There is a large ship headed down the Delaware River to the bay and finally to a friend of mine in Florida who works with FWC. They will help sink her for a reef. It’s good to see ships being repurposed for divers and fishing. Florida has an amazing reef program, but if your state was surrounded by water and reefs one would hope you would as well. We have a lot more water to reef ratio than Florida. But Delaware has some decent reef and wreck fishing. More structure is always nice for increased fishing. The wind farms will provide that eventually, maybe.

The fishing is in full winter mode. I’m sitting in the warehouse staring at tables of tackle build projects to finish by spring. It is supposed to snow here real soon (Wednesday). I’m in the 2- to 20-inch range. I love weather predictions these days. It’s a tough job when the systems won’t sit still. I just want to go fishing for a bit but that trip to take some pictures made me realize it is way too cold today. It was warmer by the water but still just bone chilling cold. Keep your fish in the water for any catch and release. Don’t let the gills freeze.

There are some boats out of Lewes hosting seal trips. You will have to contact the marina to see who is going and when. It’s neat to see the seals on the ice breakers or haystacks near the walls of the Harbor of Safe Refuge. I haven’t seen any yet this winter but I haven’t looked for them in their usual pull outs. There are plenty fishing for food around The Point this time of year. You can see their little heads bobbing in the water. Park at the overlook in Cape Henlopen State Park and walk out to The Point area. It will close in a couple of weeks.

White perch is the main catch right now. Many are hunting for yellow perch too — some are finding, some are not. The fun part about fishing is finding fish, then there is that catching thing. You can slow retrieve for some bass action. The one reason I don’t like to catch and release in winter: By catching that fish you have expelled a great deal of its energy. That fish will need even more food now and that could be tough to come by this time of year in some waterways, especially after being dropped back into the water after being abducted by aliens. In the warmer months, catch and release isn’t a big deal unless the water is too hot then it can be an issue due to stress (from being abducted) and low oxygen levels.

Maryland is stocking trout weekly — they have a lot of water over there. Exploring Maryland’s and Virginia’s waters makes for some great day trips, even this time of year. Get a good look at an area before it fills up with people. Low tide recon the bottoms of creeks and inland bays too. Subtle structure will hold fish, especially around estuaries. Chincoteague has some fun areas to fish. Drive right up to the beach and walk to the surf and cast. You could cast from the parking lot on a windy day.

I’m wondering if our deer population out here will increase this season. I haven’t seen the numbers I used to see. There are too many new developments stripping the forests out and leaving behind a field of houses. It doesn’t bode well to sustain much wildlife. I’m getting a lot more foxes and groundhogs. It’s time to thin out the varmints. My gardens are feeding a lot of woodland creatures. So far the eagles and hawks are up to nine chickens. It is all good, we still get a dozen plus eggs a day. The eggs we don’t eat make amazing compost for the gardens. Growing food on several levels is fun but time consuming. Homesteading only looks cool on the internet.