# Is the CHSP PIER still totally closed?



## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

:fishing: Is the CHSP pier still closed? If it is, do you think it will open before this Memorial day weekend?


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## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

bump....anyone know if the pier is still closed and when it will open if it is?

Thanks for any info!!!


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## Wannafishallday (Aug 13, 2007)

I heard it is closed for the season.


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## fishforever (Aug 14, 2007)

Yes it is still closed. No date has been given on the reopening of the remaining section. I would highly doubt that it will be by memorial day though.


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## BubbaBlue (May 11, 2004)

The official word is that it's closed "indefinitely". 

May re-open at some point, but they aren't going to be pinned down on when.


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## Wannafishallday (Aug 13, 2007)

Hear the pier might reopen by 5/23.


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## Wannafishallday (Aug 13, 2007)

Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier Set to Re-Open on Friday



(Dover, Del.) DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation will re-open the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier in Lewes on Friday, May 30.



The pier has been closed since April 29 while new fencing was installed to block off sections of the pier in need of repair. Eighteen of the pier’s pilings, located throughout the pier, were identified in an engineering report commissioned by DNREC as “requiring immediate repair in order to keep the entire inner portion of the pier open.”



During the closure, park officials consulted with engineers to confirm that the pier could be safely reopened for the 2008 season. Temporary fencing has been installed and more permanent safety barriers will be erected in June.



“We’re pleased to have the pier back open in time for the Memorial Day holiday,” said John A. Hughes, DNREC Secretary. “We want to assure the public that the pier is safe, as long as they stay out of the areas that are fenced off.”



In April, a review was conducted by the structural engineering firm of Baker, Ingram & Associates. In addition to the 18 pilings requiring immediate repair, the report identified 146 (or 25 percent) of the pilings on the inner portion of the pier that have little or no capacity for vertical or lateral loads.



The new fencing blocks off the areas where those 18 pilings are located while allowing the remainder of the pier to be utilized.



“This is good news for thousands of anglers and visitors who use the pier,” said Charles Salkin, director of Delaware State Parks. “The closure, which adversely affected a lot of people, was necessary to ensure the public’s overall safety. The new fencing reinforces our commitment to keeping the pier open as long as the public is safe.”



Part of the 1,800-foot pier was temporarily closed in August of 2006 after structural problems were identified in the pier’s pilings and support structure. Ten pilings were repaired to allow for the reopening of the landward 1,200-foot section of the pier. The 600-foot seaward section of the pier, including the ‘T-Head’ has been closed since that time due to safety concerns.

The all-wooden pier, originally constructed during WW II by the Department of the Army as a Mining Wharf, has undergone limited rehabilitation over the years, most recently with new decking and railings about 12 years ago.



The cost to repair the 18 pilings needing immediate repair is estimated to be $150,000. No funding is presently available. If repaired, it may be possible to use the pier for another year. After that, the pier will most likely require more rebuilding or replacement. The approximate cost to replace the existing wooden structure with a new concrete pier is $15 to $16 million.


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

Call them. Posted reports have been in error in the past. Beats a trip to see a sign.


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## Lineside_Addict (Apr 1, 2008)

Also note that the date for the re-opening is wrong in the posted notice. They sent out a correction with the correct date of *23 May* (this weekend) vice 30 May.


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## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

Thanks for the updates, guys. Will be in OC starting Thursday up to Monday and will drop by CHSP pier this Friday and/or Saturday.

Do you have any idea what will be biting at this time of the year? 

Do you have a telephone number to call to verify if the pier is really opening this Friday, May 23rd?


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## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

Also, do you now need a fishing license to fish in the CHSP and Ocean City surf or bulkhead? I know you did not need a license last year but am not familiar with the current regulations.


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## Gnatman (Sep 15, 2005)

*Here you go...*



f210 said:


> Thanks for the updates, guys. Will be in OC starting Thursday up to Monday and will drop by CHSP pier this Friday and/or Saturday.
> 
> Do you have any idea what will be biting at this time of the year?
> 
> Do you have a telephone number to call to verify if the pier is really opening this Friday, May 23rd?


