Au Sable Long Boat

The rich tradition and history of fly fishing is as important to the sport as is opening morning, and northern Michigan has spawned more than its share of that history - including the unique creation of the Au Sable River long boat.

The slender flat bottom boats have been a fixture on the upper reaches of the Au Sable for over a hundred years. They were first seen plying the waters between the lumber camps as the boats were used to move mountains of supplies to McKinley, Mio, and dozens more of the nomadic settlements set up to serve the lumbermen.

Drifting downstream loaded with staples and other necessities of daily life into the lumber camps, they then were poled back upstream to pick up another load for the return trip another day, and all for the princely sum of two dollars a day.

Later, as the lumber era ended, these same slender boats would become favorites of the trout and grayling guides on the Au Sable and other rivers as they escorted the "gents from Chicago and Detroit" downstream onto some of the finest fishing found anywhere in the Midwest.

Most guides agree that Reuben Babbitt made the first boat at about the turn of the century from three wide planks of native pine. The design has changed very little over the years, with the only exception being in the choice of materials. Pine and cedar are still the preferred woods, but there have been boats built of exotic woods like cypress.

The boats are not all that light, tipping the scales at about 250 pounds, but they will carry great loads and easily handle the gentle nature of the upper reaches of our major rivers. A guide, two fishermen, and all their gear are moved easily and quietly across the river and, when the need arises, back upstream to return to and fish a run or pool.

The secret of the Au Sable long boat is the lack of a keel, or center board, that allows the stern-seated guide to completely control the movement of the craft with just a slight push of a pole or the curl of a paddle. The boat draws very little water, remaining on the top few inches of any run or pool and providing little resistance to being moved against the current.

Rusty Gates, river guide and lodge owner at Stephan's Bridge on the Au Sable, said that the slender, fragile-looking boats are perfect platforms for fly fishermen. The slightly elevated "throne" in the bow gives the fisherman a perfect casting platform and the flat bottom means the guide in the stern needs only a touch to position his client to make the perfect cast.

"This is a gentleman's way to see and fish the river in a boat whose unique design has been passed down through many generations of fishermen and guides," Gates said. "These classic fishing boats will be around as long as there are trout in the river to catch, but they aren't a Sunday boat that can be put away and forgotten from week to week. They require a lot of maintenance to keep them in shape."

"We will go where we must to find the best hatches, to avoid the heavy canoe traffic that we see at certain times of the season, and simply, to find fish." Gates said.

According to Gates, the boats will easily accommodate two fishermen, but won't tolerate much more than a heavy riffle or the "gents" may get wet feet. The headwaters of the North and South branches of the Au Sable, the Mainstream Au Sable, and the Manistee River are perfect for these classic river boats as they maneuver easily into position to fish every nook and cranny of the streams. Rivers with any sort of whitewater could upend these boats in short order.

"The long boats fish the upper river much like the McKenzie driftboats work the lower river for steelhead and salmon in the spring and fall," Gates said. "The guide slides his boat across the river to position the bow for the fisherman, working both banks and all portions of a run with ease. We use a chain to slow us down and a pole to guide the stern, or paddle when needed, but that's all. It's classic simplicity . . . a trademark in the world of the fly fisherman."

George Alexander, who has been fishing the upper Au Sable for forty years and who is now a guide, agrees with Gates' sentiments, adding that his wife "feels like a queen when she sits on the throne." He added that a ride in these boats is almost like taking a step back into the pages of the rich history of the region.

"These boats are indigenous to the region - this headwater area that has a number of very similar rivers in a rather small area," Alexander said. "The boat may have started out as a workhorse supply boat, but it sure found a home with fly fishermen here on the river."

The trout streams in the heartland of Michigan's Lower Peninsula are home to a mixture of brook, brown, and rainbow trout and all have seen the bow of Alexander's net. While the boat doesn't come complete with a warning label that excludes bait or hardware fishermen, it is the fly fisherman who is most at home between the gunwales.

"The boat is just such a pleasure to work out of and work with that it almost should be illegal to use," Alexander said. "It will magically transport you back to another time when the river was almost the sole kingdom of the fly fisherman, when grayling still held in the riffles, and the riverbanks were wild and unpopulated."

It is unique and it is the creation of men who plied the rivers that fed the lumber industry and, later, the fishermen who came to prospect of dappled trout in crystalline waters.

The Au Sable long boat has an honored niche in Michigan's fly fishing history.

Mike is a reporter for the Alpena News and a freelance writer and photographer. He is the author of two books, Great Lakes Steelhead Guide, published by Frank Amato, and Michigan Steelheading, published by MUCC. A third book, Hiker's Guide to Michigan, is almost finished. It will be available in the fall.

Autographed copies of Great Lakes Steelhead Guide are available from the author. To order send check or money order for $17, which includes $2 for P&H, to Mike Modrzynski, P.O. Box 246, Rogers City, MI 49779. - Editor RWOL

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