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FISHING CALENDAR · DELAWARE
Delaware Fishing Calendar
Delaware fishing covers Delaware Bay, the Indian River Inlet, the Atlantic surf and offshore grounds, plus freshwater ponds and trout streams. Seasons and closures come from DNREC's 2026 rules. DNREC keeps no archive of its weekly report, so most in-season months come from Eric Burnley's daily Talk of Delmarva report and are marked as not official.
Government fish & wildlife updates
- Delaware News – DNREC — DNREC press releases: seasons, trout, closures
- DNREC Freshwater Trout — Stocking schedule
Month by month
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater | |||||||||||||
| Largemouth bass | Radio report months (not official). Open all year: 12 in., 6/day.[8][5][2] | ||||||||||||
| Trout, stocked (rainbow) | 2026: Tidbury and Newton ponds open early March; New Castle County streams open early April with stocking through April. No fishing in trout waters 14 days before opening day. 6/day.[3][4] | ||||||||||||
| Blue catfish | Big blue cats in the Nanticoke River (DNREC report). Invasive: illegal to move live. No limit.[8][5][1] | ||||||||||||
| White perch | Radio report and DNREC Oct 2026 report. 8 in., no daily limit.[8][5][1] | ||||||||||||
| Inshore saltwater (Delaware Bay, Indian River Inlet, surf) | |||||||||||||
| Striped bass (rockfish) | Radio report months (not official). Open all year, 1/day 28–31 in.; 20–24 in. Jul–Aug in Delaware Bay and River. Spawning grounds catch and release only Apr 1–May 31.[8][1][6][10] | ||||||||||||
| Bluefish | Radio report months (not official). 5/day, 7/day for-hire.[8][5][1][11] | ||||||||||||
| Summer flounder (fluke) | DNREC: coastal and bay waters spring to fall. Open all year, 4/day: 16 in. to May 31, 17.5 in. after.[8][9][1] | ||||||||||||
| Weakfish | Radio report months (not official). 13 in., 1/day.[8][1] | ||||||||||||
| Spot | Radio report months (not official). 50/day.[8][1] | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic croaker | Radio report months (not official). 8 in., 50/day.[8][1] | ||||||||||||
| Northern kingfish | Caught from the beach on bloodworms (DNREC report).[8][5] | ||||||||||||
| Black drum | Radio report months (not official). 16 in., 3/day.[8][1] | ||||||||||||
| Red drum | Red drum highlighted the October 2026 surf report (DNREC). Keep 20–27 in., 5/day.[8][5][1] | ||||||||||||
| Tautog (tog) | Open Jan 1–May 15 and Jul 1–Dec 31, 16 in., 4/day. Closed May 16–Jun 30.[8][5][1] | ||||||||||||
| Sheepshead | Indian River Inlet (DNREC report).[8][5] | ||||||||||||
| Cobia | Radio report months (not official). 43 in., 2 per vessel.[8][1][12] | ||||||||||||
| Offshore | |||||||||||||
| Black sea bass | Open May 1–Dec 31, 12.5 in., 15/day.[1][8][5] | ||||||||||||
| Mahi-mahi | Radio report months (not official).[8] | ||||||||||||
| Yellowfin tuna | Radio report and DNREC October 2026 report. HMS permit required.[8][5][1] | ||||||||||||
| Sharks | Blacktip, bull, spinner, tiger, hammerhead and others: open Jan 1–May 14 and Jul 16–Dec 31. Circle hooks required. No official best months found.[1] | ||||||||||||
| Crabs | |||||||||||||
| Blue crab | Pots allowed Mar 1–Nov 30 (max 2). 1 bushel/day; hard crabs 5 in.[8][5][1][7] | ||||||||||||
Never keep: Never keep: Atlantic sturgeon, river herring (alewife and blueback), and prohibited sharks (sandbar, sand tiger, dusky, shortfin mako, white and others). American shad closed in the Nanticoke River.[1]
Bait & rig for each fish
Largemouth bass
Bait: Live wild shiners.
Lures: Plastic worms, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater frogs and crankbaits.
Rig: Float rig, Carolina/bottom rig, jig head or simple lure setup depending on depth and species.
Leader: Often 6–15 lb mono/fluoro; heavier leader is useful around abrasive cover or toothy fish.
Trout, stocked (rainbow)
Bait: Salmon roe and nightcrawlers where bait is legal.
Lures: Beads that look like salmon eggs, flesh flies, sculpin and leech streamers, small spinners and spoons.
Leader: 3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.
Blue catfish
Bait: Fresh cut shad, skipjack herring or other oily fish.
Lures: —
Leader: 25–50 lb mono, 18–24 in.
Striped bass (rockfish)
Bait: Live shad and shiners.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, swimbaits and topwater plugs.
Leader: Usually none; add a short fluorocarbon leader with braid.
Bluefish
Bait: Cut mullet and live finger mullet.
Lures: Metal spoons, Gotcha plugs and topwater poppers.
Leader: 30–40 lb fluorocarbon (add light wire for mackerel and bluefish).
Summer flounder (fluke)
Bait: Live minnows (killies), squid strips, fresh fluke-belly or sea-robin strips, and live spot or snapper blues for big fish.
Lures: White or pink bucktails tipped with a soft-plastic grub or squid strip, and a teaser hook above the bucktail.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Weakfish
Bait: Live shrimp, peeler crab and strip baits.
