GrtLksMarlin
Well-known member
Rarely do I post fishing reports in that frankly of late certain complications have hindered my fishing activities (as you will read). However, in that this past weekend I travelled to an actual fishing lodge, what say I post the expense of it as I tell my tale so that those of you that might consider such a trip can fill up the piggy bank appropriately.
Location: Grayling, Michigan, U.S. Google Maps
Travel Dates: 08/27/15-08/31/15
Primary Waters: Upper 2/6ths of the Au Sable River, specifically the Au Sable mainstream encompassing the "Holy Waters", South Branch of the Au Sable, and North Branch of the Au Sable, all of it considered "Blue Ribbon Trout Streams."
Lodging: Gates Au Sable Lodge and Fly Shop. Home - Gates Au Sable Lodge
471 Stephan Bridge Rd
Grayling, MI 49738
Ph: 989-348-8462
Fax: 989-348-2541
Email: josh@gateslodge.com
Travel Distance: From Detroit Metro Airport 1-way the distance is 225 miles. There are closer options yet flights due to connections may run you more....Our total travel distance though some 75 miles r.t. closer was 750 miles on the dot. That included some less traveled routes, numerous side trips, scouting rivers, etc.. Apply fuel and any car rental costs appropriately.
Approximate Total Fuel Costs: $120
Lodging Costs: $360/4 nights; Lodging rates are listed on the Gates Lodge site above, though know that a husband and wife are charged the same as 2 fishing buddies. Rates for a single person/room are $60, 2-person rooms $90. There are pet and roll away bed fees of $5 which we thus far have not been charged (pets). Lodging - Gates Au Sable Lodge
The room rates are reasonable considering it is a fishing lodge though not exceptional. More so you would expect that a married couple would not be charged the two person fee due to using one bed, so unfortunately my wife said "we're paying for both, so you sleep in that one!" Naturally she said the same for the two large dogs, so it was crowded. :upset: As you can guess that was not "my plan", so I'm going to give lodging vs. hubby fun costs a negative rating.
Lodging Description (all photos linked from their site): Gates Au Sable Lodge with I would guess a total of 18 rooms roughly, all within 3 single level motel like units, the single $60/night units being the newest, and the larger units being in the oldest section. The rooms are basic and spartan yet clean. Basic WiFi and satellite TV is included (which I would not have faulted them if they did not have either, yet some folks want it I suppose), however there is no air conditioning which might be an issue for some.
The entire complex and in fact every room is situated right beside the Holy Waters of the Au Sable. Literally you can walk out of your room 30 yards and be in the water and all rooms have both parking lot and river side entries, with the river side having large picture windows.
Another nice feature is the wader, boot and rod drying racks situated parking side outside of each room. That might seem risky in text, yet due to the layout and dense foliage surrounding the lot side, I would venture that the river side is the least secure from passers by.
Rooms are cleaned daily and the staff is very accommodating regarding such needs. We had two dogs with us so simply requested towels and tissue each day which we would swap out with cleaning staff not wanting them to have to deal with them.....Also, they are very pet friendly.
Cleaning staff tip: $20.00
Onsite Bar: None. However, you may bring your alcoholic beverages into the restaurant.
Onsite Store (groceries and general goods): None. However, roughly 1.5 miles from Gates Lodge there is a "Party Store" (Michigander for Convenience Store) that you will pass on the way in which carries beer, wine, liquor, snacks and even has a grill/pizza take out there. However, I would advise against the pizza.
Wife insisted upon Pizza expense: $20.00.
Various misc. items: $40.00 est., and includes some items brought from home.
Liquor, 1/5 Bacardi, 1/5 Crown Royal: $34.00 (of which 1/2 the rum & 3/4 of the Crown made it home).
Wife's Beer: $.......WTH?! This is why you do not take wives fishing that don't intend on fishing! $60.00 (and only 3 soldiers made it home).
Ice: is available at Gates Lodge for $2.00/7 lb. bag. Ice expense $12.00.
