Missing boater found safe in Tawas Lake, nearly six hours after he was last seen

A missing boater was found safe Thursday night in Northern Michigan's Tawas Lake, nearly six hours after he was last seen by family. 

The Michigan State Police said troopers from its West Branch post and a conservation officer from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources went looking for the 83-year-old man, after his wife said he went out fishing in an aluminum boat about 6 p.m. and had not returned. 

He was believed to be in Tawas Lake in Iosco County's Oscoda Township, and that's where the search began around 9:45 p.m. The man did not have a cell phone or other emergency equipment, and his boat was not equipped with lights, troopers said. 

Because of the shallow water and extensive tall wild rice throughout the lake, the DNR conservation officer used a shallow water mud boat provided by an off-duty Oscoda Township police officer to patrol the lake. Troopers joined the DNR officer aboard the boat, while MSP placed one of its aviation crews on alert to assist. 

They were searching the lake "in complete darkness," state police said. 

At about 11:40 p.m., the search team heard the man's voice and saw a flame from his lighter. He was sitting in the boat, which was stuck in the tall wild rice, with fishing nets aboard. 

"How the heck did you get all the way into here with that motor?" one of the rescue team members shouted out to him in surprise. 

The boater was found to be uninjured and safely brought back to shore.