On July 7, DNREC announced changes to their surf fishing reservation system, eliminating the need to make a reservation to fish on several drive-on, multi-use beaches on weekends and holidays, starting July 12. The beaches impacted include Key Box, Conquest and Faithful Steward at Delaware Seashore State Park; York, Middle and South beaches at Fenwick Island State Park; Beach Plum Island north of Lewes. This comprises nearly 64 percent of beach availability for surf fishermen as they have not filled to capacity on weekends or holidays.
“These are your beaches, Delaware,” Governor Matt Meyer said. “We are eliminating the need for reservations most of the time, preserving them only for fairness during the busiest days and hours. Delaware beaches are the precious jewel of our state’s tourism economy and requiring beach reservations, where unnecessary, is an example of overregulation that can be streamlined to serve residents better.”
DNREC will continue to evaluate impacts to beaches while measuring capacity levels, crowding or queuing issues for the rest of the summer. Because of high demand, reservations will still be required daily at Gordon’s Pond, Herring Point, Navy Crossing and Point Crossing in Cape Henlopen State Park as well as 3Rs at the Delaware Seashore State Park from 8 AM to 4 PM on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Anglers with a surf fishing reservation can still access those drive-on fishing locations even when the park’s day use parking capacity has been reached. This is common at Cape Henlopen.
“Drive-on surf fishing has reached record levels in recent years, and our parks have tried different ways to balance what can be overwhelming demand with the recreational experience so many enjoy,” Matt Ritter, Director of the Division of Parks and Recreation, said. “Reservations have become prevalent at state and national parks across the country, and as we evolve our reservation program in Delaware State Parks, we remain committed to providing a good experience for anglers and all our visitors. After careful consideration, we felt making the change to drop reservation requirements for several surf fishing beaches was the right decision.”
Staff will monitor surf and weather conditions, adjusting the number of reservations available as a weekend approaches if it appears a significant number of spots may go unused.
“As surf tag users have gotten used to the reservation system, we know from customer feedback that many people like the predictability of knowing they will have a spot and won’t be turned away or have to wait in a long line for someone to leave,” Greg Patterson, DNRECE Secretary, said. “At the same time, DNREC has certainly heard that some anglers, especially locals, like to wake up on a sunny day and decide to get out to the beach. With this change, we will provide different approaches for different types of visitors.”
Reservations are available to valid one-year and two-year surf fishing permit holders on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to one reservation per day. There are no changes to the off-peak surf fishing permit that allows anglers to access the beach without a reservation Monday through Friday, except for holidays that occur during the week.