Lures: Bucktail jigs, soft plastics and small metal spoons.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Spot
Bait: Bloodworms, shrimp and squid bits.
Lures: Bloodworm-flavored Fishbites.
Leader: 15–20 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Atlantic croaker
Bait: Shrimp, squid, bloodworms, clam and sand fleas.
Lures: Fishbites strips or a small jig tipped with shrimp.
Leader: 15–20 lb mono or fluorocarbon.
Northern kingfish
Bait: Shrimp, small crabs, sand fleas, mullet, sardines and cut bait are common inshore choices; match the bait to the species and bottom.
Lures: Soft plastics, bucktails, small jigs, spoons, plugs and topwaters are common; imitate the local forage and work current edges.
Rig: Free-line, popping-cork, Carolina/fish-finder and light jig rigs are common; choose the least hardware needed to reach the zone.
Leader: 10–30 lb fluorocarbon/mono is a common flats/inshore start; move to 40–80 lb around abrasive mouths, structure or large tarpon/snook.
Black drum
Bait: Texas Parks & Wildlife documents cut fish, squid and shrimp, with peeled shrimp tails especially common.
Lures: Rarely; a slow jig tipped with shrimp.
Rig: A conventional bottom rig with a sinker and one or more single-hook drops is documented; a single drop with little or no weight is also described.
Leader: 10–30 lb fluorocarbon/mono is a common flats/inshore start; move to 40–80 lb around abrasive mouths, structure or large tarpon/snook.
Red drum
Bait: Live or cut mullet, pinfish, blue crab pieces, and live or fresh dead shrimp.
Lures: Gold spoons, paddle-tail soft plastics on a 1/8–1/4 oz jig head, topwater walking baits, and shrimp imitations.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Tautog (tog)
Bait: Green crabs, Asian crabs, fiddler crabs and clams; cut crabs in half for big fish.
Lures: Tautog jigs (1–2 oz) tipped with a piece of crab.
Leader: 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, short.
Sheepshead
Bait: Fiddler crabs, live shrimp, sand fleas, oysters and barnacles.
Lures: Rarely; a small jig tipped with shrimp or fiddler.
Leader: 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 2–3 ft.
Cobia
Bait: Live eels, pinfish, croakers, crabs and menhaden.
Lures: Big bucktail jigs (1–3 oz) with a long soft-plastic tail, and large soft eels.
Leader: 30–40 lb fluorocarbon (add light wire for mackerel and bluefish).
Black sea bass
Bait: Squid, cut fish and shrimp.
Lures: Small vertical jigs and bucktails.
Leader: 50–80 lb fluorocarbon.
Mahi-mahi
Bait: Ballyhoo, flying fish, squid and cut bait to keep a school near the boat.
Lures: Skirted trolling lures, small feathers and bucktail jigs.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 30–60 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common mahi start; increase for abrasion or mixed wahoo water.
Yellowfin tuna
Bait: Live baits (blue runners, bonito) and chunks.
Lures: Spreader bars, skirted lures, poppers and stick baits.
Rig: Use a clean trolling or live-bait rig with minimal hardware, a strong swivel where needed and a leader long enough to protect against abrasion.
Leader: 40–100 lb mono/fluorocarbon is a common starting range; toothy species may need heavier abrasion-resistant or wire bite protection.
Sharks
Bait: Fish or squid baits attract sharks, but baiting should only be used where legal and where the exact shark fishery rules are understood.
Lures: Large plugs, jigs or trolled lures can produce incidental shark strikes; use tackle heavy enough to shorten the fight.
Rig: Simple heavy rig with minimal hardware and immediate-access dehooking/cutting tools.
Leader: Use a heavy abrasion/bite leader and a setup that can be cut quickly near the hook if removal is unsafe.
Blue crab
Bait: Freshly dead fish is documented as blue-crab trap bait by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
Lures: Not applicable.
Rig: Crab traps are a documented blue-crab capture method. Use only locally legal gear.
Leader: Not applicable.
Local fishing reports — what’s biting now
- DNREC Delaware Fishing Report (weekly, official) — Weekly: Delaware Bay, Indian River Inlet, surf, offshore, freshwater
- WGMD – Talk of Delmarva Fishing Report — Daily radio report by Eric Burnley
- The Fisherman – NJ/DE Bay forecast — Weekly forecast for NJ and Delaware Bay
- FishTalk – Coastal Mid-Atlantic report — Monthly coastal report
Sources
- DNREC – Tidal Seasons, Size & Creel Limits 2026
- DNREC – Non-Tidal Season, Size & Creel Limits 2026
- DNREC – Freshwater Trout Fishing 2026
- DNREC – Freshwater Trout / 2026 stocking schedule
- DNREC – Delaware Fishing Report
- DNREC Fish Facts – Striped Bass
- DNREC – Blue Crabs, Clams, Conchs & Oysters
- WGMD – Talk of Delmarva Fishing Report (Eric Burnley)
- DNREC Fish Facts – Summer Flounder
- The Fisherman - Hot Spot: Indian River Inlet, DE
- FishTalk Magazine - Fishing for Beginners: How to Fish for Bluefish
- FishTalk Magazine - Fishing for Beginners: Cobia Fishing
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every month on this calendar comes from the sources above. Empty boxes mean no official source gives those months. Rules change — check the agency page before you keep a fish.
On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock — for those few hours it’s just you, the water and peace.