2022 is gearing up to be another popular year for surf fishing in the First State.
Sale of 2022 standard surf fishing permits opened on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. and DNREC says it only took a few hours to reach its annual cap of 17,000.
The standard permit cap was put in place in 2019 to create an equitable way to make the permits available - while managing a limited resource and protecting against overcrowding at state park beaches.
While standard permits are quite popular due to the fact that they allow surf fishing in state park beaches any time, off-peak permits, which have a few limitations, are still available.
Off-peak permits allow surf fishing seven days a week during the off season, which runs from Feb. 1 to May 29, and again from Sept. 6 through Dec. 31. Between Memorial Day through Labor Day, off-peak permits may only be used Mondays through Fridays, with Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day excluded.
Off-peak permits also serve as a Delaware State Parks annual pass that provides access to all 17 state parks. There is no cap on off-peaks sales.
The off-peak permit fee is $70 for Delaware residents, and $140 for out-of-state residents. Delaware residents age 62 and older get a discounted rate of $60.
For more information, or to purchase a fishing permit, visit the Delaware State Parks website.
