Greetings from Nickerson Campground on the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod!
Since our last update, the adventure has been jam-packed with laughs, fish, and tons of new experiences. The group is tighter than ever—forming friendships, making memories, and picking up a few life lessons along the way.
Last you heard from us, we were floating the upper stretches of the Housatonic River in search of the elusive northern pike—a ferocious ambush predator known for its size and power. The float took us through scenic rolling hills and wide-open fields. With the river running low and clear, we had some incredible views of these giants, but they weren’t as excited to see us and our fleet of boats. Despite a few close encounters, the fish were spooky and hard to fool.
So, we made a call: time for a swim break and some cold-cut sandwiches… plus a surprise tub of ice cream to lift spirits. Refueled and refreshed, we shifted gears. “Let’s catch a million smallmouth bass,” someone said. And honestly? We gave it a pretty good shot. The smallies were fired up, and nearly everyone got into fish. A few pike even showed up to crash the party, snapping off flies with their toothy jaws.
Dinner that night was chicken Alfredo with Caesar salad. The kids were wiped out after a big day on the water and were out cold in no time—drifting off to the sound of the river, bugs, and croaking frogs.
Next up was the Trout Management Area (TMA) section of the Housatonic—arguably one of the most scenic river stretches in the Northeast. It feels straight out of the West. Even though the TMA is known for trout, this stretch holds way more smallmouth bass, and we were ready. We put in at the iconic red Cornwall Bridge and floated a beautiful, boulder-strewn section with riffles and deep pockets.
The fishing was lights out. It didn’t matter what fly was tied on—everything was working. Every camper caught fish. One camper landed 24 bass in a day (half of those on a broken rod!). We stopped midday for lunch—cold cuts again, but no complaints here—and then hit the second half of the float. The river transformed from rocky and fast to long, sandy flats. One camper tied on a “popper” fly to tempt big fish, and it worked. Within ten casts, he landed the biggest smallmouth any of our guides have ever seen in this stretch: a tank estimated at 3.5 pounds. Bluebird skies, great fishing, and nonstop action made it one of the best days on the water this summer.
Dinner was our signature buffalo mac, kicked up a notch with a spicy Nashville hot/garlic buffalo twist. It was a huge hit. We wrapped up the night with a round of Rose-Bud-Thorn to reflect on the day’s highlights.
Now we’re in Cape Cod, ready for the final chapter of the trip: hunting technical, hard-fighting striped bass on the flats. We’ll be wading through sandy-bottomed, skinny water, spotting fish and testing all the skills our campers have built up so far.
Can’t wait to share what comes next.
Until then,
The Dream Team: Sean, Gavin, and Leo
