ST. JOSEPH

North Breakwater

Description
The cement structure is 700 feet long. The first 400 feet has a smooth surface with safety railings on both sides. The final 300 feet features a raised center, which supports the steel frame of a raised, abandoned walkway. The 8-foot-wide cement cap to each side, which leads to a lighthouse, contains no railings, and is not barrier-free.

Access
The City owns 15-acre Tiscornia Park, which has paved access to 900 feet of Lake Michigan frontage beginning at the breakwater.

Amenities
The park is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Users pay a nominal fee. Restrooms are not barrier-free. The paved lot accommodates 126 vehicles and includes three handicap-only spaces.

South Breakwater

Description
The cement structure is about 1,400 feet long. The first 800 feet has a smooth surface with safety railings on both sides and is barrier-free. The final 600 feet, which is not barrier-free, consists of a level shelf that is about 8 feet wide to each side of a raised center portion. There are no railings.

Access
Berrien County owns 22-acre Silver Beach Park, which has 2,400 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan.

Amenities
The park, which is open for a nominal fee from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., has paved parking for 850 vehicles (including handicapped-only sites) and barrier-free restrooms.

• Brown Trout
• Chinook Salmon
• Coho Salmon
• Smallmouth Bass
• Steelhead
• Walleye
• Yellow Perch

Tactics
For trout and salmon, pin a bag of fresh steelhead spawn, a live wiggler, or frozen alewife to an egg hook and fish it just off bottom with the aid of a slip sinker. Also, fancast Krocodile, Kastmaster, or other 3/8-oz. to 3/4-oz. spoons in silver with red or orange. For perch, actively jig near bottom a lake emerald shiner or the tail of a soft-shelled crab. Walleye and smallmouth will hit diving crankbaits such as Storm Thundersticks and Rapala Fat Raps as well as 1/4-oz. to 1/2-oz. stand-up jigs tipped with a 2-inch minnow or lively night crawler. The municipal marina has a fish cleaning station. Two public boat launches are located upstream from the incoming Paw Paw River. For bait, tackle, and updated fishing information, contact: Mollhagen’s Marina, 600 Fisherman Rd. in St. Joseph (616-983-3851); Tackle Haven, 741 Riverview Rd. in Benton Harbor (616-925-0341); or BJ’s Sporting Goods, 4298 Nile Rd., in St. Joseph (616-429-8271). The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce is at 520 Pleasant St. in St. Joseph (616-925-0341).

Stocking
The DNR annually releases 15,000 to 30,000 brown trout yearlings at the south breakwater and 300,000 chinook salmon fingerlings at the Clementine net pen, the south breakwater, and upstream locations. Managers also stock 150,000 coho and 100,000 or more steelhead yearlings at various upstream sites.

Additional Information

Area Accommodations
Camping is available at Benton Harbor/St. Joseph KOA, 3527 Coloma Rd. in Riverside (616-849-3333).

Map of Access Area & Driving Directions

North Breakwater From I-94, take Exit #23 (Business I-94) and drive 6 miles through St. Joseph to the M-63 Bridge. Cross the St. Joseph River. Before leaving the bridge, exit on Upton Dr. and pass under the bridge. Turn left on Marina Dr. and go past the municipal marina to the park. The City owns 15-acre Tiscornia Park, which has paved access to 900 feet of Lake Michigan frontage beginning at the breakwater. South Breakwater From I-94, take Exit #23 (Business I-94) and drive 5.1 miles to Lake Blvd. Turn left and go 1¼2 mile to Park St. Turn left and drive 0.2 mile to where Park St. ends at Lake St. Turn right and proceed 0.6 mile to the park entrance. Berrien County owns 22-acre Silver Beach Park, which has 2,400 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan.