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Streamside Chat - Guest Chatter: Garry Crago


Celebrating TU’s 50th anniversary seems a good time to reflect on two rivers, each of which experienced significant improvements through the efforts of dedicated anglers and conservationists.

The first such river is the Au Sable in Michigan. Upon the banks of this river in Grayling sixteen fishermen founded Trout Unlimited. I had the pleasure of fishing the Au Sable with Doug Lyons this summer and was fortunate enough to be there during the famed hexegenia hatch. The hatch was simply amazing, bringing to the surface the river’s significant population of large wild brown trout during darkness; in fact it was not uncommon to fish until 3 AM. However, what struck me even more was the passion for this river of the anglers we met, and their collective goal that it remains a sustainable cold-water fishery with a thriving wild trout population. The Au Sable is also the home water of Rusty Gates, proprietor of the Gates Lodge (in Grayling) that was home base during our trip. Rusty’s long-term involvement and leadership is one of the key reasons the river has thrived for such a prolonged period. The Au Sable is a prime example of hard work, dedication and stewardship combining to protect cold-water resources and wonderfully reflecting the mission of TU.

And that takes me to the second river that warrants mentioning: Vermont’s Battenkill. I’ve had the opportunity to fish it several times with Doug Lyons, who is truly a friend of this river. Doug acts as a “guide” for anglers new to the river and, more importantly, participates as a volunteer with state and federal officials, working on habitat restoration and fish studies. It’s an idyllic trout stream with good flows and cold temperature even in the hottest summer periods. The fishing on the ’Kill, however, had declined in the late 90’s and much work was required. With habitat restoration and strong stewardship, the river is recovering, as both electro-shocking studies and angler reports confirm. My advice? Talk to Doug about Battenkill restoration efforts and, of course, the fishing! By all means visit the Battenkill so you can see firsthand the restoration efforts. Perhaps you’ll catch one of the large wild browns that are known to inhabit the river. Maybe you’ll even want to become a volunteer.

Read the Summer 2009 Streamside Chat.

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