Weather is a bit nautical into the weekend. Land-based fishing will be the ticket for most anglers. Saturday, the small craft advisories should lift and calm down. Then again this is Delmarva. In about 15 minutes, this will all change. Keep an eye on the marine forecasts and apps.

The up-to-date marine forecasts are your best bets for water conditions. High tide peak is early afternoon all week with the incoming tide all morning. Good time to fish the surf and waterways. We just need more fish — well, more of a variety. That is starting to happen as spring warms up the waters.

Yellow perch are moving more now. White perch and short bass schools mixed together. Everything is hitting bloodworms or minnows.

Big blue catfish are hitting in the rivers. The water is warming up. Fish are moving. The cats can smell that “food.” Bunker chunks makes a great catfish bait. Shad chunks too.

Bass and pickerel action is increasing. More and more anglers are getting out. Despite bad weather, the fish are feeding. They don’t mind our weather on land. Some prefer the rough water. Some anglers prefer the rough weather. It keeps the company factor low.

Trout are still lurking in the pond. Maryland is stocking trout weekly all over the state. Check MD DNR’s website for schedules and locations.

Striped bass action for short schooling bass is picking up. Break out the ultralight gear. The inland bays hit 51 degrees the last warmup. We are searching and fishing structure and rips. Soon it will be a fish every cast on bucktails and swim shads. The action is slower but picking up. A tandem bucktail rig gets them two at a time and is a lot of fun.

The Delaware River is warming up slowly and the shad anglers up north are getting antsy to see shad hitting on spoons and darts.

Richard King at Port Penn Bait and Tackle pulled in a net full of striped bass. Fish are for sale at the shop there in Port Penn. Also good to see the bigger resident fish schooling up more and moving. Another good sign of the migration starting soon. They are already bringing in bunker to the docks up there as well.

Don’t forget the new circle hook law this year for targeting striped bass with bait. A hook that is soon to become a hot commodity.

A side note about Delaware commercial anglers.

This isn’t a popular opinion, but it is true. Recreational anglers are more detrimental to the striped bass fishery than our commercial anglers as well as other fisheries. Strict limits keep them (commercial anglers) not only honest, but they fish for about three days and hit their limit. We have very few commercial striped bass anglers in Delaware. These folks only want the 15- to 20-pound average size as they are the best for market. They don’t want the big cows (breeders). Our fishery is unlike the bigger states.

When it comes to fishery “numbers” and stock allocations, Delaware hardly counts in the grand scheme of things. Seriously, one commercial angler in say New York, can outfish all of our guys, legally in one day. Cut our boys some slack.

Meanwhile tens of thousands of recreational anglers in Delaware are able to fish and keep fish daily for an entire year. We average 325,000 recreational fishing licenses per year. In 2020, those numbers increased,

Surf fishing is producing skates and dogfish. Still cold out here at about 42 degrees in the surf on the sunny days. A little too chilly for most fish. Structure will hold short striped bass near inlets where the water is warmer.

Despite the “false spring” weather, we are still in the beginning stages. Best to just go fishing and see what happens. It is that time of year. Soon you will hear the ever-popular, hated sayings “You should have been here 15 minutes ago” , or “Man yesterday it was on fire!”

I can’t say this enough. When people ask why shops don’t have the freshest bait on a Wednesday in the winter. It is because they waste (lose) half that bait stocking for that week. Shops concentrate on the weekends due to the fishing habits of most people. Killing bait to have bait, only to lose money is not an attractive business model. Supporting your local shops more helps them carry bait over the midweek times.

Kayakers be careful of the water temperatures. The experienced kayak anglers know to wear proper attire for cold water. Not only is the water cold, but sitting closer to the water’s surface, the air gets colder faster. Falling into cold water is not the only danger to stripping away body heat this time of year. Hypothermia can be an issue this time of year on the nicer days. Those are the days that fool the inexperienced, the air feels great, so the water must be fine too. It’s not.

Boaters be aware of the new “leash law” for your kill switches effective April 1. Also there is nothing worse than sitting in a “broken” boat only to find out four hours later the “captain” forgot to check the kill switch.

According to the USCG, “Operators of recreational vessels less than 26 feet in length will be required to use an engine cutoff switch and associated ECOS link as of April 1, 2021, as the U.S. Coast Guard implements a law passed by Congress.

“The ECOS and ECOSL prevent runaway vessels and the threats they pose. The ECOSL attaches the vessel operator to a switch that shuts off the engine if the operator is displaced from the helm. The ECOSL is usually a lanyard-style cord that attaches to an ECOS either in close proximity to the helm or on the outboard motor itself if the vessel is operated by a tiller.

“When enough tension is applied, the ECOSL disengages from the ECOS and the motor is automatically shut down. Wireless ECOS have recently been developed and are also approved for use. These devices use an electronic ‘fob’ that is carried by the operator and senses when it is submerged in water, activating the ECOS and turning the engine off. Wireless devices are available on the aftermarket and are beginning to become available as manufacturer-installed options.”