Rusty Gates

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
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From The Detroit News Weblog Photo Blog

Posted by Dale G. Young (The Detroit News) on Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 9:14 AM Rusty Gates, 1955-2009

In journalism we call him a “source.” In truth he was "THE SOURCE. " Rusty Gates, River Keeper of the Au Sable, was a source of information and story ideas for me, but he was a source for many others who are not journalists. At 54, Rusty lost his battle cancer last weekend, but will be remembered by thousands of outdoors men and women as a source of inspiration. Just as a river springs from it’s source, people gravitated to Rusty for inspiration before activism on the Au Sable River. He was the point-man in the fight to pioneer catch-and-release fishing on the river. He lead the battle against noise pollution on the North Branch of the AuSable, oil drilling on the South Branch, and toxic chemicals on the Main Branch. Many will simply remember him as a source of information in the fly shop: “What’s the best place to fish, and what to use?” …or “How do I get this thing fixed so I can go fishing this afternoon?” He knew everybody and everyplace on the river. Although not eager to get in front of the camera himself, he always knew of someone who was about to go do whatever I needed to photograph. I bummed hundreds of cups of coffee from him over the years, and he was always ready to drop what he was doing to help me. Rusty’s beloved Au Sable will continue to flow, thanks in part to his efforts over the years, but the river will seem a bit different now for many of us without “The Source.” In this picture, Rusty let me tag along with him as he fished the “Holy Waters” in early January of 2007 for a story about how unusually warm it was – so warm that people were fly fishing in Grayling.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/photoblog/index.php?blogid=1210

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I am very sorry to see this news. I had fewer years of contact with him than most, but I quickly developed fondness and enormous respect for him. I wish him and his well. It speaks about his life that he is so heartily missed by so many.

Ed

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Public Viewing will be 2-4pm and 6-8pm on Tuesday, 22 December 2009 at the Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home, 1108 West North Down River Road, Grayling, MI 49738 (phone 989-348-2951)
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, 23 December 2009.
Location: Grayling St. Mary?s Catholic Church, 708 Peninsular Ave, Grayling, MI 49738
Time: 1pm with a luncheon to follow.


[LEFT]Memorial contributions can be made to the Anglers or Heartland Hospice, 417 W. Houghton Street E, West Branch, MI 48661.

[/LEFT]
To make a contribution to the Anglers:
[LEFT]1. Go to the Anglers website: www.ausableanglers.org
2. At the top menu go to the ?Membership? pull down menu
3. The last option is ?Make a Donation?
4. There is an option for a memorial gift ?In Honor Of?[/LEFT]
The second option is to send a check with a notation that this is a memorial gift. Send to: Anglers of the Au Sable, 403 Black Bear Dr., Grayling, MI 49738

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What a great loss to the sport of flyfishing. I met Rusty two years ago, while visiting his shop to get some wader repair stuff. What a delightful man to talk too. My prayers and sympathies to his family.

Mike

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Calvin Hugh “Rusty” Gates Jr.

                                        GRAYLING ? Calvin Hugh "Rusty" Gates Jr., 54, of Grayling, passed on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, at his home on the banks of his beloved AuSable, surrounded by family.Rusty was born in Bay City on Sept. 24, 1955, the son of the late Calvin Gates Sr. and Maricele (Zimmerman) Gates. Rusty graduated from Grayling High School in 1973. He married the former Julie McCredie on Dec. 3, 1988.

Rusty was self-employed as the owner of Gates AuSable Lodge for the past 21 years. The Gates AuSable Lodge has been in the Gates family for 40 years.
He was the President and Founder of Anglers of the AuSable; a member of Headwaters Land Conservancy, Federation of Fly Fisherman and Lovells Historical Society. Rusty has received many environmental awards.
Rusty also enjoyed music. He received the John Phillips Sousa Award in high school for his talent of playing the trombone, and was also a member of the Riverland Dixie Band.
He is survived by his mother, Maricele Gates of Florida; wife of 21 years, Julie Gates; daughter, Misty Wilson of Grayling; sons, Paul Gates of East Lansing, Christopher (Stacie) Burden of Woodridge, Ill.; grandchildren, Breonna, Victoria, Sienna, Kyle and Darren; sisters, Gena Gates of Bay City, Jody (Craig) Hinkle of Grayling, Janelle Gates of Gaylord; brothers, Jim (Connie) Gates of Grayling, Tom Gates of Florida; mother-in-law, Gale Minard of Lovells.
He was preceded in death by his father, Calvin Gates Sr., and his father-in-law, Kenneth Minard.
Visitation will be held today, Dec. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home in Grayling.
Funeral Service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, with visitation from 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, with Rev. Steven Thiel officiating.
Condolences may be sent to www.sorensonlockwood.com and/or www.ausableanglers.org.
Memorial contributions may be made to the following in Rusty’s memory: Heartland Hospice, 417 W. Houghton Ave. Ste. E, West Branch, MI 48661; Anglers of the AuSable, 403 Black Bear Dr., Grayling, MI 49738.
Arrangements were entrusted to Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home of Grayling.

