2023 Surf Fishing Permit Update: 2023 Drive On Tags go on sale December 2022, and there will be unlimited tags available.

According to a recent press release – “There is no need to rush to purchase as there is no cap on sales for 2023 – permits will not run out.”

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The full press release below:

Surf fishing permit sales are anticipated to start in early December. There is no need to rush to purchase as there is no cap on sales for 2023 – permits will not run out.

Dear Surf Fishing Customer,

As a previous or current Delaware Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Control surf fishing permit holder, we want to inform you of some important pilot changes to the drive-on surf fishing program for 2023.

The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation has spent the past several months working with stakeholders across Delaware to identify solutions to address the unprecedented surf fishing permit sales for the 2022 season which resulted in the sales cap of 17,000 permits being reached in just a few hours.

For 2023, the following pilot changes will be made to the surf fishing program:

• The 17,000 surf fishing permit sales cap will be removed. There is no need to rush to purchase a permit when sales begin in December. Those interested can buy a surf fishing permit anytime during the year.
• A reservation system will be implemented to manage the number of vehicles on each Delaware State Park multi-use drive-on beach during peak time periods, specifically on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays starting the third weekend in May through Labor Day weekend, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for annual and two-year surf fishing permit holders. This is a total of 36 days. The reservation system will be launched in May 2023 with detailed instructions available at that time.
• All surf fishing permit holders will be required to view an instructional surf fishing video prior to driving onto Delaware State Park surf fishing beaches.

Additional details of the planned changes including Frequently Asked Questions are available at this website.

As a reminder, surf fishing permit sales are anticipated to start in early December. There is no need to rush to purchase as there is no cap on sales for 2023 – permits will not run out.

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