Wednesday’s 60-degree day is exactly what I needed to get me all fired up for spring fishing. I’m blowing off the rest of the day and heading to the Point to say goodbye for the season. Sadly, that will close soon. But it is also just another sign of spring is on the way.

White perch have been the preferred catch for table fare. Yellow perch have been decent action and will start spawning soon. It is pan fish season until we start seeing some flounder in the spring. Pickerel and bass action is fun and catfish are hitting everywhere. These couple warm days ought to wake things up a little more. It’s going to be a little nautical this weekend. Perfect striped bass weather, just need striped bass. Another spring run that will happen soon enough.

Tautog are the catch of the day for the charters. The inlets have seen action but it is slow as usual.

Check out Maryland’s website for trout stocking locations.

If you are paying attention to fishery issues. “States Schedule Public Hearings on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Amendment 7 Public Information Document” was announced on Wednesday. Delaware’s is scheduled for March 16, Maryland is the 22. These are online meetings and can be attended by the public with public comment. Go to Delaware Surf Fishing’s website for these and other announcements. 

Also check out the new BFG 2500 for testing fishing gear while you are on DSF’s website. We have been testing fishing gear for weeks now. Every other day.

The hardest part has been figuring out how to attach some of this gear, especially the bigger stuff. Attaching a 2,200-pound rated crane swivel to this machine with gear that is stronger than the test subject has proved a challenge. We also had to rig up a block and tackle to turn that 250 pull into 2,500 pounds. This has been a learning experience.

There may be a few holes and “S” hooks stuck in the shop ceiling. Now we use heavy chain links I cut that can handle about 3,000 pounds. There is also a 30-plus -oot cord on the switch box to operate the BFG 2500. You can stand around the corner until you hear that “pop”. Then go back and look at the video footage. Even with the cameras hooked to the TV it is hard to see the exact number and point it breaks.

We had an issue with someone just yanking on a rig, looped over a nail and breaking the line. They seemed to think the rig isn’t strong enough based on that “test” now known as the … “That isn’t how that works nail test”.

A fish is not going to hit your line like that, unless it is huge, or a boat. In which case the rig, rod, reel etc. wouldn’t handle the load anyway, and the rig would hopefully bust first.

Anglers mostly catch fish under five pounds on these rigs in the surf. On the 40-pound drop loop rigs they are catching large flounder, and even striped bass just fine. Would I target 40-pound striped bass with a 20-pound top and bottom rig? No, but I have seen these rigs handle fish that large. Because in the water fish weigh about a fourth of their actual weight, and can’t even pull that weight. This is why you don’t grab the leader when landing a fish. Picking it up or using a net takes the full weight of the fish off the gear, or the rig snaps.

Occasionally in the surf, we get that 20-pound cownose or summer ray that pulls like a truck and the rig handles that. I’ve seen those cheap hooks break before the rig on rays. So how can it bust on land like that (the nail) and yet handle the pull in the water? Physics baby!

In water fish do not weigh what they do on land. How much fish weigh isn’t the issue with line, unless you are picking the fish up with that line.

It is how hard the fish can “pull”. Granted weight helps that “pull”, as well as current, but in this case, catching small fish in the surf. These fish are not going to pull hard enough to bust your line. Especially when you use drag correctly. Also your reels won’t let you pull beyond about 15 pounds before the drag screams. We tested that too, almost snapped two rods.

We tested 20-, 30-, 40- and 60-pound drop loops from a variety of brands. We had another theory to check out. Research online shows (claims on 30-pound line) that most drop loops break at 30% of the line’s strength. A 30-pound drop loop should break at nine pounds, 20 at six pounds etc., these didn’t.

Based on all of this, we concluded, despite what your line is rated, if you are tying drop loops or any knot, the larger the diameter, the stronger the entire rig will be, which should be a no brainer. But similar diameters with a different rating will break close to each other. Good to know if you are using very small hooks and need the thickest line you can fit through the eye.

Go to Delaware Surf Fishing’s website for the rest of the tests and some video of the machine in action, maybe even a scale launch or two