Now we are talking, let’s keep warming up during the day. I don’t care about night temperatures. Eventually we will want it to be cooler at night.

Nature doesn’t care this time of year — once the food wakes up, everyone else does too. The water warms up slower than the land these days, not like decades ago. The usual signs of spring that coincide with fish arriving are way off these days. Maybe this year that will line back up but I doubt it. The flounder flowers are already starting to pop in the fields down here in Sussex County.

Bait and tackle shops are gearing up for the season — stocking up and changing hours for the coming fishing season. Bloodworms are stocked as well as minnows in most shops. All of the bloodworms and other sand or lug worms come packed in a macro algae (seaweed) that carries invasive species. Please dispose of your bloodworm packaging and algae in the garbage, not our waterways. Most of the invasive species on this algae you can’t see, but can thrive in our waters.

The surf is starting to warm up and come alive. At low tide on the warm days, we are finding sand fleas within six inches of the surface. I would use some of these on a surf rig with a 6/0 circle hook for striped bass. DS Custom Tackle has a great surf rig for that application. They also have a new 6/0 circle hook double drop for bloodworms. Look for them in many Delmarva shops. The short bass are always here and with fleas emerging they will be along the beaches feeding.

Perch are the catch of choice for the back waters and creeks. Stores are loaded with bait and rigs for that action. Freshwater is getting a little easier as the waters slowly warm up. The slow warm-up is preferred because it lets that action last longer.

Charter captains are already taking reservations for the season. Get yours lined up now. Weekdays are better to avoid crowds ... and work.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold a virtual public hearing for Delaware regarding Draft Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Plan on Thursday, March 10, from 6-8 p.m. This is an important meeting if you are a striped bass angler. It will be packed — it seems to be the one fish that brings out all the anglers to a meeting. Thankfully it is online, a standing-room-only meeting in the DNREC auditorium is no fun.

The public may get to see a bird of prey battle royal soon. There is a pair of eagles working on the osprey nest near Cape Henlopen State Park. Almost daily on the osprey web cam you can watch them work on the nest, adding sticks and mending areas. Either they are practicing or about to drop some eggs.

When the osprey show up for their usual nesting spot, things could get real. Search Osprey Webcam Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Delaware, on YouTube. I like to check in daily to see the progress. If the osprey arrival is the usual timing, we will see them around the second weekend of March. Stay tuned for a little nature on nature.

If you’ve never seen an eagle and an osprey fight over a fish catch, it is wild to watch. I watched two of them fight with an osprey over a fish a seal was teasing them with in Massey’s Ditch a few years ago. The seal had the bunker in its mouth and when the birds came in, it would go under the water then pop back up and hold up the fish. Pure comedy.