Twenty but going on thirty years ago, I used to hang out in Bob Smock's fly tying shop in his garage up in Grayling, Michigan and on an old book shelf was a stack of stream maps that he had printed off for customers. More than once, Bob would circle or highlight an area on the map for me to check out. He wouldn't say much other than to go figure it out and hand me a few flies. That's all a teenager (who really didn't know what he was doing) with a fly rod and a ailing Ford Escort needed to hear. Off I went.
I still have a couple of those maps folded up in a box somewhere. A lot of memories flood back from exploring the Au Sable River, Manistee, and South Branch when I open one of them up.
While flipping through the Gates Au Sable Lodge online holiday catalog, there was a great map penned by artist Jeff Kennedy that was tucked in there along with a hatch chart that that you should check out too.
I know we all rely on maps on our phone or something more significant like TroutRoutes but the old memories part of me will always dig a hand drawn paper map to pour over with a cup of coffee planning the next trip to the river. Where to go next and what bugs will be coming off?
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