By Tom Lounsbury
The Cass River, which winds a westerly downstream course through Michigan’s Thumb, is divided into two parts, the Upper Reaches, which is upstream of the Caro Dam, and the Lower Reaches, which is located downstream from there. Having canoed down the length of both, I can attest each feature their own distinct and unique atmosphere, including wonderful fishing opportunities. Although there are a few exceptions in certain areas where boats can be used (thanks to the aid of a couple dams – of which a new Fish Way has replaced the Frankenmuth Dam), the Cass River is primarily canoe and kayak territory, which certainly works for me and a whole lot of other folks, as it creates a more serene and harmonious atmosphere.

After a lifetime association with the river, I believe it is safe to say I am a devoted Upper Reaches “Cass Riverman”. With the family farm that I grew up on (and now owned by my wife Ginny and I) located less than a mile away from the Cass River, I’ve spent countless hours thoroughly enjoying and savoring all that it has to offer (including a favorite swimming hole). I was a toddler sitting in my mother’s lap when I caught my first fish, a rock bass, in its waters while using a cane-pole. Needless to say, folks, I was smitten with fishing in “the Cass” from then on. I can state for a fact that the Cass’s Upper Reaches offer excellent fishing opportunities for small mouth bass, rock bass and northern pike.

Maybe it is because it was the first fish I ever caught, but the rock bass remains to be my favorite fish species to this day. Not only due to its dependably feisty nature to hit the bait and lures, but it is also quite delicious in its own right to dine on. I’m never disappointed with a stringer-full of rock bass, usually representing the “meat and potatoes” of a fishing adventure, and with small mouth bass being the “gravy”. Any northern pike ending up on the stringer as well, are considered as the “dessert”. I consider getting all three species on an outing, as being a “Cass River Grand Slam”.

Thanks to the devoted efforts of a dedicated conservation group known as the Cass River Greenway (CRG), a major portion of the Cass River’s Lower Reaches (from the City of Saginaw, upstream to M-46, between Vassar and Caro) has recently been designated an official water trail. This entails a number of canoe/kayak launches developed by the CRG, at regular intervals along the river to create a dependable access for avid paddlers. The only access on the Upper Reaches, however, is at the various bridges, and I can attest, for a fact, that some bridges can offer a bit of a challenge in this regard. Hopefully this will all change in the near future, because in my opinion, the official water trail should extend upstream on the Cass River, all the way to Evergreen Park at M-53. The public demand is certainly there in this situation, and the Cass River, as always, offers excellent recreational opportunities for folks.

Avid Cass Riverman, 16 year old Hugh Walker of Cass City, recently enjoyed an early bass season fishing adventure using kayaks on a stretch of the Upper Reaches, with his mother, Rebecca Walker. The crystal clear water featured a decent current which moved matters along with ease, and Hugh, using a small Rapala, would land a number of rock bass, as well as some small mouths which included a 16 inch, that was eaten with the rock bass later that night, and a very robust and plump 20 inch, which is destined to become a wall mount. Hugh came real close to getting a Cass River Grand Slam when he hooked into a very large northern pike and almost got it to his kayak before, due to the lack of a steel leader, it bit through the fishing line and got away. According to both Hugh and his mother Rebecca, it truly was a real dandy, which I know for a fact, the Cass River can readily provide.

A week later, Hugh Walker would have another memorable Upper Reaches fishing adventure (which he lives for), with his Grandfather Bob Walker, and Uncle Lane Walker, both of Kingston. The stretch they selected, per their canoe and a kayak would normally take four hours to drift and paddle down, but due to the intense fishing action they encountered, especially at certain coves, it took a bit longer. According to Bob Walker, the Cass’s crystal clear water and brisk current that eased them along, reminded him of fishing on the fabled Au Sable River! Bald eagles and ospreys were also constant companions for the fishermen, which says a lot about the river’s water quality.

The key to bass fishing success for the Walkers on this adventure, was using a (3 inch) black and gold, hinged Rapala, which the bass, both small mouth and rock, readily hit with a vengeance. It was estimated at the day’s end, that they had hooked and landed well over 60 small mouth bass, most of which they released (they caught a lot of “just under 14 inchers”), and fell one fish shy of their 3 –person limit of keepers, which entailed some respectable examples, and great eating, too. No northern pike were encountered on this wonderful Upper Reaches drift down the Cass River, but they certainly had no complaints at all.

As summer progresses, certain portions of the Cass’s Upper Reaches drop in depth, which affords plenty of wade-fishing opportunities. I absolutely love the “Dog Days” (named by the Romans after the Dog Star, which can only be observed at that time of year) of late summer. Typical bug hatches which fish appreciate and feed on heavily, are then pretty much over, causing the fish not to be as picky about any bait or lures cast in their direction. Typically, I still prefer to wear jeans and tennis-shoes for wading and truly appreciate the very relaxing atmosphere this all entails.
 
​I often use ultralight fishing tackle, as well as a fly-rod for wade-fishing, but my favorite, however, is an old fashioned cane-pole. Offering the utter simplicity of “stick and string” fishing, it is still as effective as it ever was, and it is the one fishing tool I can use to adeptly drop a bait or lure into a small hole in the lily pads for the greatest effect. I have attached a steel leader on occasion and a special lure to even catch northern pike with a cane-pole (which today is constructed of durable fiberglass that fit together in sections). There is no question in my mind that the old-fashioned cane-pole is the predecessor of the fly-rod, and you just might say, cane-poles have been working for me since I was a toddler!

Whether you go by canoe, kayak, wading, or simply sitting on the riverbank, fishing in the Upper Reaches of the Cass River offers plenty of opportunities (I do especially love going after “Cass Bass”, everything else is a bonus). Due to the solitude I usually experience there, I do believe it is one of the best kept secrets.

Happy fishing, folks!
    
    


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 By CRG Chairman, Robert Zeilinger
Organized in 2007, the Cass River Greenway has now been working for over a decade to increase recreational use and improve the environmental well being of the Cass River. 
Goals Developed by the Cass River Greenway Committee: 

• • Develop Recreation Opportunities on the Cass River and along its corridor 
• • Encourage Preservation of Wildlife Habitat and Critical Natural Lands 
• • Improve Water Quality of the Cass River 

Goal – Develop Recreation Opportunities on the Cass River and along its corridor: 
The design and construction of a water trail on the Cass River has been our top priority for this goal. In 2018 the Cass River Water Trail was expanded to include 13 public access sites, and now extends 37.5 miles from the M-46 Bridge (between Caro and Vassar) downstream and into the Saginaw River, ending at Wickes Park in the City of Saginaw. A number of improvements occurred in 2019, including access site improvements at Caine Road Launch, Hoffmann Park and the M-13 Boat Launch. Also, a floating dock, universal accessible kayak launch was installed at Wickes Park. 
Log jams at bridge foundations and across the river continue to be a problem on the Cass River. State and County road agencies have done a good job removing log jams from bridges. The Cass River Greenway and Bridgeport Charter Township, with funding support from the McNally Foundation, Star of the West Milling Co., Mike Young Buick-GMC and Frankenmuth Credit Union Foundation for Our Communities, partnered to remove one large log jam downstream of Davis Park. There is a second log jam in the same area that is currently blocking passage and needs to be removed. 
Paddling activity continues to increase on the Cass River. River related activities this year included the 8th Annual Paddle and Swim, The Tri-Bavaria Triathlon, The Great Lakes Rendezvous, The Walk-Through History and the 11th Annual Cass River Cleanup. 
An interactive video mapping project, Terrain 360, was completed this summer. The project was funded by I-69 Thumb Region Prosperity Network and Saginaw County Parks. It involved floating a “raft” down the river and taking photographs using 5 cameras covering 360 degrees every 40 feet of travel. The photos are then edited into an interactive video, allowing one to “float” the river using a computer or smart device. The Cass River was mapped from Evergreen Park on the south branch all the way to Wickes Park in the City of Saginaw. Map section videos will be added to our water trail website, www.cassriverwatertrail.org, prior to the 2020 paddling season. 
Finally, a new organization has been formed – The Cass River Water Trail Coalition. The membership of the organization consists of the “owners” of the 13 access sites plus 
several support groups including the Frankenmuth CVB, Saginaw County Parks and Cass River Greenway. The primary purpose of the Coalition is to cooperatively maintain and improve the water trail and lead the effort to achieve State and National Water Trail Recognition Status. 
Goal – Encourage Preservation of Wildlife Habitat and Critical Natural Lands: 
Phragmites control continues to be an active initiative for the Cass River Greenway. The Tuscola County Road Commission has been a major supporter of us in this regard. In 2019 they budgeted funds to treat roadside phragmites in three townships, Arbela, Millington and Vassar. We are requesting their assistance again in 2020. 
The US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final report of the multi-year fish passage study of the Cass River Rock Ramp. The bottom line - targeted species for spawning fish passage have been confirmed to migrate through the rock ramp, allowing them to access spawning areas upstream not available for 150 years. Over time, this should increase fishing opportunities on the Cass River. 
In addition, fish stocking is occurring. In 2019, 68,000 walleye fingerlings were release into the Cass River. Also, a 20-year stocking program of lake sturgeon has begun which will include a yearly release of 250 sturgeon into the Cass River, one of four area rivers selected for this stocking program. The program is intended to re-introduce lake sturgeon in the Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. 
Goal – Improve Water Quality of the Cass River: 
The 11th Annual Cass River Cleanup was held on September 21. Approximately 55 volunteers attended the event which was headquartered at Kappan Tree Service on Hurds Corner Road. The group cleaned 4 miles of river in Ellington Township, between Caro and Cass City. We also received funding assistance from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to dispose of large commercial tires that our cleanup crews have removed from the river the past few years. Our Cass River Cleanup events have now cleaned nearly 50 miles of river, collecting hundreds of tires, car-truck-farm equipment parts, furniture, barrels, cans and bottles. 
Next year’s event will address the last section of river to be cleaned between Caro and Cass City. 
A special thank you to our partner federal, state and county agencies, our donors and grant funders, our partner municipalities and universities, and our faithful volunteers.

