The Au Sable River

Streamer fishing has been tough since the water is low and clear – some badly needed rain will do a lot to change this. Sadly the weather man isn’t predicting any – lets hope he is wrong but in the meantime, target the low-light times of the day and/or, really go deep into structure to get them to play. The Lower Manistee below Tippy Dam is fishing decent with caddis, wets and mid-sized streamers. There are lots of suckers and carp spawning right now so a nymph fisherman would be well served to nymph some small egg patterns behind them to pick off the trout eating all of the eggs coming down the pipeline.

The Carp on both West and Grand Traverse Bay are in pre-spawn rapidly approaching spawning time. It’s a great time to get on the warmer flats and sight fish to some real bruisers. Mixed with them and in other places are some great Smallmouth Bass. The typical flies have been working: crayfish, leeches, weighted hex nymphs (click here for tying instructions) and small goby patterns. Lots of water has warmed up so most of your favorite places should have fish looking to eat a well presented fly.

The Bluegill/Panfish are in the shallows of most local lakes and are defending their beds. Top-water flies have been working well: poppers, spiders and tarantulas – great action and is a lot of fun for beginners learning to fly fish or for the seasoned angler who can’t make it to the river. Hang a small beaded nymph underneath a dry if you aren’t getting the attention you are looking for. If that doesn’t work try real small streamers with a bead, stripped slowly. Bass, too are on some beds and others are still in pre-spawn – good fun.

As you can read, there is so much to choose to fish for right now – call for a trip if you are looking to get on the water for any of the above species or what’s going to hatch soon (think: Hex). Safe travels to all of you heading Up-North for the Memorial Day weekend.

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

The Meridian Boundary Fire (Photo: MDNR)

The Michigan DNR has reported on the current state of efforts to battle and contain the two wildfires threatening areas around some of Michigan’s most prized and familiar trout fishing territories.

The MDNR is listing the larger of the two fires, the Meridian Boundary fire, as contained but not under control. The fire has burned approximately 7520 acres at this point in an area adjoining the South Branch of the Au Sable River, south of M-72, in South Branch Township. The MDNR has confirmed that a number of homes have been lost to the fire, but so far no reports of injuries or deaths. M-18 is currently closed from M-72 down to the Roscommon County line.

The fires has been moving south with the wind through the jackpines. The north line is said to be more under control, though the fire has come within one-half mile of the Mason Tract Chapel. The MDNR reports as well that the cause of the fire was burning debris.

The Range 9 fire is located in Kalkaska county on land adjoining the Manistee River south of Portage Creek. Reports are that that fire is contained and mostly extinguished. It has burned approximately 1040 acres. That fire started out as a controlled burn on a Camp Grayling artillery range. There are reports that the fire has destroyed some homes in the area.

As for the water itself, we need some rain. The river is running low and clear for this time of year, and the woods are very dry. In fact, watch those cigars if you’re out there — it would only take a moment of carelessness to take out a huge chunk of the forest in a wildfire.

Even the South Branch of the Au Sable is easy to navigate in waders. The North Branch is unusually low, too, for this time of year. I can’t remember the start of season quite like this.

Despite the trickle of bugs, you’re still best advised to be looking to your streamer boxes for help in catching Mr. Big Trout. Be patient and be prepared to cover some water, if you’re going to find an eater.

Despite the fact that Opening Day is still weeks away, keep in mind that the flies-only water on Manistee is available to you — the run for M-72 bridge to the CCC, which of course includes lots of good spots including the Yellowtrees Landing area.

The DNR fishing report for major Michigan waterways is available here.

That is the rallying cry of the Au Sable Big Water Preservation Association (ASBWPA) regarding trout stocking below Mio, the trophy section of the Au Sable River.

Big trout headed to the big water?

“Each year we hear about all those little trout piped in at Mio, Comins, McKinley and 4001 just in time for the Opener,” said Thomas Buhr, President of the ASBWPA.  “People moan they are too small, the big trout eat ‘em, etc, etc.  Thrown in for good measure is the usual banter that Mio isn’t as good a trophy fishery as it used to be.  So we decided to take action.”

Buhr noted that getting back to the “Good Old Days” may not be possible, but a stocking of quality trout would produce immediate results.  The ASBWPA is borrowing a page from other conservation associations such as the Escanaba River Association and stocking their own jumbo trout?

A public permit to stock the fish below Mio is possible because the stretch already receives stocked fish.  The hard part?  Stocking bigger trout costs a lot of money.  The organization decided to go with 15 inch brown trout, immediate trophies for most folk.  Every 100 15 inchers will cost about 800 dollars.  They want to stock 200 trout in September of 2010

“Hey!  They can’t grow ‘em overnight,” Buhr said.

