Michigan Lake House Rental - questions for owners

So, I am considering (and trying to sell my wife on) the purchase of a northern Michigan lake house. The idea would be to purchase the house and rent it just about as much as we can (at least for the first few years) while saving a couple weeks a year for the family. The idea would be to buy on a lake in Otsego, Kalkaska, or Antrim Counties. I think there are some on this board that have some experience with this. If so, how much fall/winter traffic do you get? I picked the location in large part because you can get four season traffic/usage (right near golf courses and ski resorts), but for a lake house that is not not on a resort property (i.e., Boyne/Shanty Creek) do you actually get decent rentals during the fall and winter? Also, how do you go about renting (do use a website like VRBO)? How does that work? Finally, what are the pains in the ass/issues that I may not be thinking about (I have been a home owner for many years, but never rented a property so far from my actual home)? Thanks for any input.

As a person who rents often through vrbo/home away etc. if I'm not 10 mins or less from a ski lift I would never consider it. If kids are involved we look to be even closer to the lifts. .02

Our family owned a couple of places on Walloon Lake. Until my grandparents fully retired and moved North, we would rent to teachers for the school year. It worked perfectly, although it requires doing some real research to make sure you rent to someone responsible.

http://www.vrbo.com/info/list-your-property?cid=E_utah_NL_T_20101020_join_text_LO1_1

http://help.vrbo.com/articles/en_US/Article/What-are-the-risks-associated-with-renting-out-my-property?category=Security

http://www.vrbo.com/global/protect_yourself.htm