The final few miles of the drive to Destin DeMarion’s workplace hints at the grandeur to behold and the sensory adventure that awaits when he punches his time clock every morning, weather permitting.

His drive to the job passes through the so-called Concord Belt and ends at the sandy beaches of Lake Erie. Mile after mile of lush vineyards await those who will pick the ubiquitous Concord and Niagara grapes along with fruit that will ferment to Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.

When the clock strikes 0600, DeMarion launches his 20-foot Phoenix and sets up shop for clients who pay him to showcase the bounty of Lake Erie. As a licensed captain, DeMarion earns his living fishing for Erie’s famous smallmouth bass, walleyes and, in recent years, steelhead and lake trout.

He guides his sports on more than 200 trips each year from ice-out in March to frosty days when the infamous gales of November can whip down from Canada to dash the dreams of anglers looking for trophy bass, limits of walleyes and big-game encounters with bull-dogging lakers.

I joined him Monday for a busman’s holiday. The professional angler had a few hours free and the fishing writer was angling for a story. The big lake sprawled endlessly north and Caribbean blue as I crested the bluff above the beach. The sun was bright and the wind was light as we set out from the Shades Beach boat harbor east of downtown Erie, Pa.

DeMarion was born to be on the water. Fishing is as essential to him as food, water and oxygen. It fuels his soul and helps provide for his family.

A Gannon University alum, where he played football, DeMarion was fortunate to land a job that included opportunities to take customers fishing. A competitor by nature, he also competed in local and regional bass tournaments before venturing into the professional Bassmaster Open tournaments. He soon earned his Tour card and crisscrossed America for several years on the Progressive Bassmaster Elites Series.

Competing against wily bass and crafty anglers, DeMarion enjoyed moments of success. But his young family and Erie’s allure eventually pulled him back to ply his trade near home in northwest Pennsylvania. A talented marketer, he soon built a solid reputation and big client list.

DeMarion’s Big Fat Bass Guide Service is aptly named. On the day we met on Erie, the first fish of the day was a big-bellied smallmouth bass with bronze flanks that caught the light and flashed vividly as DeMarion cranked it up through 25 feet of clear water.

A short time later, another smallie joined the party. Both fish would pull the scales to four pounds, not giants by Erie standards, but mighty respectable and highly prized by those who hire him to guide them to fishing memories.

Our day was perfect by most of the standards that make Erie fishing trips compelling. The lake was calm, the sky was bright but not hot, and enough fish cooperated to keep us focused.

DeMarion thoroughly enjoys his job. He works hard to make clients’ fishing easy. He enjoys meeting new people and hosting repeat clients. Families comprise much of his business. He’s guided anglers from throughout the U.S. and even a few from Europe.

Every day is a work day for DeMarion, which keeps him in close contact with the walleyes, bass and trout. When they transition from place to place, he is out there keeping track of their whereabouts and the lures that will tease them into biting.

Our time on Erie was a blast. I managed to score a trifecta – smallmouth bass, walleye and sheepshead – the latter providing a mighty tussle on 8-pound-test line.

What’s more, I logged new memories and went home with another story to share. And DeMarion put in another day on the job in a truly special workplace.

Jack Wollitz writes weekly about fishing experiences for readers of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.