Ponds will be closed to all fishing for 14 days prior to opening day, Saturday, March 2

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today that Delaware’s spring 2019 downstate trout season will begin Saturday, March 2 with the opening of two downstate ponds stocked with rainbow trout – provided that pond ice conditions do not prevent stocking or fishing. Both Tidbury Pond near Dover in Kent County and Newton Pond near Greenwood in Sussex County will open for trout fishing that day beginning at 7 a.m.

Each pond will be stocked with more than 300 pounds of 12- to 13-inch rainbow trout before opening day, with a second stocking in March. Trophy-sized trout weighing 2 pounds or more will be included in the stocking as an added attraction for trout anglers.

Trout anglers planning to fish the waters of Tidbury and Newton ponds should note the following rules and regulations:

• 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 opening day 7 a.m. start, 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 from Saturday, Feb. 16 through Friday, March 1. This pre-season closure enables completion of trout stocking, eliminates incidental trout hooking by anglers fishing for other species, gives stocked trout time to acclimate to their new waters, and improves fair access to the fishery.

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.

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.

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

For more information, 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

DOVER – The paintings won top honors in the DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife’s annual stamp art competition, held April 8 at the Delaware Ducks Unlimited Greenwing Event at Owens Station Shooting Sports & Hunter Education Center near Greenwood. The competition drew 22 entries for the 2018/19 Waterfowl Stamp and 11 entries for the 2018 Trout Stamp. The 38th annual Waterfowl Stamp contest specified that submitted artwork must include a pintail duck and a Golden Retriever.

As the 2018/19 Waterfowl Stamp winner, Daniel Allard receives a $2,500 prize and 150 artist’s proofs of the limited edition print series of his first-place entry. A graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design and an avid outdoorsman, Allard uses his artwork to help promote wildlife conservation and to help contribute to wildlife habitat and research. After leaving the commercial art world in 2006 to become a stay-at-home father, he began combining his love of art and wildlife in his paintings. Active in several conservation organizations, he is a four-time Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Artist in various states, and recently won the 2018/19 Ohio Wetland Habitat Stamp Contest.

As the 2018 Trout Stamp winner, Eric Jablonowski receives $250 and retains the rights to reproduce and sell prints of the stamp. Having sold his first wildlife drawing at age 7, Jablonowski discovered his love of the outdoors and his artistic talent at an early age. He grew up in the western Pennsylvania countryside and credits a childhood spent exploring fields and forests for his ability painting fine details. He started with pencil drawings and quickly moved on to oil pastels and other mediums. Today, he works primarily in oil paints. His creative process involves spending time outdoors observing wildlife anatomy, habitats and the properties of lighting. The first time Jablonowski, an avid fly fisherman, entered the Delaware Trout Stamp contest in 2010, he won second place; this year is his second entry.

Other winners included:

• 2018/19 Waterfowl Stamp: Second place – Garrett Jacobs, Orlando, Fla; Third place – Paul Makuchal, Pocomoke, Md.; Honorable mentions – Diane Ford, Bethesda, Md.; Ron Kleiber, Erin, N.Y.; and Caleb Metrich, Lake Tomahawk, Wis.
• 2018 Trout Stamp: Second place – George Bradford, Georgetown, Del., brown trout; Third place – Donnie Hughes, Lexington, S.C., brook trout; Honorable mentions – George Bradford, Georgetown, Del., rainbow trout; Broderick Crawford, Clayton, Ga., brown trout; and Jonathan Milo, Monroe, Conn., rainbow trout.

The winning 2018/19 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp will be available July 1, 2018, and the winning 2018 Delaware Trout Stamp will be available Jan. 1, 2018.

Waterfowl and Trout Stamp entries are on display through Monday, April 24 at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 2591 Whitehall Neck Road, Smyrna, DE 19977. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, please call 302-653-9345.

