Delaware River fishing

[adesai73]

Okay, time for another question.  I've been reading that the stripers come up as far as the Rt. 1 bridge in Trenton.  I live nearby, but have never heard of anyone fishing in that area.  Is there decent shore access around the Trenton area?  What else is caught?  I've googled and googled, but there seems to be a shortage of information on fishing that area.  As long as I'm downriver from the Rt. 1 bridge, I don't need a permit either, correct? 

Stripers in the Delaware are also a spring thing, right?

[bassnblues]

Stripers in the Delaware are mostly a spring thing. You can catch some nice catfish around Trenton and I've heard there's some Largemouth.

Go further north to the Lambertville area and you can add Smallmouth and Walleyes to the list.

Not sure where the license requirement starts.

Try googling J.B Kasper. He's written some excellent books about fishing the Delaware.

[IrishAyes]

You do need a fishing license to fish that area of the Delaware.  I believe somewhere around Philly is the cut off area for the license. 

The bass run in the Delaware is pretty much a spring thing.  It is also catch and release, as the bass season is closed at that time period for the rivers. 
Most of the striper fishing is done by boat.  Guys will catch herring, keep them in a live well and live line them near the first bridge.  Others will fish the rocky area between the bridges.  I do not recommend that unless you are very familiar with the area as you can get into trouble very quickly.  There are some nice sized stripers that come out of the area.

Just prior to the striper run is the shad run.  That is done from shore as much as in a boat.  A good area for the shad and herring is the Public Service access area at the end of Lamberton Road on Duck Island.

[adesai73]

^ thanks for the info.

reading some more after posting this and saw that the cutoff line on the Delaware is the Commodore Barry Bridge.  Quite a ways downstream from Trenton! 

[Hotrod]

Next to the parking lot of KatmanDU,  There s a bulkhead that they all fish off of. 

[Pops Soul]

Yes Striper's in the Delaware. I live a block away on the Pa side in Morrisville and fish it regular.  I fish it by boat. The Striper fishing starts with the Shad run which is anywhere from the end of March in to April, depending on water temp and the winter run off. The cows are there into Memorial day feeding on the herring.  Yes you do need a license but remember if you possess a Jersey license you can fish the Pa side. Fishing from boat in the early season is mostly all on plastics, if you catch a shad it can be chunked or I like to fillet them, then anchor the boat. I know guys that do real well at night casting plugs. If you park on the Pa. side where Delmore ave. ends and you have to make the sharp right which turns into Philadelphia ave. you can walk down to a drain pipe that runs out into the water about 40 yards. It is covered in stone and looks like a jetty at low tide it is visable but at high tide you need waders. Guy's will also wade just above the Trenton makes bridge, parking on Park ave. which is your first right when you cross the bridge then climbing over the dike or Levy what ever you prefer to call it, but be very aware of the tides!  Fishing for striper's from boat is the better way to go, jigging up herring near the railroad bridge and the making a move into a less conjested area and all the regulars have their favorite spots. Some guys will liveline and float the river, while others will anchor up. The striper's will go as far north as the herring go which can be as far as Phillipsburg. I have caught small striper's while Smallmouth fishing at Bulls island state park in August. My biggest Delaware river striper was 38 inches and weighed 21 pounds and was caught in casting distance from shore in 5 feet of water. You can put a boat in at the Trenton Ramp (aka Duck Island) and run up the river, we were able to put in on the Pa side under the Rt 1 bridge but all the construction chased us out of there. A lot of guys will fish the Yardley area using the Yardley ramp and like to fish up near Scudder falls wing dam. Last year we probably caught over 100 striper's easy, with the majority being undersized fish. With Shad being the first fish to show up then the herring follow along with catfish and white perch, smallmouth bass, rockbass, and an occasional yellow perch, waleyes, and I have seen 6 foot Sturgeon.

[Pops Soul]

Next to the parking lot of KatmanDU,  There s a bulkhead that they all fish off of. 

Rod the bulkhead you are referring to has been fenced off. About 3 years ago the city fixed it all up and made it real nice with fancey pavers and benches. But never took the time to have it look at by engineers for the sub structure. It collapsed in 1 area and the bulk head buldged out in another. There are holes cut in the fence and people sneak in, but the police do come by and chase them out. There are also some floating docks behind the state offices next to the ball park the people will get down to them to fish off of. Also down near Treton Marine there is a small section of bulk head on the south side of their area to fish from. I would have to check my Pa reg book, but the other line in the river you need to consider is the Trenton falls / this is where the Assunpink empties into the Delaware between the Trenton makes bridge and the Calhon st bridge. You can't keep stripers below the falls until after a certain date which I think is sometime in June but when you buy your next years license it will be in the handbook.

[IrishAyes]

Skip, last year the docks at the state offices were gated.  There was no access to them that I saw.  I fished alongside of the docks in a buddies boat a few times and noticed the entrance to the dock was block similar to the gates that are at the Belmar municipal docks.

[Pops Soul]

Yes Joe you are correct, but when there is a will there is away and people did find away on to them.

[IrishAyes]

 

[ped579]

Ah, nothing better than a stealthy fisherman.  The ninja angler