With the Fall Run winding down in our bay, I took a few days to head up north for some trout fishing and scouting for grouse & woodcock.

September here on the bay was lackluster for a true “Fall Run.” That said, we still had some stellar days with great fishing and some nice keepers in the mix. But gong back thirty years when multiple fifty acres of fish on top all morning was the norm, we just did not see anything close to that inside the bay this fall. We also had brutal NE winds and seas of 4-6 for days and even weeks on end with no let-up. Fine if you are a surf angler throwing 3+ oz into the white-wash. But a no-go for a flats skiff and a fly rodder or light tackle. So, we had a lot of reschedules due to weather out of our control. Part of the business if you want to be a guide.

Back to the north country. I am in the process of learning the Connecticut River, a 400 mile body of water that starts near the Canadian border and empties out into the Atlantic on Long Island Sound. For sure it is stocked like just about every trophy stretch of water in the USA. It does have native trout as well, like most waters in the USA. If you have trout fished with me over the years, you know I love to swing streamers or small nymphs in slow moving streams. I also LOVE to trout fish topwater with dry flies including Royal Wulff, Royal Coachman, Parachute Adams, among many others. The upper stretch of the Connecticut, however, is VERY fast moving with much of it rolling white-water tumbling down over large boulders. The currents are swift and will knock you right off your feet if you are not strong enough to hold your ground and cast double nymph rigs with split shot and indicators. Not my favorite way to fish for trout but that is the norm up north come October if you want to catch brookies and rainbows and landlocked salmon in the Connecticut River. There are browns as well in some parts of the river as well as northern redbelly dace (giant chubs). It’s all good and great fun.

In the woods, I hiked for many miles on old logging roads. Once you get in deep, you never see another human being all day. It is glorious and something I really cherish. Growing up on the MA coast, when I was young, I would literally hunt my way to some of my friend’s homes across town, following old logging roads for up to five miles and never see another person. Those days are long gone in our town now, and it is not uncommon to see up to a dozen or more people on a half-hour walk enjoying the trails walking their dogs, jogging, or biking. I miss the “old days” when we were still a sleepy little coastal town that my father and my grandfather knew. But life marches on and time and tide waits for no man.

A few more striped bass trips and now some duck trips. Clamming dates will open up again on the low tides…. I love it all from the mountains to the sea and am grateful to God for letting me experience it. And – this should go without saying – I appreciate every single one of you that follow my Baymen Reports, and that have spent time with me on the water, on the clamming flats, or in a duck blind. I have the best clients on earth.

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

Soli Deo Gloria!

*BOOKING 2026 FLY FISHING & LIGHT TACKLE STRIPED BASS – ONLY A HANDFUL OF DATES LEFT. DON’T WAIT – THE 2026 SEASON WILL BE BOOKED SOLID BY CHRISTMAS 2024. THERE ARE NO MORE DATES LEFT FOR SEASON 2025*