Delaware’s trout streams in New Castle County will be stocked with both rainbow and brown trout (as above) by DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife over the next two weeks for the April 1 Youth-Only Opening Day of trout fishing season to be followed by the traditional trout opener the next day. /DNREC graphic: Duane Raver

Designated Trout Streams to be Closed to All Fishing From March 18 Until Youth-Only Opening Day Saturday, April 1

Delaware’s 2023 upstate stream trout season will open for youth anglers under age 16 at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, followed by the opening of the regular trout season for all anglers a half-hour before sunrise the next day, Sunday, April 2, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Fishing will be allowed on youth opening day from 7 a.m. to a half-hour after sunset and from a half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset thereafter, 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 some 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 new fly fishing-only section of trout stream has been established on Red Clay Creek 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 now available.

To improve the atmosphere around Delaware’s trout fishing season openers, stocked trout streams are closed to all fishing from Saturday, March 18 through Friday, March 31 to accommodate trout stocking, eliminate incidental hooking of stocked trout, and to allow 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. 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 2023 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 nearly 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,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Just days after capturing his second Federal Duck Stamp contest, renowned Delaware wildlife artist Richard Clifton of Milford also won the state waterfowl stamp art contest. Judges selected his painting of a Mallard hen and drake to grace the 2021/22 Delaware stamp. In the 2021 Delaware Trout Stamp art contest, newcomer Dennis Arp of Culbertson, Neb., took the top prize with his painting of a brown trout.

The annual stamp art competition drew 21 entries for the 2021/22 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and 18 entries for the 2021 Trout Stamp. The Waterfowl Stamp contest specified that submitted artwork must include a Mallard duck. Trout Stamp artwork entries could depict a rainbow, brown or brook trout. Both contests are sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

As the 2021/22 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp winner, Richard Clifton receives a $2,500 prize and 150 artist’s proofs of the limited edition print series of his first-place entry. Clifton, who resides on a historic family farm in the Milford area near Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, is an avid hunter and self-taught wildlife artist who works in acrylics with waterfowl among his favorite subjects. He has painted 52 winning duck stamps, including nine Delaware Waterfowl Stamps, the 1996 Australian Duck Stamp, the 2007/08 Federal Duck Stamp and most recently, the 2021/22 Federal Duck Stamp. Clifton also was named the 2018 Ducks Unlimited International Artist of the Year.

As the 2021 Delaware Trout Stamp winner, Dennis Arp receives a $250 prize and retains the rights to reproduce and sell prints of the stamp artwork. A Nebraska native, Arp is a self-taught artist and an avid outdoorsman from an early age. In addition, 30 years as an award-winning taxidermist specializing in fish and birds gave him extensive knowledge of their anatomy and behavior. After selling his business, he returned to his passion for painting. Arp also received honorable mentions in both California and Oklahoma’s 2020 duck stamp competitions.

Other winners were:

• 2021/22 Waterfowl Stamp — Second place: Caleb Metrich, Lake Tomahawk, Wis.; third place: Matt Patterson, New Ipswich, N.H.; honorable mentions: Jonathan Milo, Monroe, Conn.; Paul Makuchal, Pocomoke City, Md.; and Robert Metropulos, Minocqua, Wis.
• 2021 Trout Stamp — Second place: George Bradford, Georgetown, Del., brown trout; third place: Eric Jablonowski, Suwanee, Ga., brown trout; honorable mentions: Stephen Hamrick, Lakeville, Minn., rainbow trout; Ryan Peterson, Jackson, Wyo., brown trout; and David Weaver, Gettysburg, Pa., brook trout.

Art in each contest was judged by a different set of five judges. As part of COVID-19 safety precautions, each judge separately evaluated and scored the respective contest artwork in person rather than convening in the customary judge panel format. Videos depicting the artwork, judging and winning entries are available on the DNREC YouTube channel.

The winning 2021/22 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp will be available for purchase July 1, 2021, and the winning 2021 Delaware Trout Stamp will be available for purchase Jan. 1, 2021.

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, started the Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and print program in 1980 to raise funds for waterfowl conservation, including acquiring and improving wetland habitats vital to the survival of migratory waterfowl. To date, more than $3.6 million has been raised. A Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and hunting license are required for most waterfowl hunters.

Delaware began requiring trout stamps for anglers in the 1950s, and a trout stamp and a general fishing license are required for most anglers to fish in designated trout waters during certain seasons, with the funds from the sale of the stamps used to purchase trout to stock in two downstate ponds and selected streams in northern New Castle County.

Delaware hunting and fishing licenses, as well as Waterfowl Stamps and Trout Stamps, are sold online and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase licenses or stamps online, visit Delaware licenses. For additional information on Delaware hunting and fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information on Delaware’s Waterfowl and Trout Stamp art competitions, visit Delaware Waterfowl Stamp and Delaware Trout Stamp.

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 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 nearly 65,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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New starting time on opening day of 7 a.m.; most trout streams closed to fishing two weeks before opening day

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today that Delaware’s spring upstate trout season will open at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 6, which is 30 minutes earlier than previous seasons. Following the 7 a.m. start on opening day, trout fishing in these New Castle County streams is permitted one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset.

Portions of seven designated trout streams in northern New Castle County – White Clay Creek, Red Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run, and Mill Creek – will be stocked with thousands of rainbow and brown trout, including some trophy-sized fish. Trout stocking will continue weekly in April at White Clay Creek and periodically at the other streams prior to or until Thursday, May 2.

