Nothing like some flooded beaches and cold windy weather to remind me how much I hate fishing in the windy, cold, wet weather. That’s what all this gear is for and I am dry and warm. But I wanted to kind of ease into that weather, not get hit with these false summer teasers. Let it snow! My face is cold.

If you are looking for that perfect gift for the angler in your life, don’t buy them what you think they need — do some research. That is code for ask sly questions to see what they need. Don’t say something like, “I hear you suck at fishing. What would improve that?” It’s better to ask them their favorite fishing techniques and rigs or lures they use. Then try to remember all those bizarre names.

There are stocking stuffers galore when it comes to fishing tackle, and so many choices. If you thought that lure was good at catching anglers, wait until dear Aunt Ethel gets you the really crazy looking ones. Don’t be Aunt Ethel — it is easy to shop for an angler, even if you know little about fishing. Your local stores are the best guides in this department.

Obviously the first choice is a gift certificate to your angler’s favorite bait shop. That is easy to figure out. Just ask. “Hey, what’s the name of that shop we always stop in on the way to ______?” This way you are aren’t being too Captain Obvious. A yearlong gift certificate can keep an angler in bait for a few trips.

If the angler in your life likes to make their own gear, that can get tricky. You want to buy them the parts they usually use, and asking them is too obvious. But if you have one of their rigs, your local shop owner can help match the parts. Or look for a really good pair of fishing line snips.

As I have gotten older, I need more light at the build table and readers. Just saying, a nice desk mount or light stand is nice for a good build table.

If they use split rings for plugs and lures to change out hooks, a nice pair of split ring pliers is a great gift.

Any needle-nose pliers that will hold up well to take a hook out of a fish’s mouth are always a welcome gift. The floating kind you see in the shops by the registers at the counter are actually decent pliers.

Don’t buy the gimmicky stuff. Trust me, it’s funny, but we just end up throwing it in a drawer. The angler in your life will appreciate a gift certificate for bait more than a fish whistle.

The local bait shops have a wide selection of rigs and artificial baits this time of year. Usually they put these on sale and, if stored correctly, the baits will last for a couple seasons. Gulp is easy to store and so are Fishbites. If you know what or how your angler fishes, then a shop owner can guide you on what they would likely use. Many shops are having killer holiday sales right now and into the winter. New products are being stocked already, too.

Don’t buy anyone a fishing rod unless you know what they want, or how to select a rod for their type of fishing. That requires some guidance, but can be done even if you aren’t an angler. Finding out what kind of rod an angler uses is easy. Just ask them. If they don’t tell you every detail about that rod, they probably need a new one. If you know how they fish, it isn’t hard to match up a good rod for them.

Here is the catch — that good fishing rod is going to be over $150. So be prepared if you are going rod shopping for that angler. Reels are the same issue. They are hard to choose because they need to be matched to the angler to a degree as well as the rod. If you buy an angler a new rod, they are required to get a new reel and vice versa. There are rules.

Maryland is in preseason trout-stocking mode. Keep an eye on their website to see where and how many. They do an amazing job stocking their waterways over there.

There are a lot of hunting seasons going on around Delaware. My woods lit up the other evening at shooting time.

The Geminids put on a great show Tuesday night. There are still plenty of chances to see some meteors. An electric blanket, a hundred-foot extension cord and a lawn chair make for a great winter stargazing setup. Put the phone down and just look up and stare at the sky.

A striped bass school just “blitzed” The Point while I am typing this. A friend of mine is on The Point, watching bass push bunker onto the beach. He is freaking out because it is kind of like in Jersey, only short and sweet. We get mini striped bass blitzes in Delaware. It happens, just hardly anyone to no one is around to see it, or fish it. This mini blitz will be over by the time I get this to the paper (hit send). It will certainly be over once I get down there in a minute from right ... now.

Annnnnd they’re gone.