The raffle is designed to raise the necessary $1600.  Tickets will be on sale at the ASBWPA website (www.asbwpa.org), through your friendly ASBWPA Representative, at Cabelas in Dundee on February 13^th or at the 2010 MFFC Fly Fishing Expo in Warren, the place where the winners will be drawn that Sunday.  You don’t even have to be present to win!

They are going to give away two high quality fly rods.  First Prize is a Winston LT5 5 pc. 5 wt. (8’9”).  Second Prize is a Scott S4 6 wt. with fighting butt (9’).

“Those are good rods and can be used on the fish your money will help buy,” Buhr explained.

Tickers prices are $5 for 1, $20 for 5, $50 for 13 and $100 for 30.

If this project goes well then the ASBWPA will make it an annual event.  They will either stock more 15 inchers, perhaps as many as 600, or look at the possibility of going to 18 inches.  Those Big Boys will run about 14 bucks a pop.

“We’d only consider 18 inch browns if there was an extended season,” Buhr added.

T|N|T: Todd, tell us about how you came to fly angling? What is your sporting background like, and when and where did you start to fish with a fly rod?

T|F: I started fly fishing at the age of eight years old with my Dad, Uncle, and Grandfather. Mostly on lakes and really small streams near our family cottage in Lewiston, Michigan. I have fished and hunted all my life and I knew someday that this passion would be my lifestyle.

T|N|T: People know about Fuller’s North Branch Outing Club up in Lovells – how did that get started, and what was your role in it? I’m met your mother, too, at the club – are your folks involved in that project?

T|F: Being in the Lewiston-Lovells area on a regular basis, Labor Day Weekend 1996 we saw the old Douglas Hotel, North Branch Outing Club, was for sale. Our family went and looked at it and our wheels were spinning.  Two weeks later we were the proud owners of this historic fly fishing destination.  My Dad (Darrell), Mom (Judy), Sister (Kim Fuller Lewis), and I were all involved in the two-year process of getting the Lodge restored and open again to fly anglers. My Mom currently runs the B&B Lodging and I run the Fly Fishing Guide Service and Full Service Fly Shop with our very talented staff.

T|N|T: I’ve attended the Michigan Fly Fishing Festival a few times. Could you talk a little about how that got started and what you’re trying to do with the festival at this point?

T|F: The Michigan Fly Fishing Festival was created to help raise money for river restoration in our area and another reason for all fly anglers to head north. Our goal is to raise as much money as we can for Huron Pines RC&D. This organization is responsible for all the wonderful work that has taken place on the Au Sable and other rivers in Northeastern Michigan. I had this Festival vision in my head for a while and the time was right to do it. This year will be the 3^rd annual Michigan Fly Fishing Festival and we are expecting a much bigger crowd this year. We will have all the details on our website very soon.

T|N|T: Do you consider yourself a Floridian who spends part of the year in Michigan, or a Michigander who spends part of the year in Florida?

T|F: I will always be a Michigander at heart and my first love is chasing rising trout on the North Branch for sure. However the saltwater fly fishing game has really gotten in my blood over the past twelve years.

T|N|T: You do a great deal of guiding in both Florida and in Michigan – tell us a little about your clients and about your life as guide. What brought you to guiding and what do you enjoy most about it? What are some of the frustrations, too?

Captain Todd Fuller teaching a seminar in Orlando.

T|F: I have been blessed for sure. To be able to do what you love and make a living doing it is everyone’s dream. It would not be possible if it were not for my very understanding and supportive wife. From May to October I fly every other week from the flats of Mosquito Lagoon to the beautiful waters of the Au Sable River system. Talk about keeping things fresh and new — the burnout factor that some guides experience is not in my future for sure. I fish with clients from all over the world and a lot of them fish with me in both of the watersheds on which I guide. For sure the best part of guiding is the people I get to meet and become friends with over time. Quite honestly, I do not get frustrated on the job. It is all about having a great time on the water and delivering what the client wants out of the day — understanding that point up front is the key to a successful day on the water for me and the angler I am guiding.

T|N|T: Intermediate-level anglers usually want to take their casting to the next level. I understand it is always hard to give generic advice, but what do think the average angler should be doing to improve their casting game?

T|F: Casting, casting, and more casting — the correct technique, that is. I work with lots of folks on improving their casting, be it short casts for rising trout or long casts for tailing Redfish. Perfecting loop control and learning the double haul is a must to take you to the next level.

T|N|T: I’ve seen pictures of you fishing out of an Au Sable riverboat. I fish out of my Ro Skiff on the lower Au Sable all the time, but have limited experience in traditional Au Sable boats – could you talk a little about them and about how they perform?

