Michigan Department of Conservation
Institute for Fisheries Research Report No.1722, 1966
Fishing and Boating on Segments of the Au Sable River in Michigan, 1960-63
Gaylord R. Alexander and David S. Shetter
Abstract.-Fishing and boating activity on 50.2 miles of the Au Sable River in Crawford and Otsego counties, Michigan, was measured by stratified random sampling during 1960-63. On the main stream of the Au Sable and South Branch of the Au Sable man-hours of canoeing far exceeded fishing activity, whereas fishing constituted all but a minor fraction of the recreational activity on the North Branch of the Au Sable. Observations during the daily period 8 AM-11 PM between the last Saturday in April and the second Sunday in September (regular trout season) led to the following estimates of average total hours of recreation (canoeing plus fishing) per season:
Main Au Sable River -- 11,325 hours per mile per season
South Branch -- 3,354 hours per mile per season
North Branch -- 1,729 hours per mile per season
On the Main Au Sable 32% of the recreational use was angling; on the South Branch, 44%; on the North Branch, 99.7%. On all three streams most of the fishing was done between Decoration Day and July 4. On the Main Au Sable the most boating was done during the third and fourth quarters of the trout season, but the first quarter was preferred by the South Branch canoeists. Simultaneous use by anglers and canoeists on the Main Stream and South Branch is an important source of conflict. On the North Branch, where little boating is done, angler activity is fairly uniform during the day. On the Main Au Sable and South Branch angler use increased sharply after 6 PM, when boater use was light. Anglers and boaters mainly came from the metropolitan areas of southeastern Michigan; 10% were from other states. Thirty-nine per cent of the boaters were under age 17, but only 3 to 7 per cent of the anglers were under 17.