Is anyone willing to share information about the St Jo? Is it wadable? What time of the year is best for the kings and steelies?
I’m no expert on the river but have fished a few times.
You can wade near the dam in Berrien Springs…
I think the river is more effectively fished by boat…
The steelie are in right now…a friend has been doing REALLY well the past two weeks…
FGIW-
[url=http://www.sjrvff.com/index.html:0a29f]These people[/url:0a29f] should be able to help you .
BTW welcome to the site…where ya from?
mcsteff
MCSTEFF
Thanks for the link. I’m from western Wisconsin, but I’ve got a brother living in Middlebury. I plan to invite myself to his house sometime during the run and try the St Joseph.
FGIW
I used to live in Eau Claire and Iola before that. Great state - great fishing.
Be alerted to the fact that the steelies are in the river NOW. A friend of mine, a gearhead, picked up four yesterday and three the day before. I plan on going out tomorrow downstream of the Jasper Dairy Farm launch. I’ll let ya know how it goes.
Come on into the chatroom some night…great group and very helpful (and fun)…
later
mcsteff
BTW…where is Middlebury…I can’t find it in my gazetteer?
mcsteff
Mcsteff-
I’m from EC(member of the ojibleau TU chapter). Great group of people-learned a lot during the projects to restore Duncan, Elk and Gilbert creeks.
Middlebury is about 30 mi E of West Bend-I think it’s above the salmon water. Right in the middle of a huge Amish settlement.
FGIW
Now I think I know …you mean Middlebury INDIANA and I think you mean 30 miles east of South Bend, not West Bend. I was looking for a Middlebury in Michigan. I have visited Middlebury many times and eaten at the EssenHaus on US-20. I don’t know if the steels have made it that far yet. Let me know when you’re in the area and maybe we could hook up.
Later
mcsteff
Sorry-suffering from a turkey hangover-I did mean So Bend. I might make it out there next spring-used up most of my vacation time for 06 already. Pursuing deer for the rest of the year in Wis.
I appreciate the information.
Just signed up for the site and was looking through some of these posts. I grew up in South Bend, but now live in Colorado.
You can definitely wade up near the damn in Berrien Springs, but there is some good fishing/wading just north of the city off of Michigan Ave. All along the river there, there are some spots where you can wade and have some really nice gravel bars and such. Try the Leeper Park area, as I remember there is plenty of parking along the river as long as it is designated. I never heavily fished the St. Joe while living there, not much into Steelhead or Salmon, but I have caught salmon and a couple of smallmouths there with my uncle…on a fly. Not sure how far the steelhead can go up-river right now, I think at least somewhere up into Elkhart, about 10-15 miles East of South Bend.
I have always thought the city doesn’t really do anything about promoting the fishing that is available right off downtown. Good luck finding a fly-shop within 100 miles of South Bend…the Orvis on Ontario Ave. (Chicago) or Gander Mountain (Valparaiso I think…) might be the closest actual fly shops…not sure.
Welcome rbogucki…glad ya could make it. Leeper Park is well known here for its accessibility and relative quality for urban fishing. Go north on Indiana 23 to Edwardsburg, Michigan (about 10 miles) and you’ll get to Lunkers which has a fine fly shop run by very friendly and knowledgable fellows except Joe who won’t tell me where he picks up those monster browns from the Dowagiac River.
mcsteff