Onsite Takeout Food: There is a takeout window at the lodge wherein you can place an order to carry onto the water with you or back to your room. We did not make use of this option, yet it is available from 10AM-8PM and a menu can be found here: http://www.gateslodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TakeOutMenu.pdf
Onsite Restaurant: Gates onsite restaurant is small and quaint in it's typical "up-north" style with naturally large picture windows facing the Au Sable. The staff with us at least made us feel quite welcome each visit though I suppose we encouraged their conversation yet all in all we never had an unpleasant visit there.........Before I forget, you can get complimentary coffee in the mornings by simply walking in the kitchen back door.
The meals there were both creative, superbly prepared and had excellent presentations (check out this page for some images which hardly do them justice: Restaurant - Gates Au Sable Lodge ). At this point in time they were making no bones about mentioning that they had an actual "chef" now, and the meals themselves did indeed exhibit that. Along with the standard menu items (which are extensive) they also offer specials each day. The menus are as follows:
http://www.gateslodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BreakfastMenu.pdf
http://www.gateslodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LunchMenu.pdf
http://www.gateslodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DinnerMenu.pdf
Hours of operation and available menu items should be of no issue. However, know for dinner it is usually wise to make a reservation in that they do have local visitors just for the food.
Breakfast: 7 am – 2 pm
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2 pm
Take-out: 10 am – 8 pm
Dinner: 5 pm – 8 pm
A couple of points worth noting. The meals "seem" modest in their portion sizes. If you're the type of person I suppose that gorges themselves at all you can eats until they say "that's all you can eat" well then order two meals. That said, though the portions look small you'll push away from the table feeling that the amount was "just right", not too much, not too little.
The second point worth noting is that whether intentionally to suit all tastes or to simply let the ingredients speak for themselves the meals on the whole seemed "unseasoned" to me. As an example, the first morning I had steak and eggs, and though the cut of beef was exceptional and perfectly prepared, it was simply a cooked piece of beef with no spices or seasoning to enhance it....Most meals seamed as such to me.....In addition, each day we'd note staff picking vegetables from the decorative gardens around the complex. Right or wrong it makes me wonder if that is what they were using, everything very fresh.
Meal Expenses: $201.00
Rest. Staff Tips: $60
Offsite Restaurants and Bars: If you seek outside food or drinks within roughly 20 minutes you can reach the towns of Grayling, Roscommon, or Luzerne. I also suspect that there are individual businesses found here or there yet I do not know of them. We made use of a couple of the bars in our travels, really nothing worth noting except the expense and one special feature.
Offsite Bar Expense Inc. Tips: $60 roughly and included treating guests.
Special Expense: $2.00 value Priceless
After our trip out West and due to simply coincidence my wife now "loves to hate" Girl on the Billboard by Del Reeves. So every chance I get when it is on a jukebox I play it, sometimes even 2x in a row just for my own sadistic pleasure.....Add in a little Slim Whitman playing Indian Love Call and Cattle Call? Well that's just heaven with lots of complaining. This time however I received a bonus. The waitresses griped wondering who played GotBb, and when Ol'Slim came on, well, two tables of guests found the guys looking at me and laughing as their women griped. Griped so much so that the wife was passed by them the women demanding to leave due to the terrible music, and all the while their guys yodeled to them.
Spread the love around, that's my moto :shades:
Onsite Fly Shop: The onsite fly shop at Gates Lodge though rather small in size is considerably well stocked due to their well planned organization. Literally you could walk into the shop buck nekkid and walk out fully set up to fly fish including clothing, sunglasses, etc.. Not only do they have pretty much anything you may need, they offer enough varied selections that you'll not be hemmed into simply purchasing the XYZ setup the last guy did. They also offer a solid selection of books and such to help round out your preparations.
