For many diehard anglers, staying at a place on the water approaches the spiritual.
Sometimes it’s about the experience of fishing at that space. Sometimes it’s just about sitting next to the water and listening to the river or lake speak. Because they will, if you let them. And there’s wisdom in that experience.
Whether it’s becoming one with a river while fly fishing or floating in the silence of a lake on a spring evening, here’s a glimpse of three fishing lodges where you can begin your journey.
ON THE “HOLY WATER”
Time spent on the Au Sable River system near Grayling isn’t just about the fish, say many anglers. It’s also akin to a nirvana experience because of what the river offers the visitor.
The national conservation group Trout Unlimited was founded along the Au Sable’s banks. The area is also home to what is often called some of the nation’s best — some say the best — trout fishing. Smack in the middle of that holy ground is Gates Au Sable Lodge, just 7 or so miles east of Grayling.Gates Lodge emerged on the river in 1970 when Cal Gates and his wife, Mary, purchased it, transforming a former bar and restaurant into the special place it is today. When Cal passed away, his son, Rusty, took charge. He, too, passed away long before his time, and is fondly remembered as a champion of the river and author of “Seasons on the Au Sable,” considered one of the best guides to fishing the system. It now sells for upwards of $160 per copy.
Today, Gates Lodge is in the care of one of its former guides, Josh Greenberg, and his wife, Katy. A writer himself, Greenberg published his own book, “Trout Water: A Year on the Au Sable.”
Josh, a former lodge guide, and Katy look after 17 rooms in three buildings, a restaurant that’s open from April through late October, and a compact attached fly shop with anything a trout angler could want.
Photo Courtesy of Bill Semion
“When Rusty became ill, we naturally started thinking about the future,” Greenberg says. “I came in to help in the shop and then ran the lodge with (Gates’ now late wife) Julie while working out the purchase.” He says he asked himself, What would it take to continue the tradition that Cal Gates started?
“I think the No. 1 thing you have to have is passion, and (you have to) see the experience as fresh and exciting. I guide very little now. Most of my time is spent at or in contact with the fly shop,” he says.
“We’re very old-school and don’t take deposits. June’s probably the most difficult time to get in, but we’re pretty good at working with people. October’s busy with bird hunters. You can’t book online. You have to book by email or a phone call,” Greenberg advises.
Because of that hands-on philosophy, his guides are busy, with reservations required several months in advance. The lodge and shop have a national reputation for service. Many of the guides will pole you along — it’s a typical means of going down the river — in a traditional longboat, while others use just-as-stable McKenzie River boats, named for that wild Oregon water.
Pull into the drive and you’re always greeted with a seasonal quip on the roadside sign to start your experience. After dinner or breakfast, take time to visit the “bread hole.” Bring along a bag of crusts, rip off a piece, and watch. The monster brown trout you’ll feed is why the Au Sable is rated one of the continent’s top trout destinations. If it’s your first time as a fly angler, check for class availability from the staff.
“For some it’s about time on the water. For some it’s about the trophy fish. For the majority, I think (it’s about) knowing there’s a sport you can go to your own way and enjoy on your own terms,” Greenberg says.
BAROTHY LODGE
Another special experience awaits on one of Michigan’s 16 federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Pere Marquette. Barothy Lodge in Walhalla actually comprises 19 different lodges, says Rod Hall, who, along with his wife, manages the facility that boasts 280 acres of forest and 7 miles of riverfront.
Amenities include a trout-filled pond, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and at least 7 miles of hiking, skiing, and mountain biking trails. Then there’s the river, with trout in summer; steelhead — a lake-run rainbow trout — in fall, winter, and spring; and salmon in the fall near Walhalla, off U.S. 10 and east of Ludington. Guide service is available locally.
“My dad loved to camp and fish on the Pere Marquette. He told a friend to keep an eye out for an opportunity and found the first 65 acres owned by Doc Barothy, a physician from Chicago,” Rod Hall recalls.
The first unit built was a 20-bed dormitory that was redesigned into an eight-bedroom lodge. The smallest facility is a one-bedroom log cabin. All have river access. The Pere Marquette is known for its meanders, so most of the lodges seems like they’re on private water.
People come to be together to walk the trails and to fish, Hall says. During salmon season, the lodge fills up with anglers, and some young family members will fish the stocked ponds. “It’s an escape to nature. Being next to the river is such a good way to get away. It tends to foster being connected to nature,” Hall says. Barothy Lodge is open year-round.
MUSKEGON RIVER INN
When Jay and Heather Allen looked at a multistory former 1860s lumberjack dormitory in downtown Newaygo, they saw opportunity. The result is the Muskegon River Inn, a short stroll from this wide river that caters to trout, salmon, and steelhead anglers. The three-story building, the oldest in Newaygo, features seven guest rooms and a coffee shop on the first floor. The inn has been open since 2020.
“When we bought the building there was no hotel. It was a vacant space. It took five years of obtaining grants and putting together a construction plan,” Jay Allen says.
Allen, who managed a trout fishing program in Jackson Hole, Wyo., before returning to Michigan, also has a cadre of other guides on the Muskegon for when he gets busy.
“The Muskegon is an excellent year-round fishery. It rotates from steelhead, salmon, and trout to smallmouth bass. We fish for all of them. It’s such a big river, you don’t have to fish the same run (area) as anyone else,” Allen adds.
“We get our steelhead later than most because of the Croton Dam reservoir. Our peak spawn season is April, and we have steelhead into the first or second week of May. Trout are here year-round. I guide only fly-fishing, but if someone’s at the hotel who uses other tactics, I pass their name on to other guides.” 
Plan It!
Gates Au Sable Lodge
josh@gateslodge.com
Barothy Lodge
barothylodge.com
Muskegon River Inn
muskegonriverinn.com
A few more favorites:
• Au Sable Riverview Resort off McMasters Bridge Road in Grayling. Six cabins are located along the river. ausableriverviewresort.com
• Gogebic Lodge in Marenisco, at the south end of Lake Gogebic — the Upper Peninsula’s largest inland lake. Amenities include a restaurant, cabins, chalets, campsites, and boat rental. gogebiclodge.com
• The Root Cellar Resort, also on Lake Gogebic, on the east shore in Marenisco. Amenities include a restaurant, 13 motel rooms, five cabins, and boat docks. It’s open year-round. therootcellarresort.com
