By Louie Stout

Dick ParkerSt. Joseph River anglers lost a true friend and one of the river’s best ambassadors with the passing of Dick Parker early last week.

If you are a steelhead fisherman, you knew Dick. He and his former wife, Marianne, have run Parker’s Central Park Bait and Tackle in Mishawaka for 23 years. He also was a past president of the Michiana Steelheaders.

His business was one of the few remaining mom and pop tackle shops in this area, a place where you could not only gear up for river fishing, but also learn how to fish.

Ask anyone who knew him and they will tell you Parker was one the area’s best teachers of river steelhead fishing.

He was one the strongest supporters of Indiana’s St. Joe River trout and salmon program and did his best to stay in tune with trends and tactics for catching them, which he continually shared with customers.

Parker ran a river guide service for a few years where he did a lot of on-the-water instruction. He often joked that he gave up his guide service because all of his clients went out and bought boats after he taught them everything he knew.

“He was great with kids,” said Steve Peterson, owner of Starboard Choice Marine in Edwardsburg. “When parents walked in his store with kids, he’d help the parents but spent most of his time entertaining the kids. He taught a lot of youngsters how to fish, and that was his passion.”

He’ll be equally missed by DNR employees at Bodine Fish Hatchery.

“He was a huge promoter of our trout and salmon programs,” said assistant hatchery manager Bob Bell. “When we had DNR executives in town, Dick took them fishing and showed them the benefits of the fishery. When we got calls from the public about where and how to fish, we sent them to Dick.

“He posted our daily ladder numbers (numbers of fish counted moving upriver) in his store and, he often came down to watch us work at the ladder. The man stayed in tune with what was going on.”

Parker was a straight shooter, too, providing the Tribune with river fishing reports for several years. He never tried to over-promote baits, his business or the fishery; if something was producing more fish on the river, he’d say. But if fishing wasn’t very good, he leveled with us.

His knowledge and generosity extended beyond the trout and salmon market as Parker helped all fishermen – bass, panfish, catfish – become better anglers. He also contributed to public youth fishing outings, often donating bait and tackle.

A group of bass fishermen plans to honor the Parker legacy with a benefit tournament Sept. 5 at Diamond Lake. Entry fee is $65 with 80 percent payback. The remaining 20 percent will go to the Parker family. For more information, call John Fuchs, 574-485-3277.

Marianne Parker says the store will remain open until further notice.

“When Dick got ill, he worried about what would happen to the store after he passed,” she said. “We’re going to try to keep it going for a while until we sort through all of this.”

Parker’s passing not only left a huge void in the river fishing community, but in the hearts of those of us who knew him and respected him for his generosity and gracious character.