USCG Station Tawas

[avogunner]

My son will be graduating USCG boot camp shortly and my wife and I were informed this morning his first duty station is USCG Station Tawas (East Tawas, MI). Any board member close to there that can tell me something of the area? From my cursory research (Google Maps), it looks like a small town and fairly rural which would be rather perfect for him I think. I would bet there's some great hunting close by and of course, the lake for fishing.
Thanks and Semper Fi!

[historicfirearms]

I live just about a hundred miles straight west from there on the other side of the state. We get over that way sometimes and I used to fly over there often. It is very rural with very good hunting and fishing. Oscoda Wortsmith used to be an air force base, now Connie Coletta keeps his fleet of 747s there and they fly freight around the world. Saginaw bay has great walleye fishing, and even if he doesn't have a boat, he can still ice fish but tell him to be prepared to walk miles to get to the fish. Lake Huron salmon are being wiped out due to an invasive species of muscles competing with their food source. There is good hunting for waterfowl, grouse, squirrel, coyotes, raccoon, white tail deer, bear (drawing a license is hard), and trapping is good. Winters get cold, expect 10 below zero most winters for a low but it can get colder than that. Snow isn't too bad as it is out of the lake effect bands. There will be snow on the ground from about mid November until the end of March or so. Summers are generally comfortable, in the 80s highs, much warmer is uncommon and you have lots of good swimming areas. There are lots of meth users in the area, just the drug of choice for the poor white folks that live there. Stay out of the bars too, seems to be a popular pastime with not much else to do for entertainment if he's not into outdoors stuff. Saginaw is an easy drive if he needs stuff in the city. Good place overall.

[Plate plinker]

THAT^^^^^ avoid bars^^^^^
Being a son of Michigan that is good advice.
Enjoy the public lands of Michigan. Fish,hunt,and atvs or snowmobiling.

[Baja_Traveler]

Can't help you with the duty station, but I remember Cape May with affection!

Semper Paratus!!

[Lloyd Smale]

me too MIKE92 nov 1974
Can't help you with the duty station, but I remember Cape May with affection!

Semper Paratus!!

[Lloyd Smale]

my best friend grew up about 30 miles north of there. Ive gone back down there with him a number of times. Real nice area, nice people. He will be right in the Michigan elk hunting area too. About impossible to pull a tag though.

[DCP]

Semper Paratus is a Latin phrase, meaning "Always ready". It is used as the official motto of the United States Coast Guard.

[Duckiller]

Your son wil be just a few miles south of the AuSable river one of many famos trout streams. Lots of Nationa;l forest norh of Tawas. He should enjoy his tour at Tawas.

[avogunner]

Thanks for all the gouge....I'll pass it along.
Semper Fi!

[OnHoPr]

I don't think you really want to know my opinion. I will try to be nice.It depends on what his interest are, really. Cops are bad, stay away from the bars, that is one of their major incomes. There can be decent squirrel hunting if you find the right lots. The Huron National forest has been mowed down like a lawn as well as the Au Sable state forest. Lot of the wood is going to China to pay down the National debt and Canada won't build roads in their own country to get their wood. Many poachers in the area. A lot of it is retired peoples from Detroit and Flint areas, retirement homes and cabins. The area was hit in the '90s with TB. Iosco county has only given out 500 doe permits for PL for I don't know how many years with thousands of wasted forest to hunt on. There used to be good grouse hunting back in the '70s & '80s, but there are a few birds left. When pelt prices dropped all the critters had fine breakfasts of grouse eggs as well as more people more cats. Turkey hunting was pretty decent, but it has fallen off as well with the coyote problems which has risen immensely, not really a lot of yote hunters, he couldn't dent it. Also, the retired peoples with their bird feeders have drawn the turkeys to the homes instead of the woods. Both parties want all the deer killed for deer car accidents of Priuses and Insurance claims.

I bought my first deer license at 11 in that county. I have only shot one buck since then in that county in 47 years during gun season, though I usually hunt different neighboring counties, I still put in a few days or hunts there. Bowhunting has a better chance of filling a tag if scouting and advanced tactics are applied or if you are a good hunter. You don't even see cars along all the fire trails anymore and I don't even think the DNR even patrols it very much anymore.lol The deer turn nocturnal real quick. I will say that there are a few BIG bucks there, BIG like pushing 300 lbs, but you only find those in their later years. If he is in shape and can hunt the hard areas he will have a better chance like the big swamps along the Au Sable or Tutle Marsh, etc. If he can find farm land that would be a little better. Buy plenty of gas for scouting.I don't think I would even waste my time at my age. Duck hunting is decent on some of the lakes like Van Etan and Au Sable along WigWam Bay just south of there. If he figured out a way (easy) to shoot the locals of Tawas bay it could be fun. There is a bear or two there.

Fishing is fair to pretty good depending on what is sought. There is good panfish fishing in summer and through the ice in the county. There are a number of decent bass lakes as well as pike. There is BASS in the area and they have tournaments. There are a few trout streams or brookie creeks that hold a few fish. The Au Sable and Au Gres can have close to excellent steelhead fishing as well as salmon in the fall. In the fall there can be some good Brown trout fishing as well from boat, river, or surf. The browns will also follow the smelt and alewives in close in the spring. There can be real good perch fishing right out on the point where he is stationed at certain times of the year. With boat, downriggers, and planer boards right out from the point can be good for the salmonid species in the wee hours of the morning. Fair walleye fishing in the Au Sable impoundments. The spring can have real good walleye fishing at the mouth and Tawas bay going to spawn and following the baitfish in, respectively. In the fall on the big dock whitefish can be real good with a steelie or walleye once in a while for stringer spice. in the winter I have seen monstrous pike come through the ice inside the big dock. Since they have stocked walleye and with the salmonids the smelt runs aren't like they use to be. The spring can lead to decent menominee fishing. At times in the "River" catfishing fishing can be pretty good for trout water channel cats in the 14 to 17" range. Fine fish fries there. There are a couple of lakes with muskies. The Au Sable impoundments can have pretty good fishing, but it could take a time to learn. It also has a few state record fish and might hold a world record fish in it. There can be some decent bullhead fishing in some of lakes and river, clean fish, 14 to 16 inchers. tasty

Well, I tried to be nice, it might be worse than that really. Just off the top of the ole noodle.

They have softball leagues, probably a few other things.

[historicfirearms]

So, we are sending wood to China to pay down the national debt?��. Thats funny. LOL

[BAGTIC]

We are sending wood to China for the same reason they send things to us, to make a buck. It is not to pay down the national debt, no one has any intention of ever paying off the national debt.