A vacation for the Ages……
Golfers now come from all over the USA to tee it up in Northern Michigan, Gaylord and Boyne in particular. With the over 20 direct flights landing at Traverse City, Michigan, making it just over an hour to either of the anchors of America’s Summer Golf Capitol.
We know for a fact that many golfers love to fish. It’s pretty obvious to most that there is plenty of fishing in Lake Michigan, but here we will expose “the rest of the story.” Michigan is blessed with some of the finest river and small stream experiences.
When 2 friends have special birthdays, it’s a perfect excuse to create a special experience. Both golfers and fly fisherman, a Golf and Fly-Fishing trip was hatched! For us Ontario boys about a 7-hour drive to Gaylord and Boyne, made it the perfect destination. This week-long adventure was predominately leaning to fishing days. 2 rounds of golf, with 4 days of fishing.
At Boyne, where we launched this adventure, you find yourself choosing between staying at 3 resorts and choosing from 11 magnificent courses to play. Staying at the Highlands
Resort, 5 of those courses are minutes away. The Arthur Hills Course has always been a favorite, with it’s almost 300 foot drop on it’s par 5, 13th Signature Hole it was our choice. Each course is distinctly different, shaped by legendary architects like Arthur Hills, Robert Trent Jones Sr., and Donald Ross to name a few. The Resorts span across ten thousand acres between the shores of Lake Michigan and the rugged hillside of the Lower Peninsula. Nowhere are the views mor stunning than those at the Bay Harbor Golf Club with 3 distinct courses all bordering majestic Lake Michigan. Boyne Golf
Foodie Note: Right at the Highlands, Slopeside Lounge, a gastropub-style, lunch and dinner options, from burgers, to salads, appetizers to entrées. I highly recommend the Honey Soy Glazed Salmon.
A great time with some locals can be had minutes off property at Teddy Giffin’s Roadhouse it’s an experience best using the Resort shuttle as we had way too much fun with the locals. Atmosphere second to none, our Pickerel and Perch feast was exceptional.
at TreeTops Resort
After 3 nights, we moved to Treetops Resort (4 nights) one of Michigan’s premier resorts just minutes from downtown Gaylord. Treetops boast 5 award winning courses of their own including Threetops, North America’s #1 ranked par 3 course. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. Masterpiece is one to cross off your bucket list. Note: The Masterpiece has one of the highest slope ratings in the Midwest, having played it many times, beaten up on it many times, we chose my favorite of the Treetops Courses, the Tom Fazio designed “Premier.” A little more user friendly one might say, the Premier is the only course in Michigan designed by famed architect Tom Fazio, making the most of the rolling terrain and striking the perfect balance between challenge and forgiveness. Treetops Resort
Gaylord, Michigan truly is an outdoor paradise, one that I had never really taken advantage of, simply because I was always playing golf. Not this time. Easy to get to either from the Traverse City Airport, or traveling on I-75, it dissects Gaylord. An invaluable stop for us was the Gaylord Visitors Center right on Main Street, providing us with a map of the backroads in and around Otsego County. Very handy for the day we spent exploring on our own. A small but vibrant downtown area on the East side of I-75, shopping and dining has also expanded to the west. The Visitor’s Center is also an ideal to place to find out about the 16 Courses and 21 Lodging Facilities in the heart of the Northern Lower Peninsula that is the Gaylord Golf Mecca. Gaylord Golf Mecca
Our fly-fishing excursions were coordinated out of the Old Au Sable Fly Shop in Grayling, about 30 minutes south of Gaylord. Any and all your questions can be answered here. 
Never having fished the area we highly recommend their guide services. Options include days on the rivers utilizing guided riverboats and the good old fashion walk and wade. We did both. One of the oldest fly shops in America, the Old Au Sable Fly Shop, established in 1936 is located on the banks of the Au Sable River. It’s a large shop; you will find just about anything that you might need or want with a friendly professional staff to help. Want to stay right there, check out the beautiful Lodge right above the Fly Shop that sleeps six. Old AuSable Fly Shop
You will find out very quickly as we did that the Old Au Sable Guides are very passionate and will get you to the best fishing in the area. On the water, Riverboats are the primary mode of transportation but they also use drift boats on larger open water. The 3 main branches of the Au Sable system and the full length of the Manistee are yours to discover.
