The DNREC Aquatic Resources Education Center offers periodic classes for adults in several kids of fishing. These, combined with fishing classes and events for kids and families, help bring more people to the joy of fishing in Delaware.

Each class has its own age and eligibility requirements.

Most individuals 16 years of age and older who participate in these programs must have a current Delaware fishing license. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, must obtain a free FIN number to fish.

Delaware recreational fishing licenses and free FIN numbers are available online at de.gov/fishinglicense and from authorized license agents statewide.

For more information, please contact the Aquatic Resources Education Center, at 302-735-8689.

Adult Fishing

Fly-Fishing

Anglers aged 16 and older can learn about, and gain skills in, the increasingly popular sport of fly-fishing by attending free fly-fishing lessons for adults.

The class, taught in partnership with the White Clay Fly Fishers Club, is held at the Aquatic Resources Education Center, located at 2520 Lighthouse Road, in Smyrna. It is a two-part class; participants should plan on attending both days.

The class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required. To register, email your name and the number of people in your group to Pearlie Franklin, at Pearlie.Franklin@delaware.gov.

Participants should bring their own fly rod, if they have one. There will be free loaner equipment available, to use during the class, for those who don’t have their own.

Kayak Fishing

Anglers aged 18 and older interested in adding fishing to their days out paddling can join staff from the Aquatic Resources Education Center at Silver Lake in Dover to learn more about fishing from a kayak.

Participants must know how to swim and have a valid fishing license. They should bring their own kayak, paddle and personal flotation device, if they have them. The Aquatic Resources Education Center will provide all fishing equipment.

The class is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required. To register, email your name and the number of people in your group to Pearlie Franklin, at Pearlie.Franklin@delaware.gov.

The Center has a limited number of kayaks to borrow. If you need one, please include that information in your registration email.

Freshwater Trout Fishing

DNREC’s freshwater trout program is a self-supporting put-and-take fishery. Rainbow, brown and/or brook trout are stocked in selected streams in New Castle County and in selected ponds in Kent and Sussex counties.

Learn more about the trout stocking program and trout fishing opportunities in Delaware, including a section of White Clay Creek — from a point 25 yards above Thompson Bridge at Chambers Rock Road to the Pennsylvania state line — that is designated as a restricted trout stream for fly-fishing only.

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