The sun is out and the air is warm. It feels like a hot spring day if you get out of the wind up against the metal warehouse. The sun is hot on my face — it reminds me of spring.

I think some of the local fish got the memo too. I just left a group shoulder to shoulder fishing an area loaded with schooling striped bass. They were hitting white swim shads and soft plastics hard. They were nice fat fish, which reminds me last year most of the commercial guys were catching striped bass late in February on the Delaware Bay. I’m not sure how the ice up north will affect that action for them this season down here.

The striped bass action was around the inland bays this afternoon. These striped bass aren’t hitting like freight trains but once the hook is set there is a nice fight. They are cold but they are hungry.

No, I am not telling you where but I will say this: If you have an area in a small creek or river that usually holds schooling striped bass, and it isn’t frozen over, I would go check it out and fish.

The water where we are is almost 40 degrees on an outgoing tide. Or just go fish for them where you are fishing for white perch. Enough said.

If you aren’t carrying around some pearl-white tsunami swim shads or the Fishbites fight club white plastics, you might want to load up and have one ready to cast. One thing about this time of year while fishing for perch you never know what else will come through.

My buddy in the warehouse was joking that spring is right around the corner, that was our winter — a big freeze and now we start warming back up. He probably isn’t wrong. Fish are chewing.

This 50-degree warm-up and the sun will get the fish moving more so go hit up your favorite spots. Try slow retrieves and all the winter fun fishing techniques. Those fish were hungry today (Wednesday) and I am going back there in about three more sentences. Mud bottoms will warm up faster than a sandy bottom.

Winter flounder season is coming, another elusive hard-to-find fish. Or it is just too cold to try catching rarely caught pop-tarts.

Watching tourists’ reactions to hearing gun shots off the coast from duck hunters was funny while at the Cape Henlopen fishing pier.

Be careful walking on any ice. It was better up north where it has been colder. Ice skating and some ice fishing are always fun activities.