VERY BAD NEWS

We have just learned that our dear friend Rusty Gates has been diagnosed with cancer. He said that he felt pain behind his left shoulder blade and almost casually mentioned it to his doctor. First x-rays and then CAT scans confirmed the worst. Not one person has ever contributed more to the AuSable River than Rusty Gates. He was the founder of Anglers of the AuSable (www.ausableanglers.org) and for the past 22 years has led the fight to protect our river system.

Rusty's book, Seasons on the Ausable was writen for the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Anglers and all proceeds go the the organization.

Rusty and his wife Julie operate Gates AuSable Lodge on the mainstream (www.gateslodge.com ) and it serves as the hub of almost all flyfishing activities in the area. Everyone's first stop on a fishing trip is Rusty's place where he's always available to talk about the hatches and offer tips to improve your luck.

Rusty's journal is being posted at www.caringbridge.org Simply enter "rustygates" in the search field.

For those of us who admire and respect him its been a humble reminder of our mortality. I pray for Rusty to have the strength, courage and faith to recover.