The designated trout streams, except Red Clay Creek, are closed to all fishing two weeks prior to opening day, starting Saturday, March 23. The preseason closure allows stocking to be completed and eliminates incidental trout-hooking mortality and unlawful harvest of trout by those who are fishing for other species prior to the opener, while also giving stocked trout time to adjust and spread out in their new waters to improve fair access to the fishery.

Improving water quality conditions enabled the Division of Fish & Wildlife to stock trout in 2018 in a short stretch of Red Clay Creek that had been closed to fishing since 1986. The creek will be stocked again this year, with the first stocking occurring Monday, April 8, and anglers may fish as soon as the trout are in the water.

The daily possession limit is six trout per person, except inside or within 50 feet of the designated fly-fishing-only section of White Clay Creek, where the daily possession limit is four trout. There is no minimum size limit for freshwater trout, in part since they are a cold-water species that survive only while water temperatures remain cool, so anglers are encouraged to keep their catch within established possession limits.

Downstate trout season remains in full swing at Tidbury Pond near Dover and Newton Pond near Greenwood, both of which opened March 2.

A Delaware fishing license is required for most anglers fishing for trout. In addition, most trout anglers also must purchase a Delaware trout stamp. 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. A trout stamp is not needed after April 1 to fish at Tidbury Pond and Newton Pond or after June 30 to fish in the upstate trout streams, except in White Clay Creek during the fall after trout are stocked.

Delaware fishing licenses and trout stamps are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent or to purchase a license or trout stamp online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.

All proceeds from the purchase of Delaware Trout Stamps are used to help purchase next year’s fish for stocking. This popular fishery also is supported by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration funds generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment.

For more information, including the revised stocking schedule, click Delaware Trout Season. For general information on fishing in Delaware, click 2019 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 61

NEWARK – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today the annual fall trout stocking of White Clay Creek, an annual tradition since 2007 to provide anglers an opportunity to fish for trout in the fall. Since rainbow trout are a cold water species that do not survive the summer, fish stocked now should provide action throughout the fall and winter.

Fisheries staff and volunteers stocked about 1,000 pounds of trout, including 850 pounds of 12-13 inch rainbow trout, 100 pounds of 12-13 inch brown trout, and 50 pounds of 12-13 inch golden rainbow trout throughout White Clay Creek from near the Pennsylvania border downstream to Newark.

The daily possession limit is six trout per person, except that the daily possession limit is four trout per person when fishing in or within 50 feet of the designated fly-fishing-only section of White Clay Creek.

A Delaware fishing license is required for most anglers to fish for trout. The resident annual recreational 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 or trout stamps, although exempt persons may do so to help support fisheries management and trout stocking efforts. For non-resident anglers age 16 and older, an annual fishing license costs $20.

Both resident and non-resident anglers age 16 and older also are required to obtain a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (FIN) 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 FIN number.

In addition to Delaware’s normal fishing license requirements, most trout anglers must purchase a Delaware Trout Stamp to fish in designated trout streams, including in White Clay Creek from Oct. 6 through Nov. 30. 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. For non-residents, a trout stamp is required for all anglers age 12 and older and costs $6.20. Resident anglers younger than age 12 or age 65 and older are not required to purchase a trout stamp.

Delaware fishing licenses and trout stamps are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.

Delaware’s trout stocking program is funded by Delaware trout stamp revenues and a Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration grant administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Trout anglers directly support trout stocking through the purchase of trout stamps, with all proceeds directly purchasing trout from hatcheries for stocking.

For more information on fishing in Delaware, please see the 2018 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

• Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 286

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DNREC announces Red Clay Creek to be stocked for first time in 30 years thanks to improved water quality; trout anglers also should note that changes have been made to original stocking schedule

DOVER – Delaware’s spring upstate trout season will open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today. Portions of seven designated trout streams in northern New Castle County – White Clay Creek, Red Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run and Mill Creek – will be stocked with thousands of rainbow and brown trout, including some trophy-sized fish. Trout stocking will continue weekly in April at White Clay Creek and periodically at the other streams prior to or until Thursday, May 3.

The designated trout streams are closed to all fishing two weeks prior to opening day, starting Saturday, March 24. The preseason closure allows stocking to be completed and eliminates incidental trout-hooking mortality and unlawful harvest of trout by those who are fishing for other species prior to the opener, while also giving stocked trout time to adjust and spread out in their new waters to improve fair access to the fishery. Following the 7:30 a.m. start opening day, trout fishing at these steams is permitted one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset.

Improving water quality conditions have enabled the Division of Fish & Wildlife to stock a short stretch of Red Clay Creek that has been closed to fishing since 1986. Anglers are asked to stay clear of marked construction zones. Some trout will be stocked from the dam located near the Pennsylvania state line downstream to the bridge at Benge Road. The first stocking will occur Monday, April 9, at which time anglers may fish as soon as the fish are stocked.

Downstate trout season remains in full swing at Tidbury Pond near Dover and Newton Pond near Greenwood, both of which opened March 3. Trout are a cold water species and survive only while water temperatures in the ponds remain cool, so anglers are encouraged to keep their catch.

A Delaware fishing license is required for most anglers fishing for trout. In addition, 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 young angler 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. A trout stamp is not needed after April 1 to fish at Tidbury Pond and Newton Pond or after June 30 to fish in the upstate trout streams.

Delaware fishing licenses are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information, including the revised stocking schedule, click Delaware Trout Season. For general information on fishing in Delaware, click 2018 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

All proceeds from the purchase of Delaware Trout Stamps are used to help purchase next year’s fish for stocking. This popular fishery also is supported by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration funds generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Vol. 48, No. 55

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902