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[pigeonflier]

South Bend Tribune article

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River offers wild side

COMMENTARY

LOUIE STOUT

Chris McDonald pushed his 16-foot Tracker Grizzly off the trailer into the fast-moving, St. Joseph River water at Keller Park.

"Conditions are good," he grinned. "We should catch them today."

He was referring to smallmouth bass, those feisty brown fish that made the St. Joe famous long before the trout, salmon and walleyes were planted by the DNR.



But time wasn't on our side. It was around 4 p.m. that late September afternoon and darkening skies suggested that the weatherman actually might be right in forecasting rain before dark.

"No problem," the South Bend angler shrugged. "It won't take long to catch them."

You gotta love his optimism.

McDonald cranked up his 25-horse, air-cooled Pro Drive Shallow Water outboard, a strange contraption that sounds more like a garden tiller than a motor boat engine.

However, the rugged beast is what it takes to navigate the treacherous waters below the South Bend dam. Gravel bars, rocky shoals and submerged logs will chew up a prop ear before you make the first cast.

"The engine is popular down south," he said. "It can run in shallow water and bounce off objects. If I hit something, it doesn't worry me."

McDonald's beefy aluminum boat and tough outboard serve multiple purposes. He's an avid duck hunter and guide who loves hunting rivers.

"I hunt 'em all; the St. Joe, Wabash, Elkhart, Yellow, Tippecanoe," he said. "If the ducks use 'em, I'm hunting them."

But the ducks weren't our focus this day. McDonald has caught hundreds of smallmouth from the lower river this year and we've been trying to hook up. Heavy rains and high water of August took the river out of play for awhile, but it was settling down this day.

We ran upstream to a shoreline not far from Memorial Hospital. The current was swift, about 5 mph, and McDonald's 12-volt foot-controlled electric motor couldn't keep up. But that was normal, he said.

"The smallies get in this current, so we just drift backwards and I use the electric motor to slow the drift and adjust boat position," he described.

McDonald cast a No. 5 Shad Rap and I a Rapala DT-4 -- both crankbaits shad colored.

It didn't take long for the fish to prove him right. They were disappointingly small, under 12 inches, but the strikes came frequently and they were fun on light tackle.

We had just drifted past Keller Park when McDonald pointed out a young Osprey hovering on a dead limb above the river around Saint Mary's College. The Osprey flushed, then soared around us the rest of the afternoon.

"I've watched that bird take a fish out of the river, and let me tell you, it's an awesome thing to see," he said.

When fishing slowed, I switched lures, tying on an all-white 2A Bomber crankbait.

"I doubt if any respectable fish will hit this, but I'll give it a try," I joked.

A nice 20-inch walleye proved me wrong. It was our biggest fish of the day and brought a smile to McDonald's face.

"I've caught a lot of walleye through here, but that's a nice fish for this stretch," he said.

He switched to a jointed Rapala and was soon playing a twin to the walleye I caught. Both fish were measured, photographed and released.

"I don't keep these fish, I just enjoy catching them," he said. "I've been fishing this section of the river half my life."

The sky darkened even more, and by the time we got back to the ramp, it dumped a heavy rain on our heads.

But who could complain? We'd fished about two hours, caught about 20 smallmouth, two nice walleye and watched an Osprey soar around us.

And we did it within the city limits of South Bend.
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Feet Down!!!!!

[wild bill]

THAT IS A PRETTY GOOD ARTICLE. AGAIN, OUTDOORSMAN GETTING IT DONE WITHIN CITY LIMITS. WILD BILL.

[Capt Gar]

Sweet story- It's all about being out there- I told Wild Bill our team motto should be " JUST DID IT"!
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Capt. Gar

[-Kley-]

Again, another good read Pigion!
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-Kley-
Keith D - Website Admin