The rock ramp project was completed in 2014, and there were several years of pre- dam removal and post-dam removal analysis done to evaluate its effectiveness.

​As the study indicates, all target species have the ability to pass the structure, providing them with access to important spawning area for the first time in more than 150 years.  There are obviously social and economic benefits as well that are not part of the study including new opportunities for recreational use of the river now that the dam has been removed, as well as additional opportunities for fishing.
 
The complete final report is attached by PDF.  

By Tom Lounsbury
            Formed by a glacier eons ago, the Cass River meandering westerly through Michigan’s Thumb possesses its share of history. It was a major travel corridor through an immense wilderness for various Native American tribes for countless centuries, of which is testified by the Petroglyphs located on the banks of the Cass’s North Branch in Sanilac County, that remains a sacred place for Native Americans to this day.
            This River was named in honor of General Lewis Cass for the signing of the Treaty of Saginaw with Native Americans along its banks on September 24, 1819 (exactly 200 years ago), which ceded more than six million acres in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The Cass River would play a major role in the transformation of the Thumb with the early municipalities of Bridgeport, Frankenmuth, Tuscola, Vassar, Caro and Cass City owing their creation and development to being located near its banks. A whole lot of logs were also floated down the Cass River during the lumbering era to help supply the needs of a new and fast growing country, as well as it was used to power early lumber and grain mills.
            During the mid-19th Century, the Thumb wilderness was a well known Mecca for hunters seeking bear, deer and most notably, elk. The Cass River was the main access in reaching the hunting grounds which were located well upstream with the “Forks” being the hotspot (where the North Branch and South Branch join together to become one just south of Cass City, hence the name Elkland Township that the Village is located in). A good book which documents this is “The Hunting Expeditions of Oliver Hazard Perry”, who wrote about his hunts and adventures near the Cass River in the great Thumb wilderness (during which he shot an enormous 8x8 bull elk).
            Other avid paddlers and I had the opportunity last year to venture down the Cass River from the “Forks” at Cass City, all the way downstream to where it ends by bumping into the Shiawassee River, which when soon also joined a short ways downstream by the Tittabawassee River, all becomes the Saginaw River, and we ended our journey, which required 5 day trips, at Wickes Park in Saginaw. This was the typical river trip taken by the elk hunters of long ago to return to Saginaw, and like them, we experienced a very serene and beautiful river. We also encountered an amazing amount of ospreys and bald eagles throughout our entire journey which says a lot about the fine water quality of the Cass River.
            A group which has done a tremendous amount to promote and enhance this very unique environment is the Cass River Greenway (CRG) which was formed in 2007.  The CRG has worked diligently with Federal, State and County agencies, as well as with Thumb area municipalities to promote the recreational opportunities and enhance the water quality of the Cass River. It has also developed a number of canoe/kayak launches, some of which are handicap accessible, as well as are responsible for the Cass River becoming an official water trail from Saginaw to M-46 (which I still call Enos Park). My hope is to eventually see the water trail extended further upstream, all the way to Evergreen Park on M-53. The Cass River for a fact is a superb river for canoers and kayakers, something I’ve been experiencing for most of my life and it remains to be my favorite river in Michigan.
            An annual and major effort the CRG has been doing each summer is known as being a “Cass River Cleanup”, where organized crews of volunteers pick up and remove garbage from various stretches of the river. This often involves a lot of wading, and cooperative muscle to get everything out, and it is wet and muddy work. You name it, and it has been found in the Cass River, but a real major item is rubber tires of all sizes, which never biodegrade, and are readