Greetings from Capt. Dave & BAYMEN!

On board today, King and Greg from CO and VT for fly and light tackle striped bass. At first light, a choppy west wind, high tide, and clear skies. Water temps 65 in the bay.

Last season, I had King and Greg on board and the fog was so thick, and boats were ripping through it like it was the 4th of July, I called the trip and we rescheduled due to safety concerns! Also, going was slow, we would be able to fish only a tiny part of my 25 miles of territory. So today, was the make-up trip and it was gorgeous out there!

We found a school of fish right off and Greg hooked into a nice fish on the fly and King hooked up on light tackle. A great start to the morning. The fish were still VERY selective, however.

Next, we ran all the way to Eel River in Plymouth. Birds were working but when we got there, it was a 100% cormorant blitz. No bass under them. Just terns, bait and cormorant. Next spot – more of the same. 4th spot of the morning: more cormorant blitzes and no bass with them.

We decided to fish a little structure in the hopes of picking up some solo fish leaving the flats on the dropping tide. Zip. Next, we decided to run east and just offshore and we finally found some fish. Not a lot compared to yesterday, but enough to keep us busy and give us some great hook-ups and runs on the light tackle.

Total catch and release today was 9 fish, 3 of them keepers, 1 over slot, and a nice blue. King and Greg have their families coming into town and I filleted up the two slot keepers for them for the grill. A nice way to enjoy the bay – twice.

Back at it. Stay posted. More fall fish will be coming down the coast any tide now…

Capt. David Bitters, BAYMEN, baymenlife.com 31 Years Guiding The Bay. Still In Love.

Soli Deo Gloria!

*Booking 2026 season. Fly or Light Tackle Striped Bass on the MA coast*