The switch has been flipped and it was a ghost town out there today. Aside from a small school of very tiny bass, the entire bay was void of bass and bait.

On board today, I had repeat client, Fred Stetson of Vermont and Duxbury. Fred is a retired helicopter pilot for the Air National Guard and an outdoor writer, angler and hunter.

At first light, we were into the thickest fog I have seen in many seasons. It was one of those dense, pea soup fogs and visibility for the first two hours was nil. It was very slow going. We found a small school of very tiny bass in the middle of the bay and picked up a few. But based on the past week of massive schools of big, fat schoolies with some nice keepers mixed in, I moved us onward through the fog…

We searched the Powder Point Bridge, the beach channel, the humps, north of Clarks, East of Clarks, Southside, Western Point, Saquish Head, Saquish Rip, Crescent Beach, Brown’s Bank, Bug Light, Kingston Rip, Billington Rocks, Cow Yard, White’s flat and Captain’s flat. The fish and bait are GONE…

When the fog cleared two hours later, the cold front started to come down from the north. The winds kicked up North at 20 knots+ and we came in on three footers – a good pounding in a flats skiff. Water temps today at the dock were 70 degrees! Thats an eight degree jump up in twenty-four hours! Also, we had a 2.1 tide on the low. And we had the north wind front coming down the bay. The massive tons of peanut bunker and the bass that were feeding on them, all reacted to these changes and left the bay last night after one final blitz that my friend, Marshall, got into and boated over 100 fish.

So, is it over for another year? The crazy good fishing inside our bay may be done for the season. Schools of big fish will filter in and out for another week or two (or more) for sure. But it is hit or miss and you got to be there when they swing through. If you find pogies, stick with them. If you find macks, liveline the channels and channel edges. You may get lucky. Better, fish the front beach at dawn and dusk with surf gear and topwater plugs. But you got to be there when they pass through…

The switch has been thrown, and the fantastic end of summer and fall blitz action we have enjoyed could be done. Or round two could be just around the corner…

Stay Posted. Back at it for one more week and then on to hunting season.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Dave
www.baymenlife.com