If you aren’t chipping ice to fish are you even winter fishing?

It is cold outside — time for the rod guides to ice up. I’ve seen Chapstick used to coat braid line to keep it from collecting water and freezing. I usually switch to mono this time of year for the perch and pan fish. Mono doesn’t absorb water and freeze. Braid is expensive enough, freezing it will not prolong its life or use. Also, putting anything on your braid can cause problems when you fish warmer water. I don’t imagine a Susie Chapstick chum trail is a popular fishing technique, but I’ve never tried it either.

You might still have the iced guides with mono, but not as bad as with braid. As mild as it is supposed to be the rest of the year, this shouldn’t be a huge issue.

Winter fishing is pretty much the same all around — slow retrieves, suspended lures and a lot of luck for slow-hitting fish. If you are looking for a good suspending lure, check out Williamsville Country Store they just got a load of Provoke Sixth Sense 106X jerk baits. This lure will float or suspend depending on water temperatures and comes in a variety of patterns, subtle to bold.

George at Williamsville Store has 34 of those varieties. The shop also has some of the new, smaller Zman chatterbait sizes in stock. I love those for striped bass in the spring and fall.

The Williamsville Country Store is expanding into saltwater fishing and is now carrying locally-made DS Custom Tackle. Drop in and check the shop out. The food is amazing, too.

Pickerel don’t care, just make it shiny and they will destroy it. It’s time to go see if they will strike it on top of the ice. I’ve had fish bust through ice to get a lure that hit the ice edge. It’s wild to watch but then you have to worry about your line, which is another reason I go back to mono in winter. Sharp ice edges can shred your braid, making it weak and useless. Mono can take that wear much better and again is a cheaper alternative.

The surf has been quiet except for skates and dogfish. Also, there is something weird about being on a beach in the snow. It just doesn’t seem to go together. Then again, I think it is unnatural to stand on a beach and not fish.

We are in full winter fishing mode. There are only so many ways I can tell you that white perch and tautog are being caught, but not in the same location, that would be wild and fit right into 2020.

Overall, catching is occurring in the same places. The only change is the frequency due to tides, and weather. One way to mix up your fishing this time of year is to try new places to make it a little more challenging. Check with charters and head boats for trips.

Many bait shops are reducing hours and days. Support your local bait shop! The shops are seeing a lot less business this winter. Hands-on service is better than online ordering, especially when you are rod shopping.

Icehouse Bait and Tackle is getting a big shipment of the new Tsunami rods. I’m going shopping for another surf casting rig. I need another rod to match the Tsunami SaltX reel I have sitting here, because I like to look good at being terrible at fishing.

The Delaware Advisory Council on Tidal Finfisheries will meet virtually, Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. The meetings are virtual and personally I think they should remain virtual. That way, people can actually pay attention and participate.

There are a few points of interest on the agenda, not that anyone pays attention to any of our fishery stuff. I even gave up — can’t stand talking to brick walls about issues that will never change because they don’t want to hear it. This council, on the other hand, is the only one I pay attention to anymore.

Items of interest include:
1. Update on options for required reduction of American Shad mortality in Delaware’s gill net fishery
2. Update on Consolidated Appropriations 2021 Act Funding for Fisheries Related Businesses – DFW

Delaware is so small in the coastal grand scheme of the fishery and industry end. We don’t even really count when it comes to coastal limits for commercial especially. It is one reason I tell people don’t blame the Delaware commercial anglers for fishery issues. They are tied to the coastal allocations. There aren’t enough of them to dent the fishery in comparison to many other states. Delaware is just that small in the grand scheme.

I have to spend most of my time paying attention to all the other state regulations for the tackle manufacturing aspect, from Maine to Texas, so we know when seasons kick in and and any gear changes or requirements for rigs. Delaware is a breeze when it comes to that because we only have about 93,000 anglers annually to manage. It is a much easier place to follow for regulations.

Shout-out to my boy Sargent Troy Trimmer who is retiring soon. That man has some wild stories from his years as a wildlife enforcement officer. Congratulations on your retirement.