If you didn’t hear, surf tags sold out for the season in record speed — four hours. It’s all good, though, there are still the weekday off-season tags, which is less people and better fishing.

Delaware State Parks has a tough job to make everyone happy about this tag limit, out-of-control sale issue. I was so busy fielding stuff online I didn’t get in to get my tag. But I’m good, I like the off-season and weekday fishing anyway.

If it were me, I would limit vehicle access and protect the beach first and everyone’s feelings last. Just the surf tag drama alone online shows how hard it is for grown adults to share a limited resource. Parks will have to force that and limit access in my opinion. The limited resource needs the protection.

Every user group is coming out of the woodwork with an idea of how the beach can work ... for them.

Actively fishing is bad for wildlife when the “angler” is questionable. That would be the ability to take a fish off a hook without killing it. It is actually a rule that is more in the way of anglers than helping them.

I work for a tackle manufacturer, and you would think crowded beaches would be preferred to sell more tackle. Wrong. We make gear for actual anglers. More anglers means more real gear being sold. The economic impact of surf fishing for years was bait and tackle and has now switched to suntan lotion and beer.

That is my two cents — protect the resource and limit access.

It’s easy enough to use the COVID rule at 60 feet between vehicles. I did the numbers on Delaware Surf Fishing two years ago. It doesn’t have to be the federal mandate of seven vehicles a mile.

It’s the dead of winter, so fishing is slow, but there is a nice weekend coming. Get out and wet a line anyway. Drop by your local bait shops. They are stocking new gear weekly. Bloodworms are in most shops for hunting white perch.

I went bait shop sailing last weekend and hit up Carlisle Marine, Smith’s Bait Shop and Williamsville store on the way home.

I love visiting all these places. The shops that have tables in them to relax and tell lies are the best. All of these folks are stocking up for the season. Drop by and say hello.