The 2018/19 Waterfowl Stamp judges were: Lou Caputo, Delaware Ducks Unlimited representative; Charles Sheppard, art collector; Dale Scuse, member of the Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish; Anthony Gonzon, wildlife biologist; and Justyn Foth, wildlife biologist.

The 2018 Trout Stamp judges were: Leon Spence, artist; Ed O’Donnell, Trout Unlimited member; Sam Palermo, avid angler; Edna Stetzar, fisheries biologist; and Garrett Grier Jr., member of the Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, started the Delaware Waterfowl Stamp (formerly known as the Delaware Duck 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 $2.8 million has been raised.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife began requiring trout stamps in the 1950s, and a trout stamp and a general fishing license are required to fish in designated trout waters during certain seasons. Trout stamp art was first used in 1977. The fees paid for Trout Stamps are used to purchase rainbow and brown trout from commercial hatcheries, with the purchased trout stocked in two downstate ponds and selected streams in northern New Castle County for Delaware’s trout seasons.

Delaware hunting and fishing licenses, as well as Waterfowl Stamps 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 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, please call DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife at 302-739-9911.

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

Vol. 47, No. 81

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Trout anglers encouraged to check requirements before fishing

DOVER – The Division of Fish & Wildlife today announced that Delaware’s spring 2017 downstate trout season will begin Saturday, March 4 with the opening of two downstate ponds stocked with rainbow trout, provided pond ice conditions do not prevent stocking or fishing. On that date, Tidbury Pond near Dover in Kent County and Newton Pond near Greenwood in Sussex County will open for trout fishing beginning at 7 a.m.

“As in past years, we plan to stock these ponds before opening day, and we plan to do a second stocking later in the month,” said Fisheries Administrator John Clark. “We will include trophy-sized trout again this year as an added attraction for trout anglers.”

Trout anglers planning to fish the waters of 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 opening day 7 a.m. start, 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 from Saturday, Feb. 18 until opening day March 4.

“These rules serve several purposes,” said Michael Stangl, Fisheries program manager. “Closing these ponds to all fishing for two weeks before the season provides a better opportunity to complete our stocking and eliminates incidental trout hooking mortality by anglers fishing for other species. In addition, the closure gives stocked trout time to adjust and spread out in their new waters. The pre-season closure also eliminates any unlawful harvest prior to the opener and improves fair access to the fishery.”

Each pond will initially be stocked with more than 300 pounds of 12- to 13-inch rainbow trout. “Trophy-sized” rainbow and brown trout – weighing 2 pounds or more and measuring more than 14 inches – also will be stocked. Plans call for stocking to be repeated Thursday, March 16, with the same amount of fish in each pond.

Tidbury Pond is owned and managed by Kent County Levy Court, Department of Parks & Recreation, and anglers are asked to be respectful of the planted vegetation and fences erected to protect landscaped areas. No boats of any type are permitted in Tidbury Pond.

Newton Pond, owned and managed by the Division of Fish & Wildlife, will be stocked for the ninth year. The 10-acre borrow pit site was restored using Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration funds and opened for its first trout season in 2009. The pond features a boat ramp for car-top boats and canoes (with no gasoline motors allowed), plus a fishing pier and plenty of shoreline access to allow anglers to distance themselves from others. Clark stressed “car-top boats only,” since the ramp at Newton Pond was not designed or constructed for heavy vehicles with boat trailers, and vehicular traffic is blocked from using the ramp. Boat anglers are urged to exercise courtesy and caution while operating near others fishing from the shoreline.

With the exception of the two-week closure preceding trout season, Newton Pond is also open for catch-and-release fishing for bass and bluegill. Although barbless hooks are required at Newton Pond throughout the year, they are not required from the opening day of trout season through April 1 while fishing for trout. “Beginning March 4, trout in both ponds will be fair game, and we encourage anglers to keep these trout up to the limit of six,” Clark said, noting that trout are a cold water species and can only survive while water temperatures in the ponds remain cool.

