Greetings from Capt. Dave & Baymen Guide Service, Inc.

Hard to believe we are at February 2024. As the old saying goes, “Time And Tide Wait For No Man, And Lo – The Bird Is On The Wing!”

This Winter Baymen Report is just basically some odds and ends as my life as a guide. Hope you find a few tid bits of valuable or entertaining information.

Well, striped bass season is long behind us and duck season has come to a close for another year. And the spring striped bass is only 11 weeks away! Lots of clamming between now and then, and lots of pre-fishing season prep to get done. I am replacing the rear axle on the trailer of the flats skiff. I have basically rebuilt the entire trailer now and I hope to get another season out of it before replacing it with a brand new one. Ten years is about all you get out of a trailer if you use it every day – and that’s only if you keep up on the regular maintenance.

Also, my guide skiff is getting a new gel coat on the bottom of the hull so it will slide off the trailer like greased lightning. Pushing a flats skiff off a bunk trailer and cranking it back on a hundred plus days a year takes it’s toll as the years began to pile up.

The guide rods from last season also take a beating. I keep logs on just about everything and found some interesting stats on how well fly rods and light tackle rods hold up on my charters. Basically, the best rods will hold up and not need any repairs for about 420 hours of hard use. Some make it to 500 hours but that is rare and only because those rods get used less. Nothing lasts forever and the blanks and/or components will eventually break or wear out. Rod repair and replacement is part of running a guide service. Same goes for reels. I have not tallied the stats on how many hours I can get out of a reel before it gives up the ghost, but I am guessing it is about the same as the rods or even less. And of course, my stats don’t include the rod/reel outfits that go overboard each season or the ones that break on Day 1 due to user error or by the Captain moving faster than the speed of light as he makes everything ready for the morning’s charter! LOL… But rest assured: Everything, as always, will be new and up to date long before you step on board for a great morning of fishing on the water. That is just a given.

CHARTERS – I say this all the time and I really, truly mean it: I have the best clients on earth! I appreciate all of you so much and you are the reason I have been able to be a guide for more than 30 years. Fishing with all of you is so much fun and I just love putting anglers on fish and seeing them hook up! I have never lost that thrill after all these years…

I also want to say it has been a true pleasure getting to know many of you on a deeper, personal level of friendship that goes beyond fishing. We rarely take breaks while on charter because I am so pumped up to find the next school of striped bass. But on those charters where we do take breaks to chat, rest or have something to eat or drink, those have been some of my most enjoyable and special times on the water. Thank you.

Lastly, many of you or most of you, know that I am a man of faith. Always have been and always will be. I am a firm believer in God and I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he is the Savior, the way, the truth, and the life and the only road that leads to heaven. I believe that all of nature is an outstretched hand pointing to God…

I hope you are having a fantastic winter wherever you are. For those of you from other parts of the country or the world, you may be surprised to know that I have not had to plow or shovel snow once this winter so far… It has been very mild – and I am not complaining! 

Tight Lines & Talk Soon.

Sincerely,

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

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