N.J. Admin. Code § 7:25-6.20 - Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania

(a) In cooperation with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the following regulations for the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania are made a part of the New Jersey State Fish and Game Code and will be enforced by the conservation authorities of each state.

1

Species	Season	Size Limit	Daily Bag Limit
Trout	8:00 A.M. on the first	No minimum	5
Saturday after
April 11 to Oct. 15
American Shad	No closed season	No minimum	2
Hickory Shad	Closed season	Closed season	Closed season
Largemouth Bass and	Jan. 1 to the	12 inch	5 in total
Smallmouth Bass	first Friday	minimum
after April 10,
and the first
Saturday after
June 11 to Dec. 31
First	Catch and
Saturday, after	release only
April 11, to the
first Friday
after June 10
Walleye	No closed season	18 inch minimum	3
Channel Catfish	No closed season	12 inch minimum	5
Chain Pickerel	No closed season	12 inch minimum	5
Muskellunge and any	No closed	40 inch	1
hybrid thereof	season	minimum
Northern Pike	No closed season	24 inch minimum	2
Baitfish, fish bait	No closed season	No minimum	50
Alewife and Blueback	Closed
Herring (anadromous forms)
Shortnose Sturgeon	Closed-endangered species
Atlantic Sturgeon	Closed
Striped Bass and	Downstream of	a minimum of	1
Striped Bass x White Bass	Calhoun Street	28 inches and a
hybrid	Bridge season	maximum of 31
open March 1 - 31	inches
and June 1-Dec 31
Upstream of	a minimum of	1
Calhoun Street	28 inches and a
Bridge season	maximum of 31
open March 1-Dec. 31	inches
All other freshwater species	No closed season	No minimum	25

2. Angling may be done with three rods each with one line or two lines or one of each. Not more than three single hooks or three burrs of three hooks each may be used per line.

3. Ice fishing shall be legal whenever ice is present. Open (unfrozen) water creel and size limits shall apply. The maximum size of the ice hole shall not exceed 10 inches in diameter. Five tip-ups or any combination of five devices that will include tip-ups of not more than two rods and lines or two hand lines or one of each may be used.

4. Spears (not mechanically propelled), longbows, and recurved, compound, or crossbows may be used to take shad, carp, suckers, catfish, and snakeheads by properly licensed fishermen, except within 50 rods (825 feet) of an eel weir. All arrows must have line attached. Crossbows shall have a stock length of 25 inches, a minimum draw pull weight of 75 pounds, and a working safety. Crossbows must be hand held and may not be permanently mounted. Crossbows must be uncocked in transport and while not actively engaged in fishing.

5. Bait fish may be taken and possessed for personal uses only but not to exceed 50 per day. The minimum length for American Eel shall be nine-inches with a daily creel and possession limit of 25.

6. Eel weirs for the catching of carp, catfish, eels, and suckers only, may be operated under permit from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, for the purposes of sale, at any time of the year and at any time of day.

7. Hook and line fishermen are hereby restricted to the use of non-offset circle hooks while fishing with any natural bait during the months of April and May downstream of the Calhoun Street Bridge to the Commodore Barry Bridge. This restriction shall apply only to hooks of size 2 and larger and shall not apply to hooks of smaller sizes (such as those normally used for white perch fishing).

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:25-6.20

Amended by 48 N.J.R. 1290(a), effective 6/20/2016 Amended by 50 N.J.R. 801(b), effective 2/5/2018 Administrative Change, 52 N.J.R. 1018(a). Administrative Change, 55 N.J.R. 1022(a), effective 5/15/2023 Administrative Change, 55 N.J.R. 1826(a), effective 7/25/2023