...Pat Cooper
Cape Henlopen State Park Administrator
302-645-8983



In answer to your 2nd question, you DO need a license for CHSP, but not for OC.


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## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

Gnatman said:


> ...Pat Cooper
> Cape Henlopen State Park Administrator
> 302-645-8983
> 
> ...


So now you have to pay $20 for non-residents to fish the CHSP fishing pier. Or $12.50 for a 7 day license. This is the only fishing pier I know wherein you need a fishing license. Also, I read that a lot of the pier areas will be fenced off and at one area, only 1 person at a time can go through. I just called that number and they said that the tackle shop located at the foot of the CHSP pier is not open yet so you better purchase your license before you enter the park.


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## Lineside_Addict (Apr 1, 2008)

The $20 for the fishing license is not so you can fish CHSP pier. It's the fee for a non-resident Delaware saltwater fishing license REQUIRED to fish in any saltwater location in Delaware!!! Duh... read the regs.

OC is in MD and hence a saltwater license is not required.


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## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

Lineside_Addict said:


> The $20 for the fishing license is not so you can fish CHSP pier. It's the fee for a non-resident Delaware saltwater fishing license REQUIRED to fish in any saltwater location in Delaware!!! Duh... read the regs.
> 
> OC is in MD and hence a saltwater license is not required.


:--|Hey, that is what I meant in my post if you only know how to understand what you are reading. If you read my earlier post, I was ONLY interested in fishing the CHSP pier and yes in order to fish that pier, you need to shell out $20 for the whole year or $8.50 for the 7 day LICENSE for non-residents. All I was saying was that all the other piers that I know of do not require the anglers to have a fishing license because it is already covered by the pier's own license. I go to OBX all the time and even though there is a NC fishing license requirement now, you are exempted from it as long as you fish from the fishiing piers. Once you fish outside the fishing piers (surf, bridge, etc) then of course, you will need one.

I am well aware that you can use the fishing license to fish any part of Delaware, not only the pier so DUH...you do not have to be rude and assume you are the only one who can understand.


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## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

I had an hard time understanding what you were saying, too.



f210 said:


> So now you have to pay $20 for non-residents to fish the CHSP fishing pier. Or $12.50 for a 7 day license.





f210 said:


> you need to shell out $20 for the whole year or $8.50 for the 7 day LICENSE for non-residents.


Which is it? $12.50 or $8.50 for the 7 day license?



f210 said:


> This is the only fishing pier I know wherein you need a fishing license.


You seemed to imply that there are other piers in Delaware. And that these other piers do not require a fishing license.

Or are you speaking of private piers in other states with different regulations? You still have to have a fishing license at Matapeake and Romancoke piers in MD. NC has their own regulations covering both public and private piers.



f210 said:


> Also, I read that a lot of the pier areas will be fenced off and at one area, only 1 person at a time can go through.


Are we still talking about CHSP or the other piers?



f210 said:


> I just called that number and they said that the tackle shop located at the foot of the CHSP pier is not open yet so you better purchase your license before you enter the park.


Thanks for the heads up. Don't forget to bring cash for parking, too.


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## Metallica20687 (Mar 16, 2007)

okimavich said:


> Thanks for the heads up. Don't forget to bring cash for parking, too.



On top of the entry fee now or is that what you were talking about?


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## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

Metallica20687 said:


> On top of the entry fee now or is that what you were talking about?


It's my understanding that you don't have to pay to enter the park by foot or bike. The only fee that is enforced is when a car enters and parks within the park? Is this information wrong?


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## Metallica20687 (Mar 16, 2007)

ok got ya, havent been there in a year or so i thought maybe they had put parking meters up or something....then where would i sleep? :O


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## ibd fossil (Dec 29, 2006)

There is an entrance fee to enter the park, but there are no parking fees at the pier. The DE local site has all the rants about the pier, and about the GFL.


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