This past Sunday anglers from as far away as Montana gathered at Gates Au Sable Lodge in Grayling, Michigan to celebrate the life of Rusty Gates. Gates, who lost his battle with lung cancer in December at the age of 54, had been the voice of the Au Sable River for more than 30 years.
For those who were fortunate enough to have met “the Gator,” as he was called by those close to him, it is impossible to look at the Au Sable without feeling Rusty’s presence. Even after his passing, Rusty continues to inspire others to stand up for the river he loved so dearly. His spirit and tenacity had an affect on everyone involved in environmental causes, from hikers and hunters, to the many who came to northern Michigan to fish the Au Sable and its neighboring streams.
Dave Smethurst of Gaylord, 66, said, “Rusty was a teenager when I met him, and he’s been a friend ever since. When I was the state Trout Unlimited chairman, Rusty usually was the source for getting information we needed to fight the excesses of the oil companies in the Pigeon River Forest. He understood the scientific and legal issues as well as the scientists and lawyers.”
Gates, who was named Fly Rod & Reel’s “Angler of the Year” in 1995, founded the Anglers of the Au Sable in 1987. Through Rusty’s leadership and ability to rally those around him, the Anglers of the Au Sable were able to win numerous battles in the name of the river, including: Catch and Release on the Holy Waters, National Guard noise pollution on the North Branch, Oil exploration along the South Branch, and toxic chemicals on the main stream.
“A tap on the shoulder, a glance, and a short conversation. That was usually all it took. We set to our tasks with a brio, partly for the cause, partly not to let him down.”
TV adventurer, British biologist, and fisherman Jeremy Wade of River Monsterstalks about his 25-year career chasing down rare and fearsome freshwater creatures, the allure of bizarre species, and his most elusive quarry:
20 year-old Clay Marzo of Maui is one of the planet’s most gifted surfers; he also was diagnosed in 2007 with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of “high-functioning” autism. Jonah Lehrer of Outside Magazine investigates Clay’s struggles to articulate, his rare physical grace, and an “encompassing preoccupation” with the ocean.
In June 2006 former LAPD Officer Kristina Ripatti was shot three times by a suspect, severing her spinal cord and paralyzing her from the chest down. Tim Pearce, her husband, “sensed that she would recover more quickly and fully if she could resume the activities she loved — biking, surfing, fishing — even with limitations.”
Club Of The Waves speaks with Australian surf photographer Trent Mitchell about subject matter, still shooting film, favorite travel locales, and his evolving fascination with the sport:
“…I rode waves long before I loved riding them. It was maybe after a couple of years until I really did love it. Maybe when I was 14/15. It could have been a few sessions out a local reef break, where you kind of weightlessly draw lines into the tube every wave. It was not big, but hollow for the size and I really remember being addicted to that weightless millisecond and going fast with a lip pitching over your head.”
The “Dean of the Green” doesn’t care for his nickname, but years of hard work put him in a class by himself.
“Emmett Heath caught his first trout on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir before the dam was even completed. Barely a teenager, Heath was sitting on a rock watching a wet fly twirl in the current when a rainbow trout startled him out of a mesmerized trance.” Brett Prettyman in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Day in the life: Swiss snowboarder and Burton team rider Nico Müller, known for a decade’s worth of smooth riding style, spends the day riding halfpipes and the varied terrain of Laax, Switzerland’s leading freestyle winter resort.
Wherever you are is where you are: Catching up with professional surfer and icon Rob Machado in his backyard of Cardiff-by-the-Sea–playing guitar and premiering his recent and well-received surfing movie The Drifter, where he finds “the empty perfection of an unnamed Indian Ocean reef…”
In the Denver Post, Karl Licis profiles the “Sage of the Arkansas,” who at age 81 still guides almost 100 days a year.
“With Paul Fling, Puterbaugh authored and illustrated ‘The Basic Manual of Fly Tying’ and ‘The Fly Fisherman’s Primer,’ both still available after several reprintings. Upon retiring from the Civil Service in the mid-1980s, Puterbaugh moved to Salida to be closer to the Arkansas.”
“FLIP: A Column About Skateboarding”: Joel Rice of Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency interviews Chris Cole, noted rider and multi-time “Skater of the Year” by Thrasher Magazine, about origins, high-80s fashion, and life as a professional:
