St Joe/Dowagiac River questions

[addicted]

Going to be in Dowagiac next week and want to throw a fly around any help would be appreciated

[Nate McVey]

Addicted, it's funny you posted this, I was just reading the following article

ST. JOSEPH -- We were five minutes from the dock, sliding down a run called "Last Chance Hole" when one of the rods ticked-off. A seven pound steelhead had hit the bait.

Mike Timmers, a Chicago attorney, took the rod and began reeling. The fish didn't fight. Not hard, anyhow. Water temperatures were down around 36 degrees, too cold for the usual bulldog antics that make steelhead such a prize.

Timmers reeled steadily. Soon, the fish joined us on the back deck.

"This is a good run and I take fish out of this almost every time I fish it," said Captain Ken Neidlinger.

Good thing, too.

Neidlinger had invited me to get a taste of the winter steelhead fishery on the St. Joe. The day had gone a bit slower than usual.

He had called the day before, excited about a seven-fish day. That had followed a call about uncertain conditions after hard rains caused the river to rise more than two feet. Today, the water was still high, but settled.

"They will bite when the river is rising, but they often don't when it's falling," Neidlinger said.

Fish also tend to spread out when the river is high, which means they do not concentrate in holes which makes finding them more of a challenge.

We had spent five hours prospecting a number of typically productive runs only to repeatedly pull up anchor and move on, even motor upstream two miles only to repeat the drill there several times.

Timmers' steelie was our second for the day. Not bad for a day fishing, but "below average" according to Timmers who has fished with Neidlinger for four or five years.

"You have good days and bad days, but I wouldn't call this a bad one," said Timmers.

And it wasn't

Fishing with Neidlinger is always a pleasure. When he isn't regaling customers with stories from his 40 years in the business, he's busy setting lines and deftly backing his boat downstream, trailing a spread of crankbaits.

Customers never suffer even in the most brutal winter winds. Neidlinger's Carolina Skiff is equipped with an enclosure and a heater. The long or short hours between catches is spent sitting in the cozy comfort of the cabin.

Austin Krumpfes, also from Chicago, landed a nice five-pounder an hour out from Neidlinger's dock on the St. Joe. But he was battling a case of jet lag, having flown in from a Belgium business trip for this fishing outing. He had to work to keep from nodding off as the cabin heater worked its magic.

"This is a great set up," said Krumpfes, beaming a smile. "I can't imagine doing this in an open boat."

Neidlinger, who fishes the river all winter long when the ice is out, has noticed that St Joe river steelhead seem to be smaller this year.

State fisheries officials say the run has also been slow compared to other years. The change seems to be occurring up and down the Lake Michigan shoreline. Rivers that typically get a good slug of fish in fall, had only a trickle.

And it wasn't

Why is anybody's guess. Dexter speculates that warmer-than-usual summer water temperatures may have caused the delay.

Steelhead runs are also lagging on more northern rivers, according to Mark Tonello a fish habitat biologist with the DNR's Cadillac office. Low water and gin-clear conditions have made for tough fishing.

"The Pere Marquette, Betsie and Little Manistee have been tough all fall," said Tonello. "There are fishable numbers on the Muskegon and Manistee, but it hasn't been a banner year. People who want to catch fish need to stick to the bigger rivers."

Neidlinger said fishing on the St. Joe is typically best between Thanksgiving and New Years, but good fishing can be had right through April when the ice is out.

"We got some eight and 10 pounders but nothing over 10 so far this season," said Neidlinger said. "We're likely to get 12 to 15 pounders before the winter is over."

It sounds as if a lot of people use boats on the river, but from what I've read, you can do well from shore with a fly. Some reports I've heard say there are still some good fish in there!