Not much has changed in the past week. The migratory striped bass have moved a little farther south. The Delaware Bay on the Jersey side is seeing some action — probably even more by the time you read this. This weekend will show how much action is around there. A lot of fishing happens on fishmas day weekend.

The resident striped bass action is typical for this time of year — fun on light gear. Just find a school on structure or in a rip, or both. Tandem bucktails or small swim shads are best for the short resident schooling bass.

The surf fishing is producing dogfish and skate. Most of the dogfish are the spiny ones, so be careful of that dorsal spine.

Check in with your bait shops. Winter hours are coming for many. Weekdays are not great days for most shops. If you are thinking of buying that new rod or more gear, hit up your local shops. They can really use support in the off season.

Maryland is stocking trout for the winter. Check their website for locations.
White perch action continues to pick up for anglers. Grass shrimp or minnows are the best baits. Catch your own shrimp, or minnows can be had with traps. Small perch jigs under a bobber work well, too.

Snow geese are on the water. If they haven’t started in on the fields yet, they will soon enough. Flying jerky, I like to say.

We are in winter fishing mode. It is time to deal with the cold to catch fish or put up the gear and dream about next year.

Just a heads-up to the fat tire bike owners: Be careful in some areas of Delaware State Parks. Riding off trails in some areas is destructive to protected plants and habitats. That is why we built all those million dollar trails. Those bikes are cool to ride on the beach — it is a serious workout. I’m not sure how the electric ones riding the beaches are going to be handled in parks. When there aren’t any rules, it is better to not create a need for new ones.