Nature is sprinnnnging into action! Every day more signs — warmer weather, longer days, flowers popping, bugs and more bugs. Well minus the cold snap. Oh and the fact I can hardly breath with allergies. A long day at the beach usually clears that right up, especially those on shore breezes. That’s my spring indicator is how stuffed up I feel. The worse it gets, the better the fishing.

Speaking of ... fishing has finally gotten a little more variety and we have incoming species soon. Always fun to watch the runs show up and see when compared to years past. We have large striped bass running up the Delaware. Bunker chunks for the win.

Port Penn Bait and Tackle owner Richard King (no relation) said “We have been loading up nets the days when we can get out with fresh bunker for anglers.”

Several of his customers have been doing well catching the big girls. Catfish are hitting more in the C&D Canal and area waterways. Short striped bass on structure with lures or bloodworms. Bloods are preferred by anglers this time of year, but lures work fine for the bass. Bloods are popular for white perch as well. Also, always look for grass shrimp in the grassy marsh areas.

White perch action has picked up at Delaware Bay beaches and waterways as far down as Beach Plum Island State Park. The Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier is not seeing that action yet. Water is still too cold being that close to the ocean. That will change soon enough. Another fish in the South showing up are a sign of what is to come.

Black drum showed up in Chincoteague off the surf a few days back. Decent action for the beginning of the run. A lot of fish landed, hopefully more released than killed. Those big drum can be wormy. The really big ones are decades old.

That action will be here in the next couple to three weeks. All depends on water temperatures and how fast the fish feel like making the trip. Food tends to keep fish in one spot then they hit the “fish highway” and head north.

Yup, fish tend to follow the same “highways” along the coast during runs. One reason is when water temperatures shift, the “highway” moves and there is a lane change, sometimes permanently.

A good example is striped bass schools in fall, running 15 miles offshore or more following the bait coming off Cape May, N.J., instead of hugging the coast like back in the day. Weakfish run the beaches the same way, the tide runners. Just about every schooling fish does, as well as the lone predators because even for fish, life is a highway.

Expect to see black drum showing up in a few weeks on our coast. Hit up your local charters now for reservations, out of Lewes especially. A lot more people are fishing this year, just like last year. Make your reservations now.

The Inland Bays are hitting upwards of 58 degrees on the low tides. Crab pots are starting to produce in the warmer back bay areas. Short striped bass action is on fire in many areas look for rips or fish march banks on the outgoing tide. They are gorging on minnows and grass shrimp. Bloodworms work great but we like the lure action on ultralight gear. Also, we don’t have to mess around with the whole circle hook regulations using lures.

All of my plugs have been changed to single hooks instead of trebles. But circle hooks are not required with lures, just bait fishing. Trebles are rough on fish you intend to release. They are really rough on you when one sinks into your hand. Then there are the ones to the head from the fly back. Those are brutal. Never stand behind a lure angler, or next to us either. That is two of the worst places to be.

A note about the circle hooks you may have now. Offset circle hooks can be bent non-offset. I just did it to a few of mine to see if it was possible. I also asked DNREC and MD DNR and they said so long as the hook you intend to target striped bass with is a non-offset circle hook, by definition you are legal. Bending them to the shape is fine if they fit the definition of offset circle hook.

The following words and terms, when used in this regulation, have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

“Circle hook” means a hook where the point is pointed perpendicularly back towards the shank.

“Non-offset” means the hook point and barb being in the same plane as the hook shank.

The first few hooks were not pretty. I had to practice a little, but it worked. Pliers (channel locks) and a bench vise for the win. Cover the plier jaws with tape or fabric to protect the hook coating. Slow direct pressure, do not force it. Some hooks will have reduced strength from bending them, some snap while bending. I plan on doing some comparisons soon on the Fishing Gear Breaker we have set up in the shop. If you can’t legally use the hook in Delmarva, and the entire East Coast, you may as well give it a shot. Hooks are already hard to get this year for some brands and types.

Fresh water fishing is picking up! The trout action was great on opening day. Anglers said even with the little bit of a crowd, everyone did well and had space to fish. My favorite lure for trout is panther martin spinners or mepps.

Congratulations to Mike Morris of the Delaware Bass Federation. Mike won the boaters group in the 2021 National TBF (The Bass Federation) Championship Bass Tournament, held March 10-13 on the Red River in Sheveport Bossier City, Lousiana. The top 100 boaters and co-anglers from every TBF state were sent to compete. Way to put in some work Mike!