Jeff Gardner 
It’s pin-drop quiet on Northern waters washed in orange sunrise. There’s no one here. There’s no one in your way. Anglers have the rivers to themselves at dawn and dusk. Savvy fishermen won’t pull two trucks deep into any parking spot—there’s no reason. All of our fields are green and all of our streams crystal. … Read more
Trout Opener was a great success. While not everyone got the trout they were looking for, many anglers saw Hendricksons bobbing along the surface and found fish rising to the bug. Some fine specimens were caught. Having trout rising on Opening Day is like having a birthday on Leap Year. So, that makes me about … Read more
Man, fishing has been great. We just haven’t been catching anything! There’s always an air of excitement around the Au Sable River in Spring. Everyday is filled with the anticipation of good angling and bug hatches even if your birdbath is filled with fresh snow. So, the fishing is always great, even if the trout … Read more
It’s winter and while that means ice in the rod guides for some, it certainly means fly tying here at the Old Au Sable Fly Shop. We will be hosting open fly tying once a week at the dates and times listed. I’ll be doing proven, production patterns and folks are welcome to watch, ask … Read more
December 18, 2022 The Holidays are a time for reflection and celebration. We understand that our little fly shop wouldn’t exist without the support of all of you. Many of our customers have become friends that go out of their way to do business with us. In honor of those relationships, we will be hosting a Christmas … Read more
The best month of the year is here. I wish October stretched into Spring. The undisputed king of the calendar offers everything outdoors folk could want. Winter has snow, Spring has showers, Summer has sunshine—October has all of that and more. Sure, it might be short of wildflowers and swimming and snow skiing, but … Read more
Where has the Summer gone!? It won’t be long and kids will be filing back into schoolyards. My clan has been camping a lot. We’re weekly bivouacked in the tent or some lakeside, summer camp style cabin. Jack has learned to swim this Summer. He’s made a lot of one-day campground friends. It’s amazing how … Read more
It’s full-blown Summer here in Northern Michigan and the weather is spectacular. We’re running a little cooler than normal, but all that means is that “the water is fine”. Lakes are plenty warm enough for a plunge and the River is keeping cool enough for pretty decent trout fishing. In fact, July has offered up … Read more
It’s been a wild ride on the hatch match evening fishing train. Most anglers were having trouble staying in the heat of the Hex Hatch. Drastic temperature changes have made angling unpredictable. We’ve had air temperatures swing nearly fifty degrees in a twenty-four-hour period, and that made figuring out spinner falls nearly impossible. Worse, the … Read more
This one is straight from the hip. There’s a time for fun language and indulgent writing, and then there’s Drakes in June. I love May more than any other month in the Au Sable flyfishing world. I live here for May and June and for October. May was tough for me. I fished exactly where … Read more