A brown trout. /DNREC graphic by Duane Raver

 

Designated Trout Streams to be Closed to All Fishing from March 23 Until Season Openers

Delaware’s 2024 upstate stream trout season will open for youth anglers under age 16 at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced. The next day, Sunday, April 7, marks the traditional opening day of the state’s trout season – from that day forward all anglers can fish for trout starting a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset, unless otherwise restricted by area rules.

White Clay Creek, Red Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run and Mill Creek all will be stocked prior to the season with thousands of rainbow and brown trout – including trophy-sized fish weighing two pounds or more as an added attraction for anglers. Trout stocking is planned to continue weekly at White Clay Creek and periodically at the other upstate streams during April.

A designated section of trout stream on Red Clay Creek was introduced in 2023 just for fly fishing, from Yorklyn Road approximately 0.4 miles downstream to the Auburn Valley State Park boundary. In addition, a digital map of Delaware’s trout streams is available to anglers.

To prepare for the season, the streams where trout will be stocked are closed from March 23 to April 5. This period accommodates the stocking effort by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, eliminates incidental hooking of the trout, and allows the fish time to adjust to their new waters.

Trout anglers planning to fish the upstate trout streams should note the following rules and regulations:

• A Delaware fishing license is required for anglers age 16 and older, unless an angler is exempt.
• A Delaware trout stamp is required for those age 16 and older, unless an angler is exempt.
• A Delaware young angler trout stamp is required for youth ages 12 through 15.
• A trout stamp is required to fish for trout until June 30, unless an angler is exempt.
• The daily possession limit is six trout, except inside the designated fly-fishing-only sections of Red Clay and White Clay Creeks, where the daily possession limit is four trout.

Proceeds from the purchase of Delaware trout stamps are used to help purchase trout for stocking the next year – learn more at de.gov/troutstamp. This popular fishery is also supported by federal Sport Fish Restoration funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that are generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment.

Delaware fishing licenses and trout stamps are sold online and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit de.gov/licensing. For more information on trout fishing in Delaware, visit de.gov/trout.

For more information on fishing in Delaware, including in-season trout stocking dates, see the 2024 Delaware Fishing Guide.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The McIntyre Bowstring Bridge, formerly located in Iowa, touches down on its new abutments, and will serve
as a critical connection between the Yorklyn Bridge Trail and the Auburn Heights Trail in Yorklyn. DNREC photo.

YORKLYN – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation installed a pedestrian bridge on a trail near Auburn Heights in Yorklyn by reusing a restored historic bridge today. The replacement bridge, The McIntyre Bowstring Bridge, was built in 1883 and set into place originally in Iowa.

The refurbished bridge placement is part of the Auburn Valley Master Plan project in Yorklyn, a multi- year project designed to remediate and repurpose the former NVF paper mill site while connecting new and existing trails in the region.

The bridge is 120 feet long and 15 feet wide. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, although it was removed from the register in 2013 after it was damaged in a flood and removed from the water for restoration. It is still eligible for reinstatement on the register following its completion at Yorklyn.

Eighty percent of the original structure has been retained, including four original wrought and cast iron piers. The new bridge will carry pedestrians, bicyclists, equestrians, and antique cars, and sits on the approximate location of the former West Chester, Kennett & Wilmington Electric Railroad, and the Kennett Trolley that ran though the NVF site from 1903 till 1923. The bridge is being set into place to connect a new trail on the NVF side of Red Clay Creek and existing trails there, to the Auburn Heights side, including the Auburn Heights Mansion and Museum and the trails located there.

“This restored bridge will create the critical link between the NVF site and the Auburn Heights complex,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “We are really pleased to be a part of this historic bridge being relocated, seeing new life, and becoming repurposed for the public’s enjoyment.”

The new bridge’s parts have been on site for about two weeks, and have been assembled on the ground by Workin’ Bridges, a non-profit company under contract with the Division of Parks & Recreation to provide restored historic bridges for the Auburn Heights project. The work is being supervised by the Division. The abutments were built by Mumford and Miller, as part of the Division’s current Benge Road trail connector project.

This is the first of four total bridge projects to be done over the next two years. Two other refurbished historic bridges will be set in new locations and one existing bridge will be replaced with another refurbished historic bridge. Each bridge will be from the late 1800s, coming from different states with different styles. These will tie into the other historic bridges in the area.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 114

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