An 83-year-old fisherman who went missing on Tawas Lake on Thursday, Aug. 20, was found safe six hours after he was last seen by his wife, according to Michigan State Police.
He was uninjured and safely brought to shore by officers from the West Branch Post and the Department of Natural Resources at 11:40 p.m. on the north side of the lake.
At approximately 9:45 p.m. Thursday, officers were called after a man went fishing in his aluminum boat three hours earlier.
According to officials, he did not have his hearing aids, cell phone, flashlight, or other emergency equipment.
Additionally, his boat was not equipped with lights.
"Due to the shallow water and extensive tall wild rice throughout the lake, the DNR conservation officer utilized a shallow-water
mud boat personally owned and provided by an off-duty Oscoda Township police officer who was not on scene," a news release from MSP's Third District reads.
Troopers searched for the boat in complete darkness.
The search team located him after seeing the flame from his lighter.
Officers also heard his voice in the distance.
MSP posted body cam footage of the incident on Friday, Aug. 21.
West Branch Post troopers and a Department of Natural Resources conservation officer were called to help locate a missing fisherman on Tawas Lake Thursday, Aug. 20, around 9:45 p.m.
— MSP Third District (@mspbayregion) August 21, 2026
The caller reported her 83-year-old husband went out fishing in his aluminum boat about 6 p.m.… pic.twitter.com/AdgaAX3eQg
Tawas Lake is located in northern Michigan, approximately 81 miles north of Saginaw.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Missing 83-year-old fisherman found safe after dark lake search, MSP says
