EMAIL IS THE BEST WAY TO CONNECT WITH BAYMEN. baymencharters@gmail.com

Greetings from Capt. Dave & BAYMEN!

Happy November! I was just going over my notes and wondering who is still chasing striped bass on the MA coast? There are a few hardy souls that don’t stop until the second week of December. You know who you are and you have my total admiration and all my attention until the last rod is hung up for the season…

I have mentioned in the past, that in my younger years, I set a goal for myself to catch a striped bass in Massachusetts waters every single month of the year – even in the dead of winter. It was a fun goal and it was a lot of work trying to catch fish in winter on the fly. But when you are in your thirties, why not? A few other anglers I know have also done it, all on the fly and it is nice to recall fly fishing with Bob Clouser patterns and sinking lines ticked along the bottom in a snow storm in January!

But by mid-November, most of us have called it for the season, cleaned our gear and stowed it way until Spring. Fly tying, angler socials, and recalling fond memories of past seasons with guarded excitement for the new season in 2026.

As you all know by now, ASMF is not going to enact any new regulations for 2026 as was originally thought – or so it appears. The goal is to let the striped bass stocks continue to fall apart and watch the population continue to dwindle – or so it appears.  Ask any serious striped bass fisherman on the MA coast that spends most of his spring, summer and fall pursuing striped bass, if the numbers of fish are down by 50% and most will all agree – or so it appears. Ask Capt. Dave who has logged 32 years on the water in pursuit of striped bass with his clients, and has kept very detailed written notes in his journals of every single trip, and has caught and released 96,000 striped bass, if the fish stocks are way, way down from previous years, by as much as 50% percent in our bay alone, and he will reply with a resounding “Yes” – or so it appears.

Moving along, most of you know I tore my rotator cuff this season, was scheduled to have surgery, did a ton of PT, and avoided surgery. Still doing PT but using my arm as normal but avoiding all things that cause pain. The plan is to be back in tip top shape for the Spring run. All is going to plan and my charter schedule is absolutely stacked for the next few seasons on the bay here. As mentioned, I will be contacting everyone this winter to make sure you get your date(s) on the calendar with me for the upcoming seasons. In the meantime, shoot me an e-mail with any questions baymencharters@gmail.com 

I have always been a trout fisherman and guided trout here in MA waters and Vermont waters for many years. But I have always loved The North Country and have wanted to guide for smallmouth, trout and salmon on the trophy waters. I recently attended Guide School in New Hampshire and am scheduled to take the written and oral exams in 2026 to get my guide license. I plan to offer guided trout, salmon and smallmouth bass trips on the fly up North out of my camp, in addition to my guided striped bass fishing on the MA coast. I will post more on this as things progress. The smallmouth bass and the trophy trout and salmon fishing up north is outstanding! I hope to have many of you up to camp in a future season. Stay tuned…

Well, I wish I could sit around the fire with all of you and talk all things hunting and fishing. A life in the woods and on the water is a great life and I often feel like I have not lived enough of it. I wish I could live as long as Noah, Enoch and all the rest of the antediluvian patriarchs. Most of us with more years behind us than ahead of us would probably agree.

I lost a friend last week. A lifelong athlete, in tiptop shape his whole life, successful businessman, committed family man. Eternally positive and optimistic, no matter what came his way. You couldn’t shake him. A man with deep faith in God to his last breath. There are few men in this life that I aspire to be like but he was one of them. My Dad was the other one. “If you rest, you rust.” “If you stop, you drop.” “Pace yourself and do every job well, even if it’s on your own time.”

Capt. David Bitters, BAYMEN, baymenlife.com 32 Years Guiding The Bay. Still In Love. Soli Deo Gloria!