Saginaw Bay’s special waters have much to offer
Michigan’s Saginaw Bay is in the southwest portion of Lake Huron. It has a surface area of 1.143 square miles. It is generally divided into two parts, the outer bay defined by an imaginary line extending from Pointe aux Barques, at the tip of the Michigan “Thumb” on the east, to AuSable Point on the west shore.
The inner bay is that area beneath an imaginary line from Fish Point near Sebewaing to point Au Gres on the west shore. The mean depth of the outer bay is 48 feet; the inner bay has a mean depth of only 15 feet.
The relative shallowness of both the outer and inner bay, and long northerly fetch, can result in particularly rough seas during NW, N and NE winds. Fortunately, weather stations in both the inner and outer bay give reliable, updated wave height data both day and night.
The prevailing winds are WSW. This, plus the large expanse of the inner bay, makes it a great venue for sailing. The Bay City Yacht Club, at the mouth of the Saginaw River, organizes weekly Wednesday night Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) races. (PHRF is a handicapping system designed to cancel out craft differences and focus on the skill of the crew. This handicapping system allows boats of different classes to more fairly race each other.)
Participants are slotted into fleets based on PHRF rating and boat type. Tawas Bay Yacht Club also organizes PHRF races, family races and J-22 fleet racing in Tawas Bay. The Saginaw Bay Community Sailing Association offers weekly youth and adult sailing lessons from its dock in downtown Bay City.
The Saginaw River, which enters Saginaw Bay at its most southerly point has the largest drainage basin in Michigan, draining approximately 15% of the total lower peninsula land area. This results in the river having a high silt load which results in Saginaw Bay’s cloudy appearance. Environmental improvement efforts over the past 60 years have resulted in relatively clean water in the bay, allowing many people to enjoy the many beaches and “warmish” water in the area.
With a few exceptions, Saginaw Bay is free of hazards. The bottom is a mixture of sand and clay which offers good holding. Nevertheless, anchoring overnight is not recommended due to the lack of protected anchorages and the potential for rapid formation of uncomfortable seas.
The main hazards to navigation are:
1) the shoal between the Port Austin Lighthouse and the “tip of the Thumb” (don’t pass between them);
2) the Charity Islands area (give them wide berth if passing to the north and use what is locally called the slot (a passage south of the Charities shown on your chart as a minimum of 7’ at low water); and
3) the entrance to the mouth of the Saginaw River (approach using the buoyed shipping channel and remain in the channel as you proceed up the river). Finally, pay attention to the red buoy off Tawas Point when heading toward the East Tawas Marina.
Walleye fishing is the most popular activity on Saginaw Bay. A profound food web shift in Lake Huron took place in 2003 with the near disappearance of the invasive alewife. Alewives used Saginaw Bay's near-shore waters as spawning and nursery grounds and were a formidable predator and competitor to newly hatched percid (walleye and yellow perch) fry.
In the absence of alewives, walleye and yellow perch reproduction increased substantially. The recreational harvest since then has ranged from about 150,000 fish per year to as much as 350,000 per year. Cruising boats should maintain a lookout for the many small fishing boats on the Bay.
Saginaw Bay has a number of marinas, with four of them being particularly popular destinations for the cruising boater: Port Austin, Caseville, Bay City and East Tawas.
Port Austin: It has a well-protected harbor with easy access. Remember to pass the lighthouse to the north. Port Austin has 17 floating docks for boats less than 40’, 4 slips for boats 40’, and 4 slips for boats up to 45’. In addition, it has a 450’ wall for docking larger boats. It is important to call ahead to check on availability. The community of Port Austin has a number of nice restaurants and retail stores, as well as public transportation and a large farmers market on Saturdays. A famous local attraction is Turnip Rock (see picture) which can be reached by dinghy or kayak.
Caseville: Caseville is a small town with an excellent protected harbor and public docks for 68 boats. The approach to the extensive breakwall on the north side of the channel is a course of 119 º . The town offers groceries, meats, a movie theater, gift shops, boutique shops and a pharmacy. Jet Skis are available for rent. On the outskirts of Caseville is a huge, wide sandy beach with excellent swimming. For 10 days in August, Caseville hosts the “Cheeseburger Festival.” Very advanced reservations are required during the time of what locally is known simply as “Cheeseburger.”
Bay City: Bay City is a large, deep-water port on the Saginaw River. The port accommodates lake and ocean freighters and affords protection from all winds. Liberty Harbor Marina is a municipal, state-run harbor with floating docks (98 slips) accommodating boats up to 60’. It is about five miles from the river mouth on the west side of the river. Reservations are recommended. Many restaurants, shops and historical sites on both sides of the river are within easy walking distance of the harbor. Two bridges close to the harbor allow convenient access to the east side. Nice walking/bike trails are on both sides of the river. Special events are scheduled most weekends.
East Tawas: East Tawas is in the NW section of Tawas Bay. A full-service marina was rebuilt in 2017-18 with new, high floating docks and electrical service. The marina has 80 seasonal slips and 60 transient slips with available sizes 1-39’, 34-45’, 46-60’, 61’. There is a 300’ pier for larger boats. The breakwall (no water or power) is available for free docking but that is not encouraged. East Tawas has many shops, restaurants and a good beach by the harbor. There is a nice, easy bike ride or dinghy trip to the old lighthouse on Tawas Point and the adjoining beach on Lake Huron.