Images from the web:
Not only was the selection of products significant, yet the staff was both knowledgeable and helpful though never pressuring. Just like all of the rest of the staff, the guys that worked the flyshop (and know we always found multiple folks working in there so there is no waiting around) were glad to answer any questions and make suggestions to help your fishing experience be a good one.
Further it was mentioned to me that the rods I asked about that they did not have in stock they could have drop shipped to me, and they were not above (at least regarding my requests) ordering what I'd like to try even if I chose not to buy it for my next visit......Oh and since I'm sure it is a burning question for some here, yes, they have Abel Nippers...The Wife however opting for the Trout shaped Simms Aluminum Bottle Opener.
Their online catalog can be found here, though they mentioned a much larger one in the works: Welcome to Gates Fly Shop - .....Prices were pretty much the industry standards, so there was no gouging, yet no discounts (that I noted).
My purchases were as follows, and I list them in that you just know you have to buy something:
Simms G3 Wading Boots: $199.95
Patagonia Neoprene Wading Socks: $50
x3 Orvis Mirage Tippet Spools: $44.85
x2 Fishpond Floatant Holders: $17.90
Simms Bottle Opener: $6.95
x19 Flies (you know you have to buy some each place you go): $45.19
Now the fly purchase was a stupid one. Hairwing530 literally lives less than 10 miles from Gates Lodge right along the Au Sable as well. If I had been smart, I could have snuck over to his place late at night and really loaded up on his outstanding flies for the cost of a crowbar. However, I heard his Wife is a crack shot with a shotgun, so, well, I just chickened out and went over as we were pulling out to say hello instead. :upset: On a more realistic note, for the cost of the few flies I bought I could have picked up 4x+ more from Hairwing530......Consider that next time you need flies.
Guide Services & Instructors: Though I didn't make use of them, Gates Lodge offers Guide services and Casting/Fishing lessons from experienced individuals. Guide services may be wading, in McKenzie style drift boats or Au Sable Riverboats (which look very cool)....Rental gear and waders are available.
Au Sable Riverboats (photos taken from the web):
Now I'm not well versed as to what typical pricing is, yet they list (roughly, look at the site for details) full day trips at $350/375 1/2 anglers, Half day trips at $275 1-2 anglers, instruction at $35/50 per hour 1/2 anglers.
The Guide page can be found here: Guides - Gates Au Sable Lodge
Miscellaneous Expenses: I'm going to list at an estimated $100 for items brought from home or purchased during the drive. Also know Michigan has a 6% sales tax.
Total Trip Expenses: $1,453.84 x 1.06 = $1,541.07
Know that my trip expenses include over $700 in unneeded expenses and we ate the highest dollar meals available, plus consider they were for 2-people.
So essentially without meal adjustments still considering 2-people it would equal $841.
Fishing Report:
I'll add this next in that it seems to be what most people here want to read. The trip itself will follow below explaining the limited fishing:
Though having arrived at Gates Lodge Thursday afternoon, it was not until late Saturday evening that I was able to wet a line. Though I suppose I could have walked right out of the room and into the river, the mornings, days and evenings found the area busy with folks staying at the lodge, a nice sized group of gals there with Reeling & Healing, and finally the varied canoeists, kayakers and tubers that where scattered throughout the day.
Frankly shame on me in that the early mornings there were magnificent. Each morning finding it overcast with a light drizzle, modest fog, and perfectly cool. In my opinion perfect weather for me anytime let alone when fishing which makes it paradise. By mid-day each day the clouds had cleared with temperatures on the rise till early evening as it would slowly begin to cool once more to simply rinse and repeat the next day with even more intensity.
Never the less, with complications as they were and the pressure the fish were experiencing right there at the lodge, I confined myself while there at the lodge by the water to simply watch, learn, and formulate an opinion. Thus far numerous witnesses had chimed in. One claimed that there around Stephan Bridge there were greater numbers of fish than in any other river in the state. From two books that I rely upon one stated that the numbers were "high and the fish often in the teens (inches)," yet another stated that the fish were "fewer than most places and on the small side." Finally, those folks fishing the area were speaking in terms of "one or two small fish for a long day," and all in all I have to sadly say my pre-arrival opinions were simply being confirmed.
My own observations were these. Very few fish of less than 10" making consistent rises. Worse still, as I discussed 7wt. rods I was interested in for large streamer fishing, it was suggested by no less than three people that if that was my interest then I should look to below Mio and the dam there. So my observations, discussions, fishing pressure and complications had me holding off until frankly I could take no more.
Saturday Evening Fishing, 08/29:
It was not until late Saturday evening that I finally had real opportunity to do some fishing. To that end it already nearing 6:00PM I took the suggestion of the guys in the fly shop, and instead of driving here or there to get in the water simply using up more time, had the wife drive me to a point a scant 2/3 mile up river wherein I could wade right back to the lodge. So easy peasy, by 7:00PM I was getting my line wet.
My starting point was a spot known as "Guides Rest" which is a very simple and quick drive from the Lodge, yet forces you to hike along a very well maintained trail from the parking lot to the river perhaps a whole 100 level yards. Absurd that they don't have stream side service I realize, and one would think that if you must exert yourself walking they would at least provide porters for your rod, yet such are the uncivilized wilds of Michigan. Though to be fair they do have a nice table and benches there to rig up upon, though no Valet to do it for you.
Right off the bat I want to be very fair regarding my fishing experience there. I had missed a perfect morning to do so in that by noon the sun was out and it had warmed considerably. Further, it was Saturday, and the river in this section I suspect had been busy all day with canoeists, kayakers, tubers, and other fisherman both in boats and wading. Finally I was fishing what I consider to be the worst window to do so.
Now I took no photos in that my intentions were to fish and fish hard, and what I caught I quickly discovered my camera was placed poorly on my pack so I could not reach it in a timely fashion on the first......So to that end might I suggest that you look at the following web page I found while scouting for photos to explain the stretch (instead of snagging his photos as examples I'll just let you look there): https://walkswithaflyrod.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/au-sable-river-michigan/
With that I stepped out into the river and took a long deserved breath finally granted a break away from the chaos and confusion. The river itself in much of this section is easily wade-able in at 2-3' so wading pants will do (though hippers will require a bit of selective navigation). The river itself is perhaps 60-80' wide in this section, and your best bet would probably be to simply wade right up the middle so you may cast easily to either side (though naturally that kills all chance of cover)......Finally fishing from Guides Rest to Gates Lodge is a downstream truck. I note that in that I prefer fishing dries upstream and some subsurface, yet when fishing downstream just about exclusively fish subsurface flies.
The river itself in this section has a steady mild current that except in one very short spot near the lodge should not overwhelm anyone. In kind this section is incredibly well maintained. I found underwater tangles and obstacles non-existent, the edges cleaned up reasonably well (not too much nor too little) insuring easy casting yet leaving cover, and you will encounter numerous "fish cradles?" (correct me if I'm wrong) in this stretch to provide even more cover for the fish while mixing up the current a little.
A 3wt. or less would be fine to use in this section if fishing most standard selections. A 4wt. I suspect would be fine as well, however I opted for a 5wt. which offered me the best option in my quiver for switching from larger streamers to dries if I so chose. Further I had not fished my all time favorite rod for some time, my Orvis 8'6" HLS "Bighorn Special" 5wt., and rigged it up with Cortland 444 10' type-3 WF5F/S, a Cutthroat 50" Nymphing Leader, 24" of Orvis Mirage 4x Fluorocarbon, and tipped it with one of Hairwing530's streamers (perhaps 1.75" lg., 10/12ga. hook, olive in color with red slashes by its head).
My plan was simple based upon the time of the day and the suspected disruption the fish had encountered. That being I would cast long downstream allowing a bit of a drift followed by a short swing and then little 6" strips, rinse and repeat fishing cover I found and edges. My intentions being to coax out those fellas that would be hanging to cover until nightfall. However, if I saw significant rises, I'd switch up to dry line and fish perpendicular to shore.
Finally know also my only competition on the river at this time were a pair of Ospreys who were actively fishing, and a Bald Eagle which kept cruising up and down that section of river. Past that were the perhaps 40 people total in four groups that passed me in their varied conveyances, with naturally each one asking "how's the fishing" and "how much farther is it" having had enough of their trip.....But such is this stretch of the Au Sable.
Oh, You want to Know about the Fish:
After a couple of practice casts to knock the rust off and tune myself into the setup, instantly I was reminded as to why this is my go-to rod, in fact the one that I gauge all rods even those new by....and know frankly I cannot imagine ever finding a more perfect and versatile rod for me.
In no more than two casts I noted a couple small rises near the opposite banks around cover, and by my third cast, yes, just 3, hooked into and brought to hand what turned out to be a large headed though only 10" Brook Trout. I mention his head in that clearly this boy had a bit of growing to do so that instantly boded well. A few more casts to the same area yielded nothing, so back over to the other side, and down the river I began to move.
At this point I'm going to cut to the chase of it. In the entire stretch of water (2/3 mile) from 7:00PM to 9:00PM (true sunset) I encountered exactly 15-Fifteen rising fish. They all rose consistently timing their rises, yet none of them hinted at being large, and none of them that were rising took my streamer.....Let me also say that though this stretch of river is relatively straight, to me it looked "fishy" meaning, there were nice runs, holes, and cover the entire stretch hinting at many more fish than I encountered.
Note again as well I am fishing some of the worst times of the day in what I consider some of the worst weather to do so....So I blame that in the regard that I have great confidence in my choice of flies, and my presentation was in all cases better than I hoped for. Finally, I fished the stretch hard leaving few areas unmolested.
That said, for the balance of the wade I only had two more takes one being a smallish/8" Brook Trout, yet the second still has me wondering.
As said, this looked like fishy water to me. Perhaps not the fishy-est, yet fishy enough that I expected quite a bit more action. That second of the three total takes I encountered at the end of a drift where I would have least expected it. If you look on Google maps and use satellite view, you will find a single spot in that stretch where there is an island that splits the river and I had cast toward the Northern bank of the river and let it drift across to the head of that island using little strips then drifts all the way.
It was there at the head of that Island where it began to shallow up with no visible cover that something lit into my streamer. What it was I have no idea in that I didn't land it. However, I will say from the weight of the take, the firm undulating fight, and the length of the swell from head to tail as it fought that I "guess" I may have latched into a perhaps 18" plus Brown.
In any case, after roughly 10-15 seconds of fight having not set the hook, whatever it was showed me who is who and spit the fly. Nothing else took there, that fella wising up as well, and for the balance of the slow stroll back to Gates though I noted a few of those rises the fish must have heard that GreatLakesMarlin was fishing so beware. Well either that or I didn't have my lucky hat, "The Hat" which McNerney is still holding hostage, I'm not sure which.
My conclusion about that stretch of the river though is, it makes for a great and easy wade that I suspect given the right time and conditions would offer up some good, not great, but good fishing. Frankly I would not be surprised if one would not have a busy day there if they fished say mid-week, and during prime fishing hours. My advice being, ask the guys in the fly shop what they would advise and follow it.
Sunday Evening 08/30, the South Branch of the Au Sable:
The next day pretty much chewed up left me with what I knew would be my last opportunity to fish this trip. So having done my duty, roughly around 6:30PM I headed out to give the South Branch of the Au Sable a try, and though I had never been there had a plan to try and avoid anyone.
The S.B.o.t. Au Sable just like the Holy Waters section of the mainstream is another "Blue Ribbon" special regulations water wherein catch and release is mandatory over much of it though contrary to most Trout waters in Michigan, they compromise by leaving it open year round. In kind like the Holy Waters section it is very well maintained for optimum fishing. In contrast however it is undeveloped, so wherein on the mainstream you'll find homes and private land flanking much of the banks, on the South Branch much of the land is public, and as far as homes and cottages they are as far as I know sparse to non-existent.
