Northern Michigan has a long history with fly fishing, from blue-ribbon trout streams to the founding of Trout Unlimited. Our rivers offer spectacular landscapes, peaceful hours and catches that get your heart pounding. And Traverse City is home to Bob Summers, one of the most admired bamboo rod builders in the industry.
Summers, owner of R.W. Summers in Traverse City, has been building bamboo fly rods since 1956 and has worked continuously building rods and repairing them ever since. He says he’s handled or repaired most of the cane rods built in the last 100 years, particularly specializing in repairing and restoring the rods of two famous makers: Paul H. Young and Lyle Dickerson. And he’s fished with most of the fly fishing legends over the last 50 years.
Here he takes his granddaughter, Cara Smith, onto the river to talk fly fishing and show her the basics of the sport. Summers walks us through tips on how he keeps a dry fly dry or the key to casting at 12:00. Tag along and learn from one of the great ones!
More on Fly Fishing in Northern Michigan
- Icons of the Fly Vest
- Rusty Gates, of the Holy Waters
- The Founding of Trout Unlimited, Right on the AuSable
- Fish the AuSable River
- The Jordan River: Wild, Scenic and Full of Fish
- Three Fishing Hotspots on the Au Sable River
- Grayling Classic: Pan-Fried Trout at Gates Au Sable Lodge
- Trout Live Better in Trees