Spriiiiinnnnngggging into fishing! The trees are popping buds, the daffodils are blooming and the Bradford pears are in full bloom in the county of Sussex. Until ... Old Man Winter rolls back in, slams open that door screaming and another thing — he just can’t leave peacefully. Mild winters are wild. It might snow Saturday.

March came in like an angry lion and he better lamb it out of here by the end of the month. The wind has been crazy, with big waves and wide surf wash. It’s fun for the surfers when the waves aren’t blown out, but not so much for us surfcasters. I have sand in odd places and I am missing five layers of skin. Get your free exfoliations at any Delaware beach. I have a love/hate relationship with wind. I love fishing, I hate fishing in heavy wind. But that westerly will let you cast to the UK. With a south wind, you can cast along the beach from the inlet to Ocean City.

Opening day for trout season was great for many anglers. The crowds can be avoided with some waders and a little motivation. You will find fish away from the crowds. The addition of the youth day has decreased the crowds a wee bit on opening day, according to some anglers. It’s a great idea to let the kids get a shot first.

If you are getting a surf pass for Assateague Island National Seashore OSV beach, you must order them online first from the park’s website, then pick your passes up at the ranger station. That was changed over the winter. If you don’t know this and arrive at the park, you can use a phone or, “This online option will help streamline the OSV sales process for visitors to the island as permits may be purchased in advance online and then picked up at the park office within 10 days of purchase. OSV permit sales will continue to be possible in person via online computer stations located at the North Beach Ranger Station in the Maryland District and the Toms Cove Visitor Center in the Virginia District.”

Striped bass are schooling up around all the waterways. Commercial anglers are getting some decent fish in their nets already. I’ve seen a few beasts hit the deck. The question for those, are they early arrivals or resident fish? Most that I saw seemed to have spawned already. The short schooling bass will move out of the inland bays and into the surf soon enough.

The perch are thick for the netters as well and I have heard of some shad already showing up in a couple nets. Just waiting for that first big drum or bluefish to show.
Don’t hold your breath for a big bluefish blitz like years past along the coast. That has died out completely. We are back to normal action where for a hot minute some are caught along the coast and then they are offshore for the season. The lack of the big gators along the coast just shows how fast a fishery can change with heavy fishing pressure. That is why we have bluefish size and creel limits much less than years past.

Despite the coming cold snap, once the fish start moving, it is not likely they will stop. The cold snap will shut down the bite to a degree, but fish never stop eating. I was once asked, “You fish in winter?” Me: “Yes, yes we do, all the time.” Apparently people think fish don’t feed in winter. Fish don’t hibernate, they migrate, big difference.

Migratory fish come in waves, they do not all leave an area at once. They follow the food. There are large striped bass that will all but travel alone. I’ve always figured it was due to the fact their usual school or crew has been reduced in number dramatically and old fish don’t want new friends, maybe.

Puppy drum (small black drum) are moving out of the estuaries as well, mixing with the white perch. They are one of my favorite fish to eat when they are just over the size limit, well before they lose their stripes. I won’t eat a large drum. Ever scale a fish with a hoe? Not just that, but very large drum are old fish. They have been marinating in these waters for a long time, collecting pollutants and building up toxins. Nope, I’ll eat the younger fish and the breeders can be left alone to make more fish.

The beaches south of Delmarva are seeing some pompano catches already — larger pompano not the smaller ones. That is a good sign of some early spring fishing. The northern puffers are arriving there and all kinds of spring fishes.

The inland bays and Delaware bay, in the shallows, are seeing crabs in crab pots already. Not a lot and not very fat, but the crabs are moving in areas they weren’t before. The cold snap will slow that down too, but not for long.

Cool news out of Florida: A quahog clam was found on the Florida Gulf Coast that was alive when Abraham Lincoln was born. It has rightfully been named ... Aber-clam Lincoln. The clam is estimated to be 214 years old, based on the outer concentric growth rings on its shell. Much like the rings of a tree, clams grow their shells in layers, and the years can be counted per layer. Normally these clams are 2.8 to 4.3 inches long. Aber-clam Lincoln is over 6 inches long and weighs 2.6 pounds. Ocean quahog clams can live to be 200 years old. This is the fourth oldest one found. However, the average lifespan is 12 to 20 years.

Watch your water temperatures, they are going to roller coaster the next week or so. If you are on or near the water, wear warm/wet gear. Hypothermia can set in quick on a warm day with 45-degree water if you end up “swimming.” I’d rather sweat in my waders than freeze in my regular fishing clothes. This time of year, sitting next to the ocean is like standing near the fridge with the door open, naked. Enjoy the imagery.

Seals are showing up on beaches and that will probably continue into April. If the seal doesn’t seem stressed, stay 150 feet away and leave it alone. I usually just leave them be and I don’t call anyone, unless I am in an area that I know will have random people show up all day. Little dude just wants to take a nap, not have an audience watching it sleep. Most of the time, they are just sleeping and other times they are avoiding predators.