BirdTrout
Mason Tract — South Branch Au Sable River, Michigan
Also called The Mason Tract, South Branch flies-only, Mason Tract Pathway water.
Chase Bridge to Lower High Banks.5 NHD reaches, 10.9 miles of drawn channel — side channels and braids included, so more than the distance downriver. Nearest reporting gauge 5.7 miles away.
Open in BirdTroutThe line is the water this name refers to, drawn from the NHD reaches it resolves to; the dots are the nearest gauges reporting water temperature, coloured by what they read now.
What it is
The South Branch through the 4,493 acres George Mason's heirs left to the state on the condition it stay wild. Ten-odd miles of flies-only, no-kill water with no development on either bank.
Artificial flies only, no kill, from Chase Bridge downstream to Lower High Banks.
Where it is
- From
- Chase Bridge (44.5406, -84.5503)
- To
- Lower High Banks (44.5663, -84.4923)
| Access | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| South Branch Au Sable River Potters Landing | walk in | 0.9 mi |
| South Branch Au Sable River Swamp | walk in | 0.9 mi |
| South Branch Au Sable River Forest Rest | walk in | 1.1 mi |
| Chase Bridge | canoe launch | 1.3 mi |
| South Branch Au Sable River Durants Hangar | walk in | 1.3 mi |
| South Branch Au Sable River Durants Castle | walk in | 1.6 mi |
| South Branch Au Sable River Deerheart Valley Road Ending | walk in | 2.0 mi |
| South Branch Au Sable River High Banks | walk in | 2.1 mi |
Distance from the centre of the mapped reach, not along the road.
Regulations on this stretch
Artificial flies only, no kill, from Chase Bridge downstream to Lower High Banks.
Rules change every year and the posted signs are the authority, not this page. Check the current Michigan regulations before you fish. Where this stretch sits inside a larger river, that river's general regulations apply everywhere this stretch's do not.
Best times
Hendricksons in late April and a heavy Hex hatch in late June; the tract's lack of road access means the evening fishing thins out slowly.
Live water temperature
| Gauge | Distance | Now |
|---|---|---|
| South Branch Au Sable River Near Luzerne, Mi | 5.7 mi | 52.7 °F |
| Nb Au Sable River At Kelloggs Br Near Lovells, Mi | 12.5 mi | 52.7 °F |
| Manistee River Near Grayling, Mi | 17.9 mi | 51.8 °F |
Live from USGS — the number above is current rather than whenever the page was written. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away: the distance column is there so you can discount it.
Fly shops nearby
- Village Outfitters — 4.8 mi
- Gates Au Sable Lodge — 8.6 mi
- The Fly Factory — 11.2 mi
- Old AuSable Fly Shop — 11.4 mi
- Fuller's North Branch Outing Club — 17.3 mi
- Ausable River Outfitters — 21.0 mi
Straight-line distance from the centre of the mapped reach.
Sources for the name
BirdTrout did not name this water. 3 independent sources below use the name, and it ships only because more than one of them does.
- flyshop Old AuSable Fly Shop
- forum Michigan Sportsman
- guide The Outbound Collective
The river this is part of
South Branch Au Sable River — live temperature, regulations and access