If you use google maps you'll note three distinct sections.
The headwaters S.E. of Roscommon, and incredibly winding tract of river that personally I just bet would be amazing to fish. This area however has a lot of private land though as long as you keep to the water should be fishable and falls under regular trout regulations. Include with that section that portion N.E. of Roscommon up to Chase Bridge Rd.
At Chase Bridge Rd. running up to Mi-72 is a section known as "The Mason Tract." You can do a bit of searching to understand the history of this section, yet it is here that you find the Blue Ribbon waters and all of the special regulations.......This is also the portion that most folks mean when they speak of "the South Branch" and virtually all of it is public land.
Finally you have the section of water that runs from Mi-72 up to the mainstream, and though certain special regulations apply, it is not considered "Blue Ribbon" (for whatever that is worth).
The section I visited however was the Mason Tract: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Mason_Tract_Pathway_2014_460122_7.pdf
My plan was simple. Instead of taking the typical path I would follow the dirt roads running parallel to the East side of the river, and cut in to a spot noted as "Chapel" on the map above. Once parked there was a slight hill to walk up and a short path, yet upon reaching the Chapel (which there is one) you have a magnificent overlook down to the river, and even a well built stairway down to it.
Images from Web:
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Looking down over the river I noted that it was clearly narrower than the mainstream section from the day before, at this point (perhaps 40-60') and was also slightly deeper so I would suggest to any (I myself not knowing the river) to consider chest waders.....What I also noted in contrast was that in perhaps a 75 yard length of it I was seeing an equal number of rises to the entire section I fished the day before. Not only were they consistent, yet clearly these were larger fish and not a soul in sight.
Unfortunately, realizing that it was coming up on 7:30PM so that meant by the time I rigged up, dressed and got back down there it would be 8:00PM and though clearly a quality time to fish these waters, also knew that in short order it would be dark, and I would be wading unfamiliar waters.
With that in mind I decided to do what I would typically do in an ideal situation....I personally like to scout a river first before ever fishing it (and I had really done little investigation past some reading). The way I do that is I'll drive to all the spots I can reach by truck, walk in to every foot trail access point, and do all I can to visually reconnoiter as much of the river as is possible.....Then I will pick a spot and try fishing it, and frankly I don't mind spending a day or even an entire trip scouting in that the next time back I am well prepared and know right where I am going.
So to that end (using the map above) I then took the southern fork from chapel to check there. Unfortunately in that spot it looked as though some squatters had set up camp for some time (weeks/months, frankly the camp looked like they were living there with numerous large tents and a lot of rough folks wandering about). So after they all seemed to scatter and hide their representa tive came out to see what I wanted, and was none too forthcoming clearly uncomfortable so I let them be.
At that point I raced along the southern route on Hickey Rd. till I reached Chase Bridge, and from there I followed Mason Tract Trail dipping in where possible to scout from the West bank.
Now though it is not shown on the map above, know most access points have a road that turns off from the trail and takes you to a parking area. From there you will find markers, and at that point you can follow very developed trails to the river, or you can follow the Mason Tract Pathway itself which allows you to walk paralleling the entire length of the river in this section (note it is marked in red).
Where that pathway clearly has an advantage is that you could enter where ever on the river, fish up or down, and then if you do not feel like wading back simply take the well developed path to where you started.
My first stop was site No.11 or "Forest Rest" where though late Sunday night there were two cars (and know the Mason Tract is very heavily fished), yet I walked down to the river never the less. Upon reaching it I was stunned. In the section I could see, relatively straight and slow moving, if I had to guess over the 70 yard stretch there had to be easily 30-40 fish rising consistently. Some were of clear size, others debatable yet they were simply everywhere. The two guys on the water complaining about there being "too much food on the water," and were having difficulty getting anything to bite though clearly the fish were there and feeding.
