The Ballad of Rusty Gates

This is a tribute to Rusty Gates, fly fisherman and conservationist on Michigan's famed Au Sable river. Rusty and his group, The Anglers of the Au Sable have championed flies only catch and release designations, habitat improvement and most recently stopped Savoy Energy from drilling gas wells near our cherished river.

Angler and Author Joe Heywood said this about Rusty.

"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through. Rusty Gates is such a man, as unique as the Au Sable he stewards, in tune with its moods and the gifts it delivers each hour, each day, each remarkable season.

Lyrics

On a Michigan river, cutting through the pine
There's a fisherman's son, one of a kind
He casts a line right across the state
The river, it flows right through Rusty Gates

He was baptized in a rush of holy water
And he learned to tie a fly when he was two
You'd think with him, it would be a slaughter
But he always throws 'em back for me and you

He guides them Orvis boys away from their confusion
He knows exactly every thing they need
A be positive stream side transfusion
And after that they're following his lead

Chorus
Rusty Gates, Rusty Gates
That river, it flows right through Rusty Gates
He's got his head full of steam
With the conscious of the stream
Oh that river it flows right through Rusty Gates

They call him on the phone to see what's hatchin'
Or to chew the fat on a winter's day
He never really talks about the catchin'
But "it's all about the fish" is what he'll say

If you see him in the water just a-standin'
In rubber pants and funny felt soled shoes
In his mind you can be sure that he's plannin'
On recycling aluminum canoes

Chorus

When the oil men they come on cloudy mornin's
Drilling all around the Mason Tract
Ol' Rusty he'll just fire off a warnin'
And they run away not daring to look back

He's not in it for the glory
He doesn't need an Angler of the Year
And you'll never hear him tell a fishin' story
Like yesterday's the day you shoulda been here

Chorus

Category:

Music

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• Ballad
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• Rusty
• Gates
• fly
• fishing
• au
• sable
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• Todd
• Murphy

[dryflymojo]

I've posted the lyrics. There's an out of print book called The Old Au Sable that has a great history of the river. Rusty and the Anglers of the Au Sable recently got the rights to it and are in the process of updating it, I believe.

This has been a sad couple of days, but I am comforted by the fact that there is a small army of people assembled by Rusty who will continue with the good fight. The oil companies won't stand a chance.

[dryflymojo]

Very sad news. I didn't know him well, but he was a very influential person to me and countless others.  He will be missed.

[fringedweller54]

God blessed the Earth with the Au Sable River, He blessed the river with Rusty Gates.

Thank you for sharing this.

[tmkuroda]

We own a couple of houses down the road from Rusty. We normally don't go up north till about March. I just heard about his passing. Very sad day for Fly Fishing enthusiasts! I can't even count the amount of times our family has participated in the river clean up. Our thoughts go out to his family.

[streamcaddis]

I have been going to the lodge for around 30 years give or take. I have tied flies and floated with Rusty many times. He is truly a great person. He made you feel welcome. He was truly a dear friend. RIP Rusty. He is with God now and able to fish any where any time.. Dave

[2soakers]

I'm near tears.

That guy taught me it's okay to go and just sit on the bank of a river and watch fish eat.

Okay, I'm crying now.

[rkevwill]

I am without words. I was fortunate to spend a little quality time with Rusty this last summer. Just him and our dogs, sitting on a bench riverside at the lodge. We didn't discuss his illness, but frankly, he actually looked better than I expected, albeit a bit thinner than his normal thin self. I will miss him greatly.

[juliekadams]

Wonderful song! Please post the lyrics in the description paragraph, thanks. Now I know who Stephan's Bridge was named after. I'm not seeing any of this history on Wikipedia. Somebody get online and get this documented--or pass the info to me and I'll do it. I've created a couple of simple wikipedia listings.

[pnchapdpu]

I never stayed at the lodge, but Rusty put my dad and I on the spot where we would each catch our first brookie. Small as those fish may have been, I have to thank him for his useful insight... not to mention everything he did for the fishing environment that we all share. Rest in peace, Rusty.

[TropicalFishStore]

God Bless you Rusty ! R.I.P.

[merrittanderson]

Rusty was like a father and mentor to us all....he can never be replaced....this is a very sad time for all