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Au Sable fisherman Rusty Gates dies at 54


Owner of Gates Au Sable Lodge battled lung cancer
By SHERI McWHIRTER
smcwhirter@record-eagle.com
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GRAYLING – Northern Michigan lost an iconic conservationist and legendary fly-fishing outdoorsman.
Calvin Hugh “Rusty” Gates Jr., 54, of Grayling, died Saturday at his home along the banks of his beloved Au Sable River after a long battle with lung cancer. He was founder and president of the Anglers of the Au Sable conservation group from its inception in 1987 until his death, and was among the most trusted voices on fly-fishing techniques in the northwoods.
Fellow conservationists, fly-fishers and environmental law advocates spoke of his abundant influence on the region.
“We’ve lost a giant. We’ve lost somebody I consider a legend,” said Lance Weyeneth, an Anglers board member who fished with Gates on the Au Sable.
Gates is the reason Weyeneth fly-fishes today, and imparted not only skills, but also a love for the river and its ecosystem, he said.
“I really can’t imagine that during my lifetime I’m ever going to know somebody like him. He was so studious of the river. The river was such a big part of who he was,” Weyeneth said. “And you’ve never seen a prettier cast. Rusty made it look easy.”
Not only was Gates a behemoth in the fly-fishing world, but he also was integral in local conservation and environmental justice issues.
“He was the kind of person who comes along once in a while, the type of person who stands for himself and things that are valued by so many others,” said Jim Olson, a Traverse City attorney who worked with Gates on environmental legal battles.
Olson came to know Gates well when they worked to fight an oil company’s plans to clean up pollution and dump treated waste water into Kolke Creek, part of the Au Sable’s headwaters.
“He gave us a beacon by which to stand up for what’s right. I think he was more than an environmental leader. He stood for the values of nature itself, the lakes and streams and woods,” Olson said.
Gates’ business, the Gates Au Sable Lodge east of Grayling, is a fly-fishing mecca, where thousands of anglers flock during the April-through-autumn trout season. That’s a tradition that’s not expected to change in Gates’ absence, said Josh Greenberg, manager.
“I’m going to continue to manage it like I did this summer, while he was ill,” Greenberg said. “There will be no name change. No way.”
Gates is survived by his wife of 21 years, Julie, along with a daughter, sons and a large extended family.
“We’re hurting. We’re thankful he’s not suffering anymore, but he will be missed very strongly,” Julie Gates said.
She said her husband’s legacy will be “his ability to speak for the river and keep it as pristine as possible for generations to come,” Julie Gates said.
Visitation will be held today at Sorenson-Lockwood Funeral Home in Grayling, with the funeral at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Grayling on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

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Michigan conservationist “Rusty” Gates dies

   The Associated Press  ? December 21,2009


               GRAYLING, Mich. ? Calvin "Rusty" Gates Jr., a celebrated northern Michigan outdoorsman and conservationist, has died.

A statement from his business says the 54-year-old Gates died of lung cancer Saturday at his home on the Au Sable River in Grayling.
He was president of Anglers of the Au Sable, which successfully sued the U.S. Forest Service in 2003 for approving natural gas drilling beneath a prized woodland known as the Mason Tract. It was among several legal cases the group has won.
He also operated the Gates Au Sable Lodge, a gathering spot for thousands of anglers during fly fishing season.
State Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries says Gates was “a treasure” who believed people had a duty to protect resources such as the Au Sable.

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I have known Rusty for years. He will be truly missed. He showed me how to fish for trout.I learned a lot about tying flies from Rusty. I will really miss the talks we used to have at the shop early in the morning before he opened up. RIP Rusty… Dave

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We have lost a great man. My sympathy and prayers go out to his family.

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Godspeed Rusty. Say hi to the Old Master for me. Remind him he is supposed to save me a place by the stream.

Bob

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Josh wrote a nice tribute to Rusty…hurry before it’s gone.

http://www.gateslodge.com/fishing.htm