At that point I pressed on finding two more cars arriving as I was leaving, and though I only drove into site No.s 10 & 9, I did walk to the river on No.8 noting the bite on just as thick as at site No.11......At that point it was getting dark enough that I opted to simply drive becoming familiar with the road, and so ended my scouting with no fishing for Sunday.
My opinion of the South Branch of the Au Sable is that besides being significantly more scenic than the mainstream's Holy Waters, simply the size and shape of the river let alone the shading allotted by the flanking woods is simply more conducive to a more productive fishery. Couple that with considerably less float traffic, and what is likely a better food supply and in my opinion and from what I saw you'll have a better chance there at a successful day fishing.
That said, the waters of the Mason Tract I expect are very heavily pressured by fly fisherman the year round. Obviously late Spring and Summer, though perhaps even more so come September 30th in that most of our other waters close to Trout fishing. In fact, you cannot even be found on the water with fishing gear in hand. The Mason Tract however stays open year round.....So true or not I can't say, yet I'd expect it would become a Mecca for those who choose not to hunt yet fly-fish year round.
Finally, just like the Holy Waters this stretch looked to me to be even more developed and maintained for fishing. That has its plusses and minuses. On the plus side you have had Trout conservation groups grooming these waters to be an excellent fishery and in kind improving access for decades....On the negative that means it can be easily accessed and likely is. To that end I suspect the fish are rather well edjewmacated to our antics. Just like those two guys on the water seemed to find in that their presence did not put the bite down, yet they couldn't get the fish to bite their false offerings.
In any case, simply in that now that I have scouted it I might try to head back up toward the end of September or October. If I do I'll post a follow-up, just fishing report.
Trip Report or a Tale/Whine of Complications:
Thursday 08/27:
Friday 08/28:
Saturday 08/29:
Sunday 08/30:
Monday 08/31:
I have decided to not spend the time to rewrite this section of the post at this point. Perhaps though doubtfully in the future.
B.E.F.
2016 UPDATE:
There have been some changes worth noting in the year since this report was written:
1. The rooms (perhaps all) have been updated with new heating systems (though there is still no air conditioning which it would be worthwhile to add to a select few rooms (not all) for those with respiratory issues (humidity primarily)).
2. The room and meal rates have reasonably and modestly increased.
3. They now have a large smoker/BBQ on site for events.
4. There are some new interestingly designed umbrellas specifically for the picnic tables added for shade.
5. The fly shop seems to have even more stuff (these guys know how to fit 20# of stuff into a 5# bag due to thoughtful organization).
6. There has been a few staff changes, yet the new additions are as great as those that moved away.
7. They have added a new commercial quality air conditioning system to the restaurant and fly shop building.
2017 Update:
There were only a couple of changes since 2016 worth noting.
1. Some menu items increased once again in price, yet Josh stated that (barring unforeseeable issues) they would not increase again in 2018. The food however is top notch and well above typical fare.
2. The free-roaming layout of the resort has been fenced off at the outdoor dining end due to regulations regarding item No.3.
3. Gates now serves liquor and beer. Though you may still bring your own bottle of wine to the restaurant, and still may mix your own at your room and carry out on the grounds, they now serve a few beers and mixed drinks. I'm not sure however how complete the bar is, the number of beer brands is limited, and specialty mixed drinks advertised did not give an indication as to how well stocked liquor was, yet I suspect it leaves room for it to evolve ultimately to suit most.
4. I asked about the possibility of air conditioning in some of the units (being too hot not typically an issue, yet humidity and pollen removal for those with respiratory issues worth considering), Josh noted that they were considering it yet amperage issues in the units might prohibit such a change.
5. Plans for 2018 would be upgrades to the rooms. Personally I'm not sure why they would need to change/repair/improve on the rooms, yet it was something he noted. They suit me as is, yet I'm not there to hang out in the room.
B.E.F.
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