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Title Recreational Fishing Size, Seasons, and Creel Limits for 2013* |
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PageContent * Regulations as of February 13, 2013
ADVISORY: A license is now required for hook and line recreational fishing in Delaware tidal waters.
It is illegal to fish for any species of game fish (see Gamefish and General Fishing Restrictions) with more than two hooks and lines, and each hook and line shall have no more than three separate lures with hooks.
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2013 Recreational Fishing Size, Seasons, and Creel Limits |
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Non-tidal Waters |
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Species |
Recreational Minimum Size Limit |
Recreational Season |
Recreational Creel Limit per Angler |
Bass, Largemouth
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12 inches
15 inches in Beck's Pond |
Open Year Round |
6
2 from Beck's Pond |
Bass, Smallmouth
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None between 12 - 17 inches |
Open Year Round |
6 (no more than 1 > 17") |
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Striped bass hybrid
(only occur in Lums Pond) |
15 inches |
Open Year Round |
2 |
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Panfish
(bluegill, pumpkinseed, redear, crappie, yellow & white perch)
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None |
Open Year Round |
50 (no more than 25 of one species) |
Trout (Freshwater)
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None |
Opens first Saturday in April |
6 (4 in fly-fishing only waters) |
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Tidal Waters |
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Species |
Recreational Minimum Size Limit |
Recreational Season |
Recreational Creel Limit per Angler |
American Eel
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6 inches |
Open Year Round |
50 |
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Shad (Hickory and American)
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None |
Closed Nanticoke R. & its tribs
Open Year Round elswhere |
10 in any combination |
Croaker, Atlantic
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8 inches |
Open Year Round |
None |
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Atlantic sturgeon
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Closed |
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Black drum
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16 inches (DE River & Bay) |
Open Year Round |
3 (DE River & Bay) |
Black sea bass
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12.5 inches |
Jan 1 - Feb 28
May 19 - Oct. 14
Nov. 1 - Dec. 31
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15
25
25
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Bluefish
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None |
Open Year Round |
10 |
Catfish (any species)
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None |
Open Year Round |
None |
Red drum
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20-27 inches |
Open Year Round |
5 |
River herring (alewife & blueback)
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None |
Closed |
None |
Scup
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8 inches |
Open Year Round |
50 |
Spanish Mackerel |
14 inches |
Open Year Round |
15 |
Spotted Seatrout
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12 inches |
Open Year Round |
None |
Striped Bass
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28”, except only 20-26" fish may be retained from July 1 - Aug. 31 in DE River, DE Bay & their tribs. |
Open Year Round |
2, except catch & release on spawning grounds April 1 - May 31 (see Fishing Guide page 18) |
Summer flounder
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18 inches |
Jan. 1 - Oct. 23 |
4 |
Tautog
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15 inches |
Jan. 1 - Mar. 31
April 1 - May 11
July 17 - Aug. 31
Sept. 29 - Dec. 31 |
5
3
5
5 |
Weakfish (Sea Trout)
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13 inches |
Open Year Round |
1 |
White Perch
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8 inches |
Open Year Round |
None |
Winter flounder
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12 inches |
Feb. 11 - Apr. 10 |
2 |
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Shellfish |
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Species |
Recreational Minimum Size Limit |
Recreational Season |
Recreational Creel Limit per Angler |
Blue Crabs
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Hard shell - 5”
Sof shell - 3.5"
Peeler - 3"
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Open Year Round
Pots: Mar 1 - Nov 30 |
1 Bushel |
Clams, Hard
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1.5 inches |
Open Year Round |
100 – resident; 50 - non-resident |
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Lobster
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3 3/8” Carapace length; female maximum length 5 1/4” |
Open Year Round |
2 per diver; V-notched prohibited |
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Sharks
*A special permit may be required for federal waters* |
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Species |
Recreational Season |
Recreational Creel Limit per Angler |
Spiny & smooth dogfish |
Open Year Round |
None |
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Blacktip shark, bull shark, great hammerhead, lemon shark, nurse shark, scalloped hammerhead, silky shark, smooth hammerhead, spinner shark, tiger shark
Blue shark, oceanic white-tip shark, porbeagle, shortfin mako, thresher shark
Atlantic sharpnose shark, blacknose shark, bonnethead, finetooth shark
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Jan.1 - May 14;
July 16 - Dec. 31
Open Year Round
Open Year Round |
Boat anglers - only 1 shark of any species per vessel, except 1 additional bonnethead and 1 additional Atlantic sharpnose per angler onboard vessel.
Shore anglers - only 1 shark of any species per angler, except 1 additional bonnethead and 1 additional Atlantic sharpnose per angler. |
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Sandbar shark, sand tiger shark, Atlantic angel shark, basking shark, bigeye sand tiger, bigeye sixgill shark, bigeye thresher, bignose shark, Caribbean reef shark, Caribbean sharpnose shark, dusky shark, Galapagos shark, longfin mako, narrowtooth shark, night shark, sevengill shark, sixgill shark, smalltail shark, whale shark, white shark
  
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THESE
SPECIES ARE PROHIBITED |
The sandbar & sand tiger are toothed sharks commonly taken in the nearshore waters of the state and are prohibited. Like all prohibited species, they must be immediately released to ensure the maximum probability of survival.
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Special Restrictions for Shark
It is unlawful to fillet a shark prior to landing. A shark may be eviscerated prior to landing, but head, tail andfins must remain attached to the carcass.
It is unlawful to release a shark in a manner that will not ensure the sharks maximum probaility of survival.
It is unlawful to possess the fins from any shark prior to landing unless they are naturally attached to the body of the shark.
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Highly Migratory Species
*A special permit required* |
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Atlantic tunas, swordfish and billfish
 
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* - All private vessel owners/operators recreationally fishing for and/or retaining regulated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (Atlantic tunas, sharks, swordfish and billfish) for personanl use in the Atlantic Ocean must obtain an Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling Permit.
Further limits and restrictions apply. Consult www.hmspermits.gov or call toll free (888) 872-8862 for specific information. |
(Images courtesy of, or purchased from, artist Duane Raver and the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Sandbar and sand tiger images adapted from Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the World. Parts 1 & 2 available courtesy of www.fishbase.org. Lineart of other shark species from Bigelow, H.B. & W.C. Schroeder (1953) available courtesy of www.nefsc.noaa.gov/lineart/.)
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