Sixty degrees on Christmas day and I got a snowblower, perfect. Actually it is a shovel, but snowblower sounded better. I can’t even take it for a test scoop. Hopefully in the next couple weeks we will see colder temperatures and some snow. I like snow and the outdoors in the winter. If I’m going to be cold, give me some snow.

The warmer weather is making the fishing last longer than normal. There are still some straggler migratory bass north of us and the schooling striped bass are still decent action in the Jersey surf. We have our own resident fish around we can catch in the waterways and along the beaches on structure. The beaches just take a little longer to get a hook-up due to schools moving along the beaches on the hunt. In the back bays they are around structure and at night all over stationary lights.

Tautog anglers at the inlet are still catching plenty of short fish with some keepers in between. How long you fish depends on how much you want to spend on gear that day. It is directly proportional — the amount of gear lost to the amount you prefer to lose per trip. Some trips take longer to lose that much gear than others. It depends on the angler and how much you pay attention. If you take your mind off your gear, you get jammed up in the rocks. The joys of jetty hopping and bait fishing rocks. Don’t feel too bad, the jig and plug anglers have the same issues. Bucktails are a favorite of the rock walls. If the rocks don’t beat the paint off your lead, they will just snag it, never to return. I usually have a three bucktail day and then I am done. I really don’t like leaving gear in the water. That “pollution” is what that EPA excise tax is for that the manufacturers pay. It is a pollution tax for lost tackle, that we pay in the end with rig and gear costs.

Maryland DNR asks that people keep an eye out for cold-stunned marine life: “Lethargic sea turtles and marine mammals should be reported to 800-628-9944.”

This time of year, sudden temperature drops can harm some marine life. The ponds near me have aquatic life trying to grow thanks to the warmer days. With these warmer winters, you never know what you are going to see, like turtles out on a sunny day with ice around the rock they are sitting on. I’m still seeing crabs in the shallower back bay areas on warmer days. That mud gets warm, much like my new man cave window heater. We put a black trash bag over a window that was covered in plastic for drafts. The sun would make the window glow so bright it was hard to see. I taped a black trash bag over it just because it was handy and fast one morning. The bag in full sun hits over 90 degrees and puts out a lot of heat. So now we have the Glad bag man cave heater, that only works on sunny days.

The storm’s waves from last week will be talked about for years, especially the ones in New Jersey. I’ve never seen waves that big on the East Coast. I know for a fact these will be seen again more and more, too. Storm intensities are increasing. Get prepared for hotter summers, and worse storms. Seriously, it isn’t going to get any cooler. Plan ahead for that so you have a better experience in the outdoors. Buy more water bottles you can take with you. I have a five-gallon water cooler I keep full with ice and water every day in the truck that I am out and about. A good beach umbrella creates needed shade and you can find deals on them this time of year. Last summer was the worst for weekend fishing with storms almost every weekend. It affected many seasonal businesses that rely on outdoor activities for business. But one group that made out better are the fish. If less people fish due to poor weather, then the fish can get through a season with less fishing pressure. That’s something all fish stocks need these days.

Show season is starting soon. The Outdoorsman Marketplace is Jan. 6 at the Millville Firehall. It’s the perfect time to stock up for summer fishing and check out some local manufacturers of tackle and outdoor gear. There are a lot of good shows coming up this winter. If you’ve never checked it out, the Maryland Watermen’s Association show in OCMD is neat. You get to see a side of the industry most just read about, the commercial side.