I don't give five stars lightly. I've been fishing with these guys on and off for a while now…read more They are always catching fish, Capt. Karl is super professional and very experienced fishing in this area. I guarantee you will have a great time and your group will come away with fish and lots of great photos and memories.

Doesn't return phone calls!! It hard to plan when there is no reply! If you as as customer reach…read moreout, at least have the respect to return a call.

AMAZING excursion with Captain Gene! Knowledgeable, friendly, professional, and knows his stuff…read more Highly recommend a fishing trip with him. Once-in-a-lifetime experience. THANK YOU SIR! Dan from Arizona

My husband and I have been coming to the Tawas area every year for almost two decades. We had heard…read moreabout the Charity Island tour, and finally decided this is the year to do it! We're so glad we did. The experience involves a 60 minute boat trip to Charity Island, a brief trip through the woods, a lecture about the history of the island and its lighthouse, and dinner. The boat departs around 4 pm, and is timed to allow people to see the sunset on the way back to Brown's Landing (a few miles south of Tawas City). The boat is a converted fishing vessel that seats up to 35 people in folding chairs; there were about 25 of us on this trip. Our boat had a canopy (much appreciated, since it was threatening to rain). Once we got to the island, we were met by another boat that departed from another area. I noticed that boat didn't have a canopy, and felt a bit sorry for those folks. The ride over was exciting. I've spent very little time on boats, having spent much of my life in a landlocked city. The waves were up a bit, and the ride was, shall we say, bouncy. Grab ropes strung from the ceiling of the canopy allowed us to move around the boat. We were warmly welcomed by the captain and crew. Once the journey began, they provided soft drinks and cheese and crackers. We disembarked at the island, where we were offered the opportunity to walk the 1/4 mile through the woods to the lighthouse, or to ride in an open trailer. With the threatening rain, most of us opted for the ride. A word of advice: wear comfy shoes and bring bug spray. The mosquitoes on the island are relentless, and the terrain did not lend itself to one lady's cute (but utterly impractical) footwear. Also, bring a jacket. Even on warm days, the wind and the spray on the boat can make you shiver. One lady had a waterproof poncho--smart move. We got off the trailer and made our way to a lovely pavilion that was set up for dinner. The staff had place cards set up with our names on them. We sat with two delightful ladies, and very much enjoyed our time with them. Soft drinks and wine were offered as Mr. Wiltse, owner of part of the island, greeted us and gave a terrific presentation on the history of the island and the lighthouse keepers. His passion for the subject made him a sparkling speaker. I won't share his stories here, as I don't want to provide spoilers. Suffice it to say that this man has done a ton of research and has met some pretty interesting people along the way. Dinner was served, and the food was great. My husband and I both chose the steak, and our dinner companions chose the fish. Dinner came with hot, crusty bread, a perfectly cooked selection of vegetables, and red potatoes. The steak was tender and flavorful. The other ladies at our table sang the praises of the fish.The meal was served informally on disposable plates and with plastic wear. While initially I was put off by this, it later occurred to me that there were very few staff doing the work, and that dishwashing was probably not practical on an island that is completely off the grid. After dinner we toured the house and lighthouse. The house is currently occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Wiltse during the summers only. Accessing the island in the winter is very difficult. The tour started in the basement, where whale oil for the lighthouse light used to be stored. It continued through the main living area, and on to the upstairs bedrooms. The house is run off of energy generated from two large solar panels and a wind turbine. Batteries that store the energy are located in the basement. We were also able to go inside the actual lighthouse. It's clear that it needs a lot of work, but the original iron spiral stair way is still there and is sturdy as ever. Looking straight up from the bottom of the staircase induces a bit of vertigo, but is well worth it. After the tour of the house, some of us went to the tiny gift shop. It featured a selection of shirts and other Charity Island items. Of most interest was containers of honey (made from the bee hives that are on the island) and maple syrup made from the numerous maple trees that populate the island. Mr. Wiltse spent several days in February tapping the trees. Be sure to bring cash, though--they don't currently have the technology for credit cards. The rain returned in full force, delaying our return for about 20 minutes. We sat on the spacious front porch and watched the storm. It soon passed and we piled in the trailer for the return trip. The staff provided umbrellas for us. The trip back to Brown's Landing was rougher than our first. The lake was stirred up from the storms. The staff served cheesecake and soft drinks for dessert. Nearing our destination, we were greeted with a glorious sunset and a rainbow--a perfect ending to a fun and informative trip. Bottom line--if you have a chance to do this, do it. Experiences like this are way better than any souvenir.