T|F: Fishing out of an Au Sable riverboat is a very unique experience and one of the best ways to catch fish on the dry fly. It is pure tradition here on the Au Sable River. They were originally used in the logging industry to bring supplies up and down the river to the lumber camps. In the late 1800’s a young man named Rube Babbitt took one of the riverboats, put a front seat and live well on it, and started guiding fly anglers for Grayling. Guides have been using the Au Sable riverboats for fly anglers ever since.

This watercraft is made from beautiful woods and is a sight to see one floating down the Au Sable. They float in mere inches of water and are very quiet as they slowly drift down the river. Guiding out of one of these boats is a real pleasure. It’s kind of like fly fishing out of a limo in true style and comfort. They accommodate two fly anglers very comfortably.

T|N|T: I’m not asking you to give away any big secrets, but tell us a little about the North Branch of the Au Sable … what makes it a special fishery for you?

Fuller's North Branch Outing Club

T|F: It is truly a fly fisher’s river — great fly hatches, longest stretch of  “Flies Only Water” on the Au Sable, and lots of wild trout eager to take a fly. The North Branch has plenty of public access points and yet still has large tracts of private land which makes it more difficult to access then the other branches of the Au Sable River. This means less people, no commercial canoe traffic, and solitude for our clients.  I caught my first trout on a dry fly on the North Branch and that is really what makes it special for me.

T|N|T: You have a dual life – for part of the year you are fishing in Michigan and for part of the year you’re fishing in Central Florida. You also have children, I understand. … How did that dual life come about, and how do you manage it in terms of moving your family around?

T|F: Eight years ago, when I started guiding full time, I had the option of staying in the cold and snow guiding winter steelhead or heading to the sun and warmth to chase fish on the saltwater flats. It was an easy decision, for sure.  I met my wife down in Florida and being a native Floridian, moving North was not in the cards for her. So, we live full-time just outside Orlando, Florida with our 2 ½ old daughter Madison.

T|N|T: When you’re in Michigan, and not on the North Branch, where do you like to fish?

T|F: I really enjoy fishing all of the Au Sable and Upper Manistee river system. I wish I had more time to fish on my own, but I usually just pop out in front of the Lodge for an evening fish to get my dose.

T|N|T: Tell us a little about the Florida fishery and what you find exciting about that aspect of your life. I’ve fished a little in the Keys and over in Pine Island Sound when I stay on Sanibel, but have limited experience in the eastern part of Central Florida. What should I expect?

T|F: As most of us Midwestern fly anglers do in the winter time, I was watching a episode of Flip Pallot’s “Walker’s Cay Chronicles” and they were fishing a place called Mosquito Lagoon and catching a lot of nice Redfish on the fly. At the time, I was doing quite a bit of business in Florida and happened to be going to Florida the following week. I got on the Internet, talked to a few guides, and booked a trip. That was the start of my addiction.

Just 45 minutes east of Orlando, Mosquito Lagoon is one of most unique saltwater estuaries in the South. With almost no tides and the same salinity as the ocean, it is the only place where Redfish live and spawn in the same waters. That equals BIG FISH on the shallow grass flats. Mosquito Lagoon is located in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and is one of most pristine estuaries you will find in the state. So the combination of the beautiful surroundings, and the fabulous sight fishing for Redfish, and it was an easy decision to call Mosquito Lagoon my home waters in the South.

T|N|T: When a Michigander travels to Florida to fish in the salt, what are some general things you want them to understand and expect? Setting aside good distance casting, what are some skills you think are underdeveloped in the typical Midwestern fly angler when they approach saltwater angling?

T|F: First of all, fly fishing in saltwater is a totally different game then chasing trout, salmon, or steelhead. Casting is important with freshwater fly fishing, but casting is THE game in the salt. More then distance, accuracy in delivering that fly quickly to a target is the key. I would much rather have an angler be able to cast a fly 40’ quickly and accurately then 80’ but off the mark. Move that distance to 60ft with that same level of accuracy and your chances to hook up in the salt go up ten-fold. Being able to double-haul is also a key element in saltwater fly fishing. This really increases your line speed and enables you to cast the fly in windy conditions. The bottomline is if you want to be a good fly fisher in the salt, you’ve got to put your time in. The good thing is, once you become an accomplished saltwater angler, your entire fly fishing game is taken to the next level.

Ed. If you’re not familiar with Fuller’s North Branch Outing Club, you should definitely have a look at their fantastic website, and Capt. Todd’s Florida guiding business is also online, and features some fantastic photography and a solid fishing report.