Upstate, trout season will open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 1 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 just prior to the season opener. Stocking in the spring will continue on a regular weekly basis in some streams through Thursday, April 27. For more information, click de.gov/troutstocking.

A Delaware fishing license is required for most anglers fishing for trout. 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 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.

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.

“Since the price of trout is not expected to decrease in the immediate future, the Fisheries Section is hoping plenty of anglers will come out this season to help support the program,” Clark said.

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 on fishing in Delaware, click on 2017 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

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

Vol. 47, No. 38

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WHITE CLAY CREEK – The Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Fisheries Section announced today that White Clay Creek has received its annual fall stocking of trout – a DNREC ritual since 2007 – captured on video at Trout Stocking on YouTube.

Fisheries staff and volunteers stocked about 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout ranging in size from 11-15 inches long, with the majority 12-13-inch fish, throughout White Clay Creek at all normal stocking locations from near the border with Pennsylvania downstream to Newark. Also included this year were a few brown, brook, tiger and golden rainbow trout. Float boxes were used to carry about 1,250 fish averaging about one pound each from the truck to access points along White Clay Creek, which offers the most public access of any Delaware trout stream.

“The fish looked great! Most were between 12 and 14 inches, and they were all healthy, just a premium stocking of fish,” said Fisheries scientist Mark Zimmerman, who heads up the trout stocking efforts.

Fisheries Administrator John Clark noted that fall stocking is handled with less fanfare than the spring stocking to give anglers a different atmosphere for a mellower sporting season.

“We try to avoid the crowds and hype that often overshadow the spring opener on the first Saturday in April,” Clark said, noting that the stocking schedule is included in the 2016 Delaware Fishing Guide but the exact date of the fall delivery is not publicized in advance. “We think anglers appreciate this approach, especially when they go to one of their favorite locations, find fish swimming around and have the stream mostly to themselves.”

“It’s a beautiful time of year to enjoy some peace and quiet and catch some nice fish,” Clark said. “And, since rainbow trout are a cold water species, fish stocked in the fall should provide action throughout the winter.”

The daily possession limit is six trout per person. Fishing in or within 50 feet of the designated fly-fishing-only section, the daily possession limit is four trout.

Delaware’s trout stocking is conducted under the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Trout anglers support the program directly through the purchase of the required trout stamp along with the regular resident or non-resident fishing license. All proceeds from the purchase of Delaware Trout Stamps go directly towards the purchase of trout from hatcheries.

A Delaware fishing license is required for most anglers wishing to try their luck at trout fishing. A resident annual Delaware 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 if they so choose to help support fisheries management and trout stocking efforts. For non-resident anglers age 16 and older, a Delaware annual fishing license costs $20 and a seven-day license costs $12.50.

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, with the exception of anglers younger than age 12 and resident anglers age 65 and over. Non-exempt anglers must possess a trout stamp to fish in designated trout streams to include White Clay Creek from Oct. 3 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.

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 on fishing in Delaware, please see the 2016 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

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

Vol. 46, No. 348

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DOVER (March 27, 2013) – Delaware’s spring 2013 upstate trout season will open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, April 6, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife announced today. Six designated trout streams in northern New Castle County – White Clay Creek, Christina Creek, Pike Creek, Beaver Run, Wilson Run and Mill Creek – will be stocked and ready with thousands of rainbow and brown trout, including some trophy-sized fish. Trout stocking will continue on a regular weekly basis through Thursday, May 2.

For most anglers wishing to try their luck at trout fishing, a Delaware fishing license is required. 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. The popular fishery also is supported by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration funds generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment.

Downstate trout season remains open in Tidbury Pond in Dover and Newton Pond near Greenwood, both of which were stocked in March. Trout are a cold water species and can only survive while water temperatures in the ponds remain cool. 

For more information about trout stocking, click Trout Stocking Schedule. To purchase a fishing license or stamps, visit www.fw.delaware.gov/fisheries, or call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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

Vol. 43, No. 113

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