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The RIVERWATCH - Number 63 is now available online

This issue is the 25th Anniversary Issue

This special issue has some things new, some old, special features, a preview of 25th Anniversary Banquet Items and more!!

THE ANGLERS OF THE AU SABLE TURN 25

Yes, TURN is the right usage because the Anglers are not singular, but a plurality of Fly Fishers committed to a common cause. We are writers, lawyers, conservationists, guides, bankers, ad execs, biologists, poets, cooks, business owners and we are the casual visitors who fish and enjoy the wonder of the river and who may ask upon leaving--though Anglers never truly leave--What part can I do to contribute to the cause of keeping this precious place as pristine as it deserves to remain?

LET’S CELEBRATE!

28 April 2012
Otsego Club, Gaylord, MI

Arrive at 5 PM - appetizers, libation, friends

The Anglers 25th Anniversary is a time for reflection on our past successes, our continuing mission and our immediate and future challenges. It is a time to celebrate enthusiastically the friendships and bonds formed through our mutual love for fly fishing and the Au Sable River. Your board has designed an evening’s program that will pay tribute to some respected leaders, honor the organization and keep you entertained. This is also a time to pick up at auction or by virtue of the lucky draw some very special and useful tools of the fly caster's trade.

MAKE RESERVATIONS for yourself or sponsor a table for eight of your closest friends -- eat heartily, drink merrily, bid freely knowing your contribution is for a cause you believe in and feel good about.

SOME lucky Angler will walk away with ... an heirloom for the ages

SOME lucky Angler will walk away with ... a sweetheart of a shotgun

SOME lucky Angler may improve his chances of Getting Lucky

SOME lucky Angler on April 28th will place the winning bid on a piece of Au Sable history

ALL will be touched by the tributes, memories and depth of attachment born of our mutual love for the river and its denizens

MANY will leave with a memento of value beyond its purchase price

ALL will gain the memories of a great time with friends

THOSE who delay and miss the evening will only hear of it in the stories retold for years to come

Anglers initiates scholarship at Lake Superior State University for students to pursue degree in the Fisheries and Wildlife Program. Director Tess Nelkie makes it happen. LSSU Thank You Note

The Au Sable lost the best friend it ever had. Calvin “Rusty” Gates Jr., "Da Gator" to his legion of acquaintances, passed away on 19 December 2009. Things in this beautiful valley will never be the same.

Once in a lifetime there is someone that touches your life in so many ways. Rusty Gates was one of those people. His spirit and tenacity had an affect on everyone involved in environmental causes, from hikers to hunters to the many of us who came here to cast a fly far and fine. He was a fighter and it was the good fight that he chose to engage; catch and release on the Holy Waters, National Guard noise pollution on the North Branch, oil wells on the South Branch, and toxic chemicals on the Big Water. Da Gator led the way. A tap on the shoulder, a glance from those blue/grey eyes, a short conversation; that was usually all it took. We set to our tasks with a brio, partly from the cause, partly not to let him down.

He had all the connections and could accomplish more in a phone call than anyone else could do in six months of work. Where would we be without him these last 20 plus years?

A man of character and courage, he brought both, as well as his wry sense of humor, to his final battle. In the end, only his body gave out, Rusty’s spirit remained indomitable.

Rusty Gates has left us as a leader, but left a legacy as big as the river. The vigilance that he began will go on!

John Russell of Great Lakes Images is the official photographer for Anglers of the Au Sable. Our sincerest thanks to all that have contributed pictures. With this note we acknowledge each and every one of you and appreciate your contribution.