Delaware trout season opens March 2, so be prepared

Delaware freshwater trout season will open in Sussex and Kent counties Saturday, March 2.  Two ponds will be stocked with rainbow trout, Tidbury in Kent County and Newton in Sussex County, well before opening day. This gives the trout time to become used to their new environment. 

Opening day is reserved for young people, ages 16 and under. In the past, I always took my boys, now aged 51 and 48, fishing on opening day. We went to Wilson Run at Brandywine Springs State Park and fished right next to the bridge as you enter the park. It was a good location; lots of hungry trout hovered under the bridge and would come out for an offering of garden hackles or a 1/16-ounce yellow jig with a very small yellow twister tail.

Ric always wanted to fish as far away from me as possible. Roger was just the opposite. On one day, Ric was fishing on one side of the run, and Roger and I were on the other. Ric quickly caught his limit of six trout, then hollered across to me, “Dad, I have six trout, what do I do now?”

I answered, “I suggest you stop fishing, because there is a game warden standing right behind you.” This tradition continued until we moved to Virginia Beach.

I would love to keep up the tradition with my grandchildren, but Dasha is 23, and Charlott and CJ live in Englishtown, NJ.  Roger does take them trout fishing up there.

In addition to opening day, the boys and I also joined the Order of the Jungle Cock. This is a fly-fishing group formed in Maryland by some big-time fly fishermen the likes of Joe Brooks and Lefty Kreh. They met in a large cabin near Big Elk Creek in Maryland, and there was also a pond on the property. One year we attended, Tug McGraw was there with his kids, just to make it even more exciting.

There were some classes on fly fishing and fly tying, and on the life of a trout. The older kids fished the creek while the younger ones fished the pond. That suited Ric to a tee, because Roger and I fished the pond with spinning gear while he was able to fish the creek with his fly rod. Everybody caught fish.

I was using a very light spinning outfit with 4-pound test line. Something grabbed my tiny piece of earthworm and took off like a freight train. After about a 15-minute fight, Roger put the net under a 15-pound catfish. Back at the lodge, it was hailed as the Elk Creek Monster.

A check of the IGFA records showed my catfish was 2 pounds over the current world record for 4-pound test line. I sent in the paperwork, only to find out some guy in Idaho caught one a couple ounces heavier than mine. Once again, glory slipped away.

Never one to waste meat, I was just about to filet the catfish when I received a call from the head of the Jungle Cock group asking if they could have the catfish mounted. I said sure. Every year, that fish was front and center at the lodge, and when we moved to Virginia Beach, they kept the catfish and as far as I know, they still have it.

There has been some improvement to access at Newton Pond. Two piers have been constructed along the steep banks that will make it easier for everybody, especially old folks like me, to access the water. 

I have fished Newton Pond for several years, and when I catch my next fish there, it will be my first. I just can’t seem to get the hang of the place, and this year I plan to give Tidbury in Dover a try. Unless I can find somebody to rent me their kid, I will have to wait until Sunday morning to open my trout season.

Remember, you will need a general fishing license and a trout stamp unless you are exempt. I am exempt, but buy both every year because I know where the money goes, and the trout stamp money goes back into a fund to continue the trout fishing program the next year.

Fishing report

There are a couple of boats out of Ocean City, Md., that have been catching tog, but it is all freshwater in Delaware.

Steve at Smith Bait and Tackle in Leipsic said Jermy Delions caught a 2.09-pound crappie out of Silver Lake in Dover on a live minnow. The fish measured 18 inches. At first, I thought that was close to the state record, but a check with the facts shows it isn’t even half the weight. Marvin Billips caught a 4-pound, 9-ounce giant in 1976.