Greetings from Capt. Dave & BAYMEN!

On board today, Dr. Rusty Pool, PhD. and Dr. Gary Smith, PhD. for Fly Fishing striped bass. At first light, air temps 63 degrees and water temps 57. Overcast and dead calm. Half-tide dropping.

If you read yesterday’s “Miserable, Glorious Day” Baymen Report, you know we had a lot of fish in the bay, even though conditions were, well, miserable. Today, however the weather had cleared overnight and it was gorgeous out there! One problem: All of yesterday’s fish were long gone…

For the first two hours of today’s charter, I combed the bay, searched for topwater, hit several prime structure spots and not a single fish to be found – anywhere. We are talking a total ghost town. On the way out I checked off THIRTEEN of my spots as we drove past them and not a single bird or topwater fish. I also watched my sonar intently. Zip.

But then a slight ray of hope. I spotted maybe two fish up on some flats in two feet of water that were lazily poking along and every once in a while break topwater. As they moved out into a deeper cut, we had two hits and spits. And then it was over just like that.

Two hours in and no fish. If you fish with me you know that is very, very rare. I racked my brain privately, said my prayers, and we drove to spot #14. As we turned in, I looked in the distance and saw what were searching for – breaking topwater fish! Lots of breaking fish!

We skipped spot #14 and drive right up and slid into a solid school of bass busting bait on the surface. I tied on a white Clouser on an intermediate line rigged on Flip Pallot’s TFO Mangrove Coast 8wt rod, for Gary. On Rusty’s TFO TiCr, I tied on a micro baitfish pattern that the bass could not resist yesterday. Gary got the first hit and hooked into what we thought was a small fish. Then the fish began to take line at random and the rod bent deep. Five minutes past and that fish was still going. Then Gary said, “this fish feels pretty good!” A short time later I saw a tail flash and immediately grabbed the net. No lipping this one by hand – this fish was BIG! Gary got it to the boat, I slid the net under, and we brought it on board: 37″ inches, 16 pounds, on the fly!!! Whoo-Hoo! That is one fine striped bass on an 8wt fly rod!

A quick pic and release and the fly rodders were back on the fish. Rusty saw a breaking bass and dropped his fly into the boil. BAM! Fish on! A perfect teacup cast and a fly pattern that fish could not resist. A nice fight brought to waiting Captain. Another Keepah on the fly! Rusty and Gary continued to cast into the boils of striped bass and Rusty hooked up again! You guessed it – a third Keepah! First three fish of the morning, all keepers. Wow.

Well, the fishing never let up and we continued to catch and release fish until the sun burned through and everyone was tired and happy several hours later. Two fly rodders that have been fly fishing together for forty years, one from Michigan, one from Texas, landed in Boston, made their way to Duxbury Bay, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today was a great day!

Capt. David Bitters, BAYMEN, baymenlife.com 32 Years Guiding The Bay. Soli Deo Gloria!