Delaware Walk On Surf Fishing Locations
You might have missed a surf fishing tag but you won’t miss out on actual surf fishing. Pro Tip … Look on the bright side, no one is going to ask you for a ride to the beach this year. These areas below are all walk on area for surf fishing. I recommend a five gallon bucket of gear and two rods and sand spikes. You can sit on the bucket. Unless you have a fishing cart to take a ton of gear with you. Figure out what you are fishing for first and streamline your gear needs.
You would be surprised how many places there are to surf fish just walking onto a beach. Many of these places are not drive on accesses at all, just regular swimming beaches with a variety of structure that hold fish. Reading these beaches for cuts and sand structure helps find fish as well. But mostly we fish the manmade structures such as jetties and storm drains.
Reading The Beach To Surf Fish
Read The Beach Find More Fish
There are plenty of known walk on spots in the parks. Every Delaware State Park has a walk on area that anglers can fish. Most are near the bathing areas. On the outskirts of the life guards “territory” so to speak. For example that space between Key box to the left that vehicles aren’t allowed. That entire stretch to the Tower beach area’s last walk on is an unguarded beach, you can surf fish. Yup it is a hike, but a lot of real estate to get some space.
Delaware State Park beaches are multi use, anyone can surf fish anywhere, but guarded beaches have time restrictions. You can only fish when the lifeguards are not on duty. The same goes for most of the town beaches.
Beach Plum Island State Park walk on is a little long. Delaware bay beach fishing. Ample walk on space for anglers without vehicles, also drive on beach. The spring black drum run has been decent each year.
Anglers can also fish the Broadkill river banks with access in the corner of the parking lot. The mud banks can get messy at high tide. Lot of white perch, short striped bass, flounder, bluefish, and puppy drum (black drum) are caught in that area.
Learn To Fish The Inland Bay Marsh Banks
Cape Henlopen State Park …
Gordons pond beyond the no vehicles sign towards Rehoboth Beach. Great structure on that jetty. All of the jetties towards Rehoboth and the storm drains are amazing structure. You can fish that too. It’s a long walk, but great exercise. Park at the Henlopen Hotel in Rehoboth and walk the beaches and cast.
Navy Crossing … Fish the jetties, mind the surfers. They have the right of way on the north side. Nice scour hole out front of the north side jetty there, hard to get a line into, but holds fish.
Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier beach (Head Boat Beach) nicknamed that after the first year the big blues showed up and blitzed the entire coast for six weeks. It got really crowded.
Lot of wade fishing, and fly fishing. Great for families and kids. Delaware Bay beach. Also a pier for fishing options, and Lighthouse View Bait and Tackle right there for up to the minute reports.
Delaware Seashore State Park.
Tower beach bathhouse area. To the right of the bathhouse walk south and fish from the last walk over. Very short walk, but steep.
Key box towards Dewey beach is no vehicles to the tower beach park area.
Conquest and 3r’s also have walk on accesses. Trucks tend to stay out of these areas to give the walk on folks space. Everyone is cool about it.
Inlet beaches … Northside mind the surfers but walk north and fish that entire area to the no vehicle sign its a good hike. Southside, walk south from the last walk on and fish towards 3R’s. The jetty is great but can’t fish from the beach when lifeguards on duty.
Northside of the inlet and southside of the inlet inside. It isn’t surf fishing per say but the fishing is good from land.
Fenwick Island Sate Park
Walk on at the bathhouse go left or right beyond lifeguards. To the right gets closer to “private” beaches. But Delaware owns to the tide line so stay near the water line and walk and cast. Your discretion to deal with that. That is the only place you can walk on at Fenwick Island State Park is the bathhouse. Crossing route 1 at the bay side parking lot there is dicey.
Surf Fish the Beach Towns …
Surf anglers can fish in all of the beach towns. They all have their own rules about times. Mostly once a beach is no longer guarded then it is fishable. I’ve seen guys cast while the lifeguard is getting off the stand for the day. Okay, maybe that was us.
Yes they (we) are careful of swimmers. This time of year you don’t have to worry about either. In the spring you rarely see too many people swimming, well sane people.
In Rehoboth for example you can fish down by the Henlopen Hotel at the jetty all day. Walk the beaches and fish that structure
Each town beach has different or combinations of structure; jetties, drain pipes, and sand bars with cuts. Just like a drive on beach they are tough to read. There are some nice cuts on Dewey Beach and Rehoboth beach. If you fish Fenwick Island the town, be careful of crossing into Ocean City if you are walking and fishing. You need a Maryland fishing license at that point.
I like to Use The Beach Web Cams To Check Conditions before I head out to surf fish.
We spend a lot of time just parking the trucks and walking. One of the best ways if you do this is with a buddy or two. Drop a vehicle at one end of a beach, say Key box. Then drive to the inlet and walk and surf fish to Keybox from the inlet. Makes the return trip easier if you only want to follow that tide. Sometimes you find fish heading back and walk back. The option is nice. Check parking lots for closure times, usually that is dusk.
Night time is great surf fishing not many do that, but walking and surfcasting plugs and lures can be rewarding.
You can fish overnight on most park beaches at the drive ons, but parking is an issue. Parking at the Indian River Inlet is usually the best bet for that. 3R’s tends to be open all night. Most of the lots are closed these days to keep the donut makers away. People tear stuff up, it gets closed.
Delaware Bay beach Towns; Broadkill Beach to Slaughter beach and above. They all have public parking access. Some have facilities and some do not. North Bowers Beach has a beach and an excellent jetty to fish as well as the mouth of the Murderkill River. All in one small area.
Walk on fishing is obviously different for the gear you will need versus what you want to drag out with you. Learn to lighten your load. If you are fishing summer fish with top and bottom rigs that is all you need and some fish bites in your pocket. You don’t need five poles, take two. One for bait, one for casting. Then you only need two small PVC sand spikes. All of this will fit in a five gallon bucket.
I like to use a rope on the bucket so it sits comfortably on my shoulder for carrying. I sit on the bucket if I am not casting.
Backpacks are vital, for snacks and water. Sand fleas are easy to dig up to lighten your bait load.
Chairs come with straps to carry on your back. Surf carts are available on the market in local shops. A shop here could do well renting those things this year.
A cheap substitute are those shopping carts, but check your wheels. Sand is the killer, you need wider tires. Airing down is no longer an option or concern. At least you have that going for you.
If you are near the parking area you can make a couple trips. I try to carry as little as possible. Snacks being my priority. I like food and water. I usually just cast and walk so I gear for what I want and roll.
You will find streamlining what you need as a walk on surf angler will also streamline the contents of your vehicle. When you get your Delaware surf fishing tag next year.
Read The Beach Find More Fish
Reading The Beach To Surf Fish
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