Division decided to prolong the drawdown period to improve water quality by exposing the pond bottom to allow some consolidation of sediments. This should lessen the muddiness of the water following storm events. The drawdown also exposed trash, primarily litter barrels and newspaper coin boxes, which New Castle County's Special Services Department has removed. Becks Pond is owned by the State Division of Fish and Wildlife and leased to New Castle County to provide recreational opportunities. Becks is the second most-heavily fished pond in Delaware so it is an important area. The largemouth bass population of this heavily fished pond has improved in recent years as a result of restricted length and bag limits imposed in the early 1990s. A 15- inch minimum length limit and daily bag limit of two bass have resulted in higher numbers of larger individuals.Brush piles or fish attractors have been placed at four locations within the pond; all are accessible by shore anglers. One is located adjacent to the face of the dam, with the other three scattered parallel to the shoreline behind the playground equipment. The New Castle County Department of Parks and Recreation, who leases the pond, does not allow gasoline motors on the pond, but electric trolling motors are permitted. Swimming used to be permitted in the designated swimming area for a small fee during the summer months, but has not been allowed in recent years because bacteria levels in the pond often exceed state standards for swimming.