Novice to fly fishing, don’t let that stop you. They offer Beginners and Intermediate Instructional Programs These guides are more than will to help you learn to fish and most have a full array of the right equipment to help you get started.
Our first day, a beautiful sunny one, was with guide Donnie Richards, a full day excursion on a 9-mile stretch of the Manistee. For my buddy Mic and I, accustomed to walking and wading the Riverboat experience was amazing. With Donnie at the helm (at the back), Mic
in the middle, and myself at the front of the 20-foot boat, control was all Donnie’s not so much rowing but what I would call pole control to propel and steer as the current moved us along. The Riverboat is a perfect design, narrow platform and lack of oars, you can get through narrow stretches. Our job was to simply listen to Donnie, and send our flies to his suggested destination. As it was a weird spring with colder that usual nights it was tough to identify a hatch. There were plenty of smaller speckled/brook trout caught but nothing of any size on this day. A component of the Full Day Experience was a meal along the way, mid way through the day Donnie dropped an anchor in the shallows of the Manistee and we were able to get out and stretch our legs and enjoy some lunch in the water rather than on the water. For a day on the water with Donnie, contact the Au Sable Shop, or check out his Instagram page @donnie.richards.ii
Our walk and wade adventure took us just north of Gaylord. Who knew that Northern Michigan had such remote backroads, backroads that turn into trails rather than roads! For this we had one of the finest young men that you could ask for in Colin Campbell.
There are 3, streams of note we explored; The Pigeon, The Black and the Sturgeon are all smaller than the Manistee and Au Sable, all known for their Brook Trout populations, but as we found out hitting the trifecta of Brook, Rainbow and Brown Trout is not out of the question as we did with Colin. All 3 are gems for stream fishermen. The Pigeon and the Black wind their way through Pigeon River Country State Forest and its unspoiled wilderness. Beaver dams create those beautiful pools known to host some feisty trout and eyes should be peeled for some amazing wildlife including Michigan’s largest free-ranging elk herd. The Sturgeon is the fastest-flowing of the streams in the Lower Peninsula.
Should you have the opportunity to have Colin as your guide and the situation includes some lunchtime hunger, do let him choose the spot. Our first day was an afternoon/evening excursion. We met for lunch at Jakes Rivers Edge just off the highway in Indian MI. Awesome lunch, awesome enough and the creatures of habit that Mic and I are we had lunch their 3 times that week. You can check out our dog loving Colin on his Instagram @ccampbell1977.
In guide Tim Riley you have much more than time on the river. For Tim and his family nature is a way of life. The Upper Manistee and AuSable River Valleys have been his home for the past 20 years, after enjoying them since childhood. Nothing makes him happier than seeing someone catch a trout on a fly.
Years making part of his living on the stream, and in the woods conducting fish and wildlife surveys gives you a guide who cannot only “run the boat”, but is a true outdoorsman as well, giving insight to the where and why’s of many things on the stream and in the woods.
The other thing that you need to know is that, Tim has a passion for building and restoring historic Au Sable riverboats. From fishing to hunting, seeing wildlife up close, catching a sunrise on the river, or just being a great Dad. I highly recommend that you check out his Instagram page @river_valley_adventures for some great pics, fish, wildlife and riverboats. You can reach Tim through his website River Valley Adventures or through the Old Au Sable Fly Shop.
There are plenty of modern tools and boats out there for today’s anglers, but there’s something special about using a piece of fly-fishing history. AuSable River Boats have been floating the waters of Michigan for generations, and it’s clear why. Their effective tools for fishing and covering water. But above all, it’s a refreshing and relaxing change of pace for those looking to enjoy a day on the water.
Foodie Note: When it comes to dining in Gaylord there are plenty of options, steakhouses
such as Lucky’s and a few ale houses to quench a thirst. One place that needs to be on your must eat at list is El Patron Mexican Grill. Having been there before, it was our first stop. I told you that we were creatures of habit, we ate there 3 of 4 nights. So many options on the menu, great food, colorful atmosphere, staff and giant Margarita’s. Just keeps you coming back!
Whether a golfer or a fisherman and hopefully both, you could not find yourself in a better place than the 3 centers, Gaylord, Grayling and Boyne in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
