The Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) recently announced details of the state’s spring 2015 trout season.
Downstate Delaware
Delaware’s downstate trout season will begin Saturday, March 7 with the opening of two downstate ponds stocked with rainbow trout. On that date, Tidbury Pond near Dover in Kent County and Newton Pond outside of Greenwood in Sussex County will open for trout fishing beginning at 7 a.m.
Anglers that plan to fish Tidbury and Newton ponds will want to note Fish & Wildlife regulatory requirements:
– A trout stamp is required to fish these ponds from the first Saturday in March through April 1, unless otherwise exempted by law.
– Following the season opener, trout fishing at these two ponds is permitted one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset, unless otherwise restricted by area rules.
– The daily possession limit is six trout.
– Both ponds are closed to all fishing for 14 days prior to the season opening, with this restriction in effect beginning this past Saturday, Feb. 21.
Each pond will initially be stocked with about 300 pounds of rainbow trout, average size 11 to 13 inches. Some “trophy-sized” rainbows – weighing 2 pounds or more and measuring well over 14 inches – also will be stocked. Plans call for stocking to be repeated Thursday, March 19, with the same amount of fish in each pond.
Tidbury Pond is owned and managed by Kent County Levy Court, Department of Parks and Recreation. Anglers are asked to be respectful of the vegetation and fences erected to protect landscaped areas. No boats of any type are permitted in Tidbury Pond.
Newton Pond, owned and managed as a state wildlife area by the Division of Fish & Wildlife, will be stocked for the sixth year. The 10-acre borrow pit site features a fishing pier, shoreline access, and boat ramp for car-top boats and canoes with no gasoline motors allowed.
Upstate Delaware
Upstate Delaware trout season will open at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 4 in six designated trout streams in northern New Castle County: White Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run and Mill Creek, which will all be stocked with thousands of rainbow and brown trout.
All of the streams will receive a heavy stocking just prior to the season opener on the first Saturday in April. Trout stocking in the spring will continue on a regular weekly basis through Thursday, April 30.
A Delaware fishing license is required for most anglers wishing to try their luck at trout fishing. A resident annual fishing license, which covers fresh and tidal waters as well as crabbing and clamming, costs $8.50 for ages 16 through 64. Persons under the age of 16 and residents age 65 and older are not required to purchase fishing licenses in Delaware, although exempt persons may purchase fishing licenses and trout stamps if they so choose to help support fisheries management and trout stocking efforts. For non-resident anglers age 16 and older, a Delaware fishing license costs $20.
Both resident and non-resident anglers age 16 and older are required to obtain a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (F.I.N.) number. The free number is included as part of a Delaware fishing license purchase. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, may visit www.delaware-fin.com or call 800-432-9228 toll-free to obtain their free F.I.N. number.
In addition to Delaware’s normal fishing license requirements, most trout anglers also must purchase a Delaware trout stamp. For residents age 16 through 64, a trout stamp costs $4.20. For residents age 12 through 15, a youth trout stamp costs $2.10. Resident anglers younger than age 12 or age 65 and older are not required to purchase a trout stamp. For non-residents, a trout stamp is required for all anglers age 12 and older and costs $6.20.
All proceeds from the purchase of Delaware trout stamps are used to help purchase next year’s fish for stocking. The popular fishery also is supported by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration funds generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment.
Delaware fishing licenses and trout stamps are sold online, at the licensing office in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, and by license agents statewide. To find the participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife website. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.
source: Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife