Jackson: New take on old friend - jetboating on the St. Joe

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Dustan gave me two choices to fish.

It was either the Michigan waters of the St. Joe River with larger smallmouth, or further south to the Indiana side, where the numbers of fish were greater but the bass tended to be a little smaller in size and weight.

And here is a statement I will stand by until my dying days: You may catch a 1-pound smallmouth bass and think you have a 4- or 5-pound fish on the end of your line. A smallmouth bass is a far better scrapper than a largemouth bass any day of the week.

After a quick hello, guide Dustan Harley informed us we would be fishing the Indiana portion of the St. Joe river, and was that all right with us? Of course it was, because Dustan's reputation is one of the best in the Midwest and I knew we would have a great time.

Harley calls his outfit Ripple Guide Service, and he operates out of South Bend, where he fishes and guides 12 months of the year.

I get squirrely when the air temps get down to 10 above. Of course, I hold off fishing in that twilight zone period until there's enough ice on the lakes to provide me with good bluegill angling. Sounds goofy, eh?

I used to live in nearby Elkhart, where the St. Joe and Elkhart rivers sometimes jumped their banks and caused some flooding. Even after the Joe cleared in the Elkhart area, it maintained a ruddy look to it and fishing often suffered. And it appeared to me the river in the immediate Elkhart area was polluted. Of course, that was 50 years ago.

But here we were, on the St. Joe in South Bend with Dustan and a clear stretch of water that held lots of smallmouth bass.

I brought a 4-piece, 6-weight Grandt fly rod and a Grandt 6-foot-6 medium spinning rod to this outing.

The fly of choice was a crawfish pattern with a weighted head. I worked that piece of gear for half an hour and then switched to spinning equipment.

Even though I had planned on using a fly rod for all the smallmouth, I incurred a serious leg injury a month back and fly-fishing on this day started to zap me of my strength.

I opted to sit for most of the day and target potential hot spots with spinning gear and a tube jig. Phil Wein stood on the bow platform using the same technique.

By the end of our trip, we logged 37 smallmouth bass, ranging in size from 14 to almost 18 inches.

Back on shore Phil commented that Dustan's onboard instructionals helped him locate and catch quite a few smallies. And when Harley started teaching Wein how to handle and cast with a fly rod, I knew right then Phil would expand his horizons with fly-fishing.

There were stretches of this river that looked similar to northern Michigan or Wisconsin streams. Towering evergreens and other deciduous trees lined the banks, with boughs leaning over the water. It seemed to me these mighty trees were guardians of the Joe's secret stash of fish.

Dustan runs a jet outboard on the back of his 18-foot jon boat. The jet (instead of a standard lower-unit propeller) allows Harley to skim over shallow water rocks and submerged stumps without fear of destroying a motor.

Of course, lunch was quite memorable. Dustan butterflied chicken breasts and expertly cooked them on a small propane grill while we fished and chatted.

Phil later commented to me that Harley is a "guide's guide," and one of the best he has used. I heartily agree.

I left Indiana in 1968 with memories of largemouth and smallmouth tucked away. It was great to open the door again on the Joe with a guide who truly understands what it takes to make a client smile.

If you go

Who: Ripple Guide Service, Dustan Harley

Where: South Bend, Ind. (St. Joseph River)

Call: (574) 993-7453

Website: www.rippleguides.com

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at mikejacksonoutdoors.com.