Greetings from Capt. Dave & BAYMEN!

Year 33 of guiding on the bay is upon us and according to my calculations, the first “scout” striped bass will start to trickle into our bay here on the Massachusetts coast is just 62 days…! Hard to believe but it is true.

As I type this, the guide boat is covered in snow. As soon as the snow is gone, we will fire up the Merc, see how everything faired through the winter, get the sanding/wire brushing/painting completed, redo the trailer bearings, go over all the fly and light tackle gear for the “fifteenth time”, run through all the safety gear and safety checks, review all our documents for 2026 season, and then drop F/V BAYMEN into the bay for the first trial runs of 2026 to make sure all is right with the world.

Once the boat has been run through all the safety checks and is humming like a top, I will start in earnest with the scouting and RECON missions around the bay. I will check all the old sandbars, holes, rips, structures, cuts, channels, flats, rocks, weed beds… it is a long list. I guide 25 square miles of water and it is to me like an old friend. I will be visually and electronically make note of any changes and add these to my ships logs and fishing notes that I have kept daily for the past 33 years. I still have my original nautical chart of the bay with all my notes scribbled all over it that I still refer to. But like me, it is becoming a relic that I plan to have mounted and framed and hung up on the wall someday. And then end up at the dump or in an antique shop when I leave this earth for Paradise! But let’s hope that is still quite a ways off. I still got a ton of charters to get done through 2028 and beyond! 

Which brings me to my next point. I am going open up season 2027 bookings once again. I had taken a lot of bookings for 2027 but had to put the breaks on that distant season due to tearing my rotator cuff in the early part of the 2025 season and had to wait and see if I needed surgery. Needless to say, my schedule got backed up. So, if you want to fish with me in 2027, I once again have dates open in May, June and September 2027. Shoot me an e-mail baymencharters@gmail.com and I will give you some open dates. A minimum 50% deposit is required to book and hold all dates.

It is great to get your e-mails, texts, and see some of you in person when you are in town. If you were wondering, I am blessed by God to have a wonderful mix of clients and friends that fish with me each season. Some of you are “locals”, many of you are from other states around the country, and a handful of you come to fish with me from as far away as Africa, Spain, France, England, and several other countries around the world. It is an honor to have you all on my boat each season in pursuit of the striped bass on fly and light tackle gear!

If anyone visiting or is local and wants to grab a coffee and talk fishing, I am available until the snow melts. Shoot me a text or e-mail. (NOTE: The old landline number has been replaced with a new mobile number. The old number is no longer in use). Hit me up! I will talk your ear off and tell you some great stories from the bay.

That’s the word for today. Tight Lines and talk soon.

Sincerely,

Capt. Dave, BAYMEN Guide Service, Inc. www.baymenlife.com 33 Years Guiding The Bay.

Soli Deo Gloria!