Greetings from Capt. Dave & BAYMEN!

On board today, regulars Frank Harrington, son’s Greg and Frank, and Greg’s son, Cam, for light tackle striped bass.

Yesterday while clamming on the incoming tide, I saw several schools of bass come into the bay chasing bait. I hoped and prayed that they would be there today… Prayers answered!!!

At first light, overcast, a wisp of East wind, and water temps 66 degrees. Dead calm seas, almost like glass… Last hour of dropping tide. We pulled into our first stop of the morning and it was STACKED with large striped bass on a topwater and subsurface feed! We immediately began to hook up  on fish with light tackle. Some awesome runs with drags screaming…!

At slack tide, the bay got quiet. My friend Spook came by on his rowing shell to say hello and talk about the morning. We both agreed that the morning bite was one of the best this season. Spook landed many fish as well.

As the tide began to turn and come back into the bay, we saw birds working up on VERY SHALLOW flats. 12 inches of water! But the bass were there, I motored into them, put up the engine, and we were at the mercy of tide… What a blast! We landed multiple fish in the skinny water! As the tide got higher, I had enough water to motor off the flat.

Next stop of the morning we found fish across the bay. Birds, bait and bass playing ping pong. Up for a minute and then down. Back up a hundred yards away, then back down. Back up another hundred yards away and then back down. We played the game and moved with the fish and landed a bunch of fish both on topwater and on the bottom.

Last stop of the morning, we found more bass under birds. We landed a bunch and then they were gone. But there was a dropoff nearby and I gambled those fish ran the edge of the channel at the edge of the flat. No birds, no bait, but the fish were right where I hoped they would be!

We ended the morning with a whopping 52 striped bass caught and released on light tackle. A couple were nice slot keepers with one fine fish nudging trophy size, landed by Frank. What a great run and fight that fish put up. We got a quick pic and sent her free.

It looked like the start of the Fall Run today, and indeed it just might be that. A little early by a week, but conditions were perfect and the fish were in a migratory mode. Also, the annual fall migration of swallows started today with hundreds and hundreds of birds flying across the bay all morning long. And big flocks of gulls sitting on the flats that we have not seen since May. And some big seals inside the bay today. A great morning for everything.

Back at it. Stay Posted:

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

BOOKING FLY FISHING & LIGHT TACKLE STRIPED BASS ON THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST FOR 2024 & 2025 SEASONS. BOOK EARLY, DATES GO QUICKLY.

Soli Deo Gloria!