Celebrated conservationist and fly-fisherman Calvin “Rusty” Gates Jr. died on December 19, 2009 at his home on the banks of the Au Sable River in Grayling, Michigan after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He was 54 years old. Gates served as president of the Anglers of the Au Sable from its inception in 1987 until 2009. During this time he and his organization won several landmark legal cases in coldwater conservation.

“Rusty was a true treasure,” said Rebecca Humphries, Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “He loved the Holy Waters of the Au Sable and shared that love with countless individuals. He taught us that it is our duty to respect the resource and to protect it. His love of the river lives on in all of us. I have been truly blessed to know Rusty.”

Rusty doing what he loved best

Gates was the proprietor of Gates Au Sable Lodge, and an iconic fly-fishing personality. Rusty’s father Cal Gates Sr. moved his family to Grayling in 1970 and, along with his wife Mary, purchased the lodge on the banks of the Au Sable River. Cal Sr. had taught high school music, and Rusty played trombone in high school. But soon his passion for fly-fishing occupied most of his time. He began tying flies professionally at the age of 17, as well as guiding. At first Gates’ flies were sold in the corner of the restaurant at the lodge, but soon demand was great enough that the Gates family added a full-service fly-shop to the lodge. Eventually Rusty bought the lodge and operated it with his wife Julie, who ran the restaurant.

“Of all the strong conservationists in our world, Rusty was one of the toughest. He was tireless, and he was like a missile in his precision and deadly accuracy. Yet he never, ever, wanted credit for anything-just for the various groups he worked with, especially the Anglers of the Au Sable,” said Tom Rosenbauer, winner of the 2001 National Outdoor Book Award, and Marketing Director for the Orvis Company.

Gates Lodge is a place where thousands of anglers gather annually during fly fishing season from April through autumn. Rusty and Julie could be found there at all hours, tending to the smallest details of fly tying and gourmet cooking. With classical music playing in the background, the fly shop buzzed with patrons’ latest stories from the nearby woods and waters. Coffee flowed freely as anglers bent over the dozens of boxes of flies, hoping to pick correctly for the day ahead. Rusty Gates presided over the daily scene with eagle eyes, wry grin, and measured words. Fishing tips from this master were earned, not purchased. This tradition, while changed forever by Rusty’s passing, will continue in 2010 as Gates Lodge remains in business under the leadership of fly shop manager Josh Greenberg, who has worked for Rusty for the last 15 years.

“Rusty proved that people don’t fill their gas tank to fill their fry pan. They put on their waders to nourish their soul. Rusty did that for all of us, and our great-great-great grandkids. Sure, they won’t know it, but when one of them flips an Adams, or a Trico, over a rising brown in 2109 it will have Rusty’s name etched on it,” said Glen Sheppard, author/editor of the conservation newspaper The North Woods Call.

The quiet, unassuming Gates’ soon gained recognition for his expertise in fly-fishing, as well as his honesty and willingness to defend the resource. He developed a number of fly-patterns that became standard Au Sable fly patterns, introduced scores of people to the world of fly-fishing, and began to combine angling and conservation in such a way as to involve himself in some of the most influential coldwater issues in Michigan. In 1995 he was awarded the coveted Fly Rod and Reel Magazine “Angler of the Year” award for his conservation and cultural contributions to the sport of fly-fishing.

“Rusty Gates was a brave, smart, tireless champion of wild trout and the beautiful, magic places they abide. He lead by example; and he has touched and inspired us all,” said Ted Williams, noted Conservation Editor for Fly Rod and Reel.

In a legal case that would define his commitment to the Au Sable River, in 2003 Gates, as President of the Anglers of the Au Sable, challenged a US Forest Service lease that would allow exploratory drilling for gas below the famed Mason Tract section of the South Branch of the Au Sable. With the odds stacked against them, the Anglers prevailed in their case against the Forest Service, forever altering how the business of gas and oil exploration would be conducted in the fragile areas of Michigan.

“While Rusty will mainly be remembered for his role in protecting the Au Sable, he changed forever the way we look at and work to protect our water resources and wildlife. We owe it to Rusty to carry on his work and make sure children in every generation to come will be able to share the wonder and joy in Michigan’s wild places that are his legacy,” said Michigan Sierra Club President Anne Woiwode.

Calvin “Rusty” Gates, Jr. will be missed by the many who knew him. He was an intensely private man who could, when needed, organize hundreds of people around a cause. Considered by many as one of the most talented fundraisers and recruiters they’d ever met, Rusty will be remembered for his uninhibited love for the river and the river valley, and his steadfastness in doing what he and many others considered right and necessary for the resource. He is survived by his wife Julie, their children, and a large extended family.