Delaware River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Delaware River, as the state words them
Sussex County · River · NJ
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- Fish may be taken only in the manner known as angling with handline or with rod and line, or as otherwise allowed by law.Statewide
- Bait
- Only the following species may be taken for use as bait. American Eel, Banded Killifish, Creek Chub, Fallfish, Fathead Minnow, Gizzard Shad, Golden Shiner, Margined Madtom, Mummichog, and Tadpole Madtom.Statewide
- Poles
- When fishing from the shoreline , no more than three fishing rods, handlines or combination thereof may be usedStatewide
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Brook Trout | 2 trout in total (Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout combined) | min. 9 inch | Statewide |
trout Varies by water: limit of 6 (general trout regulations); limit reduced from 4 to 2; daily limit remains 2 (general trout regulations); limit will also be 2 (general trout regulations) | one daily creel limit in possession | - | Statewide |
Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass | daily combined creel and possession limit of five | min. minimum length of 12 inches | Statewide |
panfish | daily limit of 25 | min. no minimum size limit | Statewide |
American Eel | See size | min. minimum length of nine inches | Statewide |
Eel, American | 25 | min. 9 inches | This water |
Muskellunge & Hybrids | 1 | min. 40 inches | This water |
Pickerel, Chain | 5 | min. 12 inches | This water |
Pike, Northern | 2 | min. 24 inches | This water |
Shad, American *Due to serious declines in American Shad numbers, the taking of American Shad, except for the Delaware River, is prohibited. | 2 | min. No minimum | This water |
Walleye | 3 | min. 18 inches | This water |
Channel Catfish | 5 | min. 12 inches | This water |
All Other Freshwater Species | 25 | min. No minimum | This water |
Baitfish | 50 | min. No minimum | This water |
Potentially Dangerous Fish The possession or release of live potentially Dangerous Fish is prohibited. Anglers MUST destroy these species if encountered while fishing . | Unlimited | min. No minimum | This water |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from NJ's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- All fishGear only three single hooks are permitted
- Bass, Largemouth & SmallmouthJune 13–Dec. 31Daily limit 5 combinedSize 12 inches
- Eel, AmericanOpen year-roundDaily limit 25Size 9 inches
- Herring, Alewife and BluebackClosed (dates as written)Daily limit —Size —
- Muskellunge & HybridsOpen year-roundDaily limit 1Size 40 inches
- Pickerel, ChainOpen year-roundDaily limit 5Size 12 inches
- Pike, NorthernOpen year-roundDaily limit 2Size 24 inches
- Shad, AmericanOpen year-roundDaily limit 2Size No minimum*Due to serious declines in American Shad numbers, the taking of American Shad, except for the Delaware River, is prohibited.
- Shad, HickoryClosed (dates as written)Daily limit —Size —
- Striped Bass & HybridsMarch 1–Dec. 31Daily limit 1Size One @ 28" to a maximum of 31"
- Striped Bass & HybridsMarch 1–31 (dates as written)Daily limit 1Size One @ 28" to a maximum of 31"
- Sturgeon, Atlantic and ShortnoseClosed (dates as written)Daily limit —Size —
- TroutApril 18 at 8 a.m.–Oct. 15 (dates as written)Daily limit 5Size No minimum
- WalleyeOpen year-roundDaily limit 3Size 18 inches
- Channel CatfishOpen year-roundDaily limit 5Size 12 inches
- All Other Freshwater SpeciesOpen year-roundDaily limit 25Size No minimum
- BaitfishOpen year-roundDaily limit 50Size No minimum
- Potentially Dangerous FishOpen year-roundDaily limit UnlimitedSize No minimumThe possession or release of live potentially Dangerous Fish is prohibited. Anglers MUST destroy these species if encountered while fishing .
- All fishMust comply with regulations of the state in which fishing/possessing fish (NJ side vs PA side of centerline).
- carp, catfish, shad and suckersGear Spears (not mechanically propelled) and bow and arrows may be used to take carp, catfish, shad and suckers, except within 825 feet of an eel weir. A valid fishing license is required.
- Freshwater DrumAnglers must destroy this species if encountered while fishing and report catch via AIS Reporting Form.
- All fishPoles three rod limit applies both to boat and shoreline anglers
- Bass, Largemouth & SmallmouthJan. 1–April 17 - does not apply todayDaily limit 5 combinedSize 12 inches
- Bass, Largemouth & SmallmouthApril 18–June 12 - does not apply todayDaily limit Catch and release onlySize Catch and release only
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this section begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 3,440 cfs at delaware river at port jervis ny (2026-10-13 05:30)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Delaware River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
You also need (New Jersey)
Receipts
Local services near Delaware River
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Delaware River? Get listed.