From the owner: Our Signature "1857 Island Lighthouse Dining Adventure Cruise" to Charity Island beginning Saturday…read moreMay 28th will run every Weekend through the second Saturday in October. For the General Public we run every Friday, Saturday, & Sundays and typically have tour groups on weekdays with a General Public seats also available on those dates. Call for weekday availability.

Beautiful Friendly…read moreNice new showers & bathrooms Great spot for a an overnight pit stop No bars or restaurants within walking distance

We just bought a brand new Crest pontoon boat from Jerrys Marine. Working with Terri and Jim was an…read moreabsolute pleasure. Their price point was incredibly competitive and their service was top notch. They delivered our pontoon to us (all the way in West Bloomfield) incredibly quickly so we could enjoy it in time for 4th of July weekend. They helped make everything happen. We are thrilled with our boat and couldn't recommend Jerry's Marina more! 5 star experience!!!

Came in Thursday morning without a reservation and they were able to accommodate me and my…read moredaughter. Simple signup at the office, reasonable rental rates and we found ourselves in the transport van heading up river. We chose the 12.5 mile extended trip and had a great time. Beautiful scenery with lots of wildlife to see. Will definitely be back!

Enjoyable experience from this rental business. Take you up river for few miles & you paddle/float…read moreback to the business. Good job. Michigan leaves much to be desired

Awesome way to learn about the Traverse City area. Harley…read morewas a great story teller and knowledgeable of the area. He did his homework. Loved hearing the Indian story. Jack was a great captain. They have drinks and snacks available for purchase. Highly recommend!

Fun cruise on a wide, covered boat. The time f kept the sun off of us and the breeze off the lake…read morekept us reasonably cool. The lower deck had refreshments including beer and wine. The cruise was fir two hours and was very relaxing. We enjoyed the stories of the water.

Capt. Ed and his first mate Jeremy found us some great Walleye. They're really knowledgeable about…read morefishing on the Bay and give you pointers to help reel them in. I'd definitely book with them again.

From the owner: We take clients charter fishing in saginaw bay for walleye and perch. We also fish for walleye in…read morethe Saginaw River and Detroit River. We have the latest electronics and gear on both of our boats. If you are jigging, you will get a choice of different size rods. For trolling the bay we use 7 foot walleye rods, with Okuma Convector CV20 reels, spooled with Berkeley Big Game fishing line for our crankbaits. We use brand name and custom painted spoons on lead core line once the fish move into deeper water in June and July.

By sheer luck, we were able to snag a spot for Father's Day weekend. It wasn't just any spot, it…read morewas one of the few non-permanent spots with an unobstructed view of Tawas Bay/Lake Huron. We were able to hear the waves crashing and we basically had a private beach. You couldn't book online, but the person who helped us set up the reservation was very courteous. When we arrived with our camper, the manager actually rode his bike in front of us to guide us to our spot and helped my husband as he was backing up the camper so that the door would open right on the cement pad. It does come with an above ground half barrel firepit. We didn't use their facilities since we had full hookup (I'm pretty sure all the spots have full hookup). The playground, albeit small, was within view of our campsite so we were ok with letting the kids go play on it while we set up camp. And it looks like they have a boat onsite that you can charter out for fishing, but with just the 4 of us and 2 of us until the age of 7, it wouldn't have been a value add to the quality of our trip, especially since I was pretty familiar with the Tawas area and we were less than 10 minutes from downtown. If you're looking for a party campground, this isn't it. There are a lot of seasonal and permanent residents onsite, so weekend sites are hard to come by. My family enjoyed the experience so much, we plan on calling them early next year to try to get the same spot way in advance so we can go swimming from our own private beach again! Highly recommended.

We stayed here this past summer, 2013 and it was very quiet and serene. You would never know it was…read moretucked in the woods just off the main road. You were close to town, (Tawas), and the farmers market and all shopping. You had your own private beach and boat hook up. They even hosted a Chartered Dinner Cruise on the weekends. The sunrise was breathtaking and worth getting up early to see.

Stayed in cabin 1 beautiful lakefront ! But there was no hot tub on deck like it says . Also very…read moreodd to me the office was right below our cabin in the basement very weird every morning we could here office workers talking and phones ringing

Not impressed with this place. Video cameras everywhere (creepy) and a rough mix of renters.read more