Fishing the Tidal Delaware in Pennsylvania

The Delaware River below Trenton is tidal, and in Pennsylvania that stretch runs from Morrisville past Bristol and Philadelphia to the Delaware line. It is a working river with ship traffic, bridges and old industrial banks, and it is also a place to catch channel catfish, white perch and, in spring, striped bass and shad. This guide covers what we verified from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s 2026 regulations book: the slot limits, the circle hook rule, the registry, and the consumption advisories, including one creek you should not confuse with the river. Access details are the weakest part, and we say which ones we could not confirm.

Before you go: registry, hooks and the filleting rule

Three rules apply on the tidal Delaware that do not apply on most Pennsylvania water.

• Register first. Anglers who target or catch shad, striped bass or river herring below Trenton Falls or in the Delaware Estuary must register. It is free through the Fish and Boat Commission, and a registration with NOAA or another state also counts. Anglers under 16 are exempt. You still need a Pennsylvania fishing license.
• Use inline circle hooks with bait. When you fish with bait for any species in the tidal Delaware and its tributaries, up to the tidal limit, the hook must be a non-offset circle hook. The point and barb sit in the same plane as the shank, with the point aimed back toward the shank. Treble hooks and offset hooks are out for bait fishing here.
• Do not gaff a striped bass. It is unlawful to gaff or try to gaff one at any time.

A fourth rule catches people who clean fish at the river. You may not possess a fish other than whole or with the entrails removed while you are on shore, on a boat or on a dock, pier, ramp or parking lot next to the water. Fish being prepared for immediate consumption on site and fish handled at an official cleaning station are the exceptions. In practice, keep your catch whole and fillet at home.

Which license covers the river

A Pennsylvania or a New Jersey license is valid on the Delaware between the two states, from a boat or from either shore. You follow the rules of the state whose waters you fish and where you launch or land. A Pennsylvania license is required in the other waters the book lists as part of the estuary, which includes the tidal creeks and the Schuylkill up to Fairmount Dam. Our New Jersey Delaware River guide covers the freshwater river upstream, and Delaware’s guide to the river and canal covers the lower tidal river from the Delaware side.

Striped bass by season

The book sets different slots by season and by location. From the Pennsylvania line upstream to the Calhoun Street Bridge at Trenton, you may keep one fish a day from 28 to under 31 inches from January 1 to March 31 and June 1 to December 31. From April 1 to May 31, that same stretch allows one fish from 22 to under 26 inches. Upstream of the Calhoun Street Bridge, one fish from 28 to under 31 inches is allowed all year.

Pennsylvania striped bass seasons (Delaware Estuary and inland waters)

From the PFBC 2026 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary, pp. 10 and 13, checked November 2, 2026. Anglers targeting striped bass below Trenton Falls must hold the free saltwater angler registry. Inline circle hooks are required with bait in the tidal Delaware, and gaffing a striped bass is unlawful. Coastwide measures can change; check the PFBC before you fish.

Delaware Estuary, Pennsylvania line to the Calhoun Street Bridge

Dates	Status	Where	Limit
January 1 to March 31 and June 1 to December 31	Harvest open	Pennsylvania state line upstream to the Calhoun Street Bridge	1 fish per day, 28 to less than 31 inches.Inline circle hooks required with bait. No gaffing.
April 1 to May 31	Harvest open	Pennsylvania state line upstream to the Calhoun Street Bridge	1 fish per day, 22 to less than 26 inches.A different slot from the rest of the year.

Delaware River upstream of the Calhoun Street Bridge

Dates	Status	Where	Limit
January 1 to December 31	Harvest open	From the Calhoun Street Bridge upstream	1 fish per day, 28 to less than 31 inches.

Inland waters, including Raystown Lake and Lake Nockamixon

Dates	Status	Where	Limit
January 1 to December 31	Harvest open	Commonwealth inland waters	2 per day combined with hybrid striped bass, 20 inch minimum.The 2026 book lists no special rule for Raystown.

Older sources, including a 2020 press release, give a wider 28 to under 35 inch slot. That slot is superseded by the 2026 book. For the full picture, including the inland stripers, see our Pennsylvania striped bass guide.

Shad, herring and the fish you cannot keep

American shad are open year-round with a limit of two a day on the Delaware River, but they are catch and release in all of its tributaries, including those above the tide. Hickory shad and river herring are closed, and sturgeon and the other threatened species have no open season. Mussels and clams are closed year-round. Everything else without its own listing, including white perch and catfish, falls under “other species”: no minimum size and 50 combined. We found no separate white perch limit in the book.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s water trail notes place the spring shad and striper runs between Morrisville and Trenton, where boats have the advantage. The state parks agency says the shad migration begins in early spring but gives no peak dates. We do not forecast the run.

What you can catch from shore

Catfish and white perch are the beginner fish here. A medium-heavy spinning rod with a fish-finder rig, an inline circle hook and cut bait or worms handles channel catfish. Pennsylvania’s state record white perch, 2 pounds 1 ounce, came from the river near Chester in April 2024 on bloodworms fished this way, according to the Fish and Boat Commission’s record list. It is one of the records on our Pennsylvania Dock Tales page. Largemouth and smallmouth bass hold near structure and deep holes in summer and fall, under the 12 inch minimum and five-fish limit, with a catch and release window from April 11 to June 12.

Access: what we confirmed and what we did not

The Fish and Boat Commission’s water trail document lists ramps and carry-in accesses along this stretch, among them Neshaminy State Park, the Station Avenue ramp, Bristol, Ferry Road and Welcome Park at Morrisville. The copy we read is undated, so we do not publish fees, hours or conditions. The park also touches Neshaminy Creek, which has its own advisory (see below). Check the agency before you launch.

Fish advisories: read these

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection advisories printed in the 2026 book apply to the tidal river from the Trenton-Morrisville bridge to the Delaware line, including the tidal part of the Pennsylvania tributaries and the Schuylkill River up to Fairmount Dam. White perch, flathead catfish and channel catfish are limited to one meal a month, for PCBs. Striped bass over 28 inches are also one meal a month, carp are six meals a year, and American eel are Do Not Eat.

Two creeks are different. Neshaminy Creek, the entire basin, is Do Not Eat for all species because of PFOS. Darby Creek downstream of Route 13 is Do Not Eat for all species. Neither is the river. Neshaminy State Park sits at the mouth of one and on the bank of the other, so keep them apart. We list the full wording in the rules snapshot above, and the DEP table is the source to check on the day you eat a fish.

Gear that works

A seven to eight foot medium-heavy spinning rod, 15 to 20 pound line, a fish-finder rig and a circle hook covers catfish and the larger white perch. For stripers in spring, the same setup with cut herring or bunker is common in the lower river. For shad and bass, step down to a medium spinning rod. Tell us what you are after and where, and we can build a rod to match.