To me, “The Barbless Hook” is the perfect name for TU’s birthplace. A barb effectively holds bait on a hook and it may help hold a fish if the line goes slack, but the capable angler has no need for a barb. In fact, barbless hooks penetrate with less resistance, improving the hookset. Furthermore, barbless hooks are easily removed from both the trout and the angler. For these reasons, the barbless hook symbolizes competent, forward-looking anglers who care about trout for the sake of the trout, and not just their creels.

Sure many TUers (myself included) enjoy harvesting the occasional trout. Limited harvest is fully acceptable and sustainable in quality fisheries. Sometimes harvest is even necessary, particularly when dealing with non-native salmonids. But the ethos of trout conservation, of “limiting your kill and not killing your limit,” is an essential component of the exceptional wild trout fisheries our country enjoys today.

Sustainable wild trout not only benefit anglers, but the entire ecosystem. To Griffith and those who joined him, a trout is more than two fillets provided by the state’s hatchery program.

Dave Waltz, the president of the Mason-Griffith Founders chapter of TU, kindly took me on a tour of TU landmarks along the Au Sable. I found National TU's streamside property, which is maintained for public access, to be a particularly neat sight.

We also visited The Barbless Hook and talked with Alex Johnson, the current owner and a TUer from Toledo, OH, about the plans that he and his wife Claudia have for the property.

The festivities of 2009 are definitely on the Johnsons’ minds. Alex told me he hopes to be able to sleep 25 in time for the 50th. To make this possible, the Johnsons need to renovate.

It only takes one look at The Barbless Hook for the visitor to recognize that George Griffith was a character. Mileage signs for Pompano Beach, Livingston, and Massapequa are posted outside. The out-building is named the “Au Sable Hilton.” The interior of the main cabin features red and teal paint and shag carpeting. The Johnson’s are in the process of repairing structural deficiencies and bringing the décor up to modern standards, all while preserving the cabin’s legacy.

Elsewhere in the Michigan TU community, the opportunity to host the 50th is being treated like the Olympics returning to Greece. The 50th will provide Michigan TU with a great opportunity to showcase their history, their hard work, and the tremendous angling in the state.

I heard a story of Griffith inviting a total stranger up from the river for a drink. Many hours and a bottle of single malt later, the visiting angler needed to call his wife for a ride home. Whether you visit Michigan for the festivities of the 50th or some other time, expect similar hospitality.

Click Here to see photos of The Barbless Hook