Rusty Gates Passes
Cal Gates started Gates Au Sable Lodge east of Graying at Stephan Bridge in 1970. Only three years later we held our first Fenwick Fly Fishing School there. Cal became a great friend over the years and when he died, Rusty and his wife Julie bought the Lodge from his mother, Mary. Rusty was still a teenager when I first met him, and over the years, both Jason and I came to know him well. He was always helpful to us during our schools, and provided a great location for class-room teaching and on-stream presentations.
Rusty was first and foremost an avid, almost rabid, defender of the quality of his beloved Au Sable. He fished it extensively and knew it better than anyone I know. He was noted by both conservationists and anglers on a local, regional, and national level. Rusty developed lung cancer several years back and fought it valiantly, now he is gone, and all of us are poorer because of his passing. Good bye, old friend.
Rusty Gates fishing his beloved Ay Sable.