Surf anglers have to wait a little while to get their new surf tags for 2022. It is amazing how desired these tags are now. People are losing their minds thinking they won’t be able to get one. Buy a two-year tag and it will counter the 17,000 yearly limit.

The irony is, the people the most upset don’t actually go out there to fish. They need access to their drinking beaches. The surf anglers are usually the first ones to get the new tags. Some used to wait until they needed it for the fall but now are forced to buy it months ahead of time.

At some point, the free tags for first responders are going to have to either be limited as well or a separate program. Giving away a limited resource that creates revenue is not a good business model. If the resource is unlimited, then it doesn’t matter. I’m just pointing out the obvious — don’t shoot the messenger. I’m not complaining about the free tags, but this entire system needs an overhaul if the tags are going to continue to be limited. Just limit vehicle access and sell all the surf tags Parks wants.

The surf fishing catches are mostly skates and spiny dogfish. Catch short striped bass on swim shads, speck rigs and bucktails. In Jersey, the sand eels moved in and the striped bass are all over them. The tuna are all over the bass.

Yes, they are catching tuna from the surf in Jersey. We might get lucky and see some striped bass schools along our beaches. I would not hold my breath for the tuna. I’m not sure how it works in Delaware, but you need an HMS permit to keep those fish.

The best striped bass action is still north of Cape May. Resident striped bass catches have been decent all over Delmarva.

An AVA jig (metal) with a green or red tube is one of the best lures to mimic a sand eel. Just jig or pull it along the sandy bottom. The AVA digs into the sand and the tube moves in the water like a sand eel burrowing. There are plenty of lures that look like sand eels. It’s just another technique to try for striped bass in the surf.

Then there is always the preferred bunker chunks, but that attracts the scavengers.

Spiny dogfish are actually good to eat. Clean them like you would a shark, because they are one, immediately after catching. I “steak” the dog out into medallions. In England, spiny dogfish is the fish in fish and chips. There are plenty of recipes online. The medallions are very easy to pan sear in anything to flavor.

Charters and head boats are still going out for tautog and seabass when conditions are favorable. The land-based toggers are doing as expected at the inlets — Ocean City and Indian River. Green crabs are the easiest bait to find. Sand fleas have dug in for the winter, but shops have frozen sand fleas.

This Saturday, it will be nearly 70 degrees and there should be a big crowd out fishing everywhere.

Wednesday’s overcast skies were perfect striped bass weather for surf fishing. Ben Smith landed the Delaware striped bass record in the first week of December 2012. It was a day just like that — overcast, stormy, looks-like-it-wants-to-snow weather — striped bass weather. That record will stand until the striped bass limits are changed.

I set up a little native species aquarium to keep my grass shrimp alive. It is easy to keep grass shrimp. A five-gallon bucket with an air stone is good enough. I prefer the native tank to check them out and observe the shrimp. I have a few other critters in there to help filter the water. As long as the water temperature doesn’t fluctuate too much, everything will live just fine.

If you use a five-gallon bucket for grass shrimp storage, set it on a table top in a garage, not the floor. Room temperature in the house is better, but we don’t all have that “fish room” for storage.

Now when I need grass shrimp for a fishing trip that is in an area I can’t catch shrimp, I have bait for days.

For all you space nerds — and that includes me — Comet Leonard is visible in the early predawn mornings with binoculars or a scope. It will be even more visible as it gets closer to the sun, possibly visible to the naked eye by the weekend.

On Sunday, Dec. 12, it will be the closest in the morning, then disappear until Monday evening, as it heads back out into the galaxy. It will be very low on the horizon. Look east below and to the left of the bright star Arcturus in the constellation Bootes. There are many phone apps that will help you spot not only the comet but the constellation.

I am hoping it shows up as well as Comet Neowise did in photos. Photographing a comet is not easy. Astrophotography is a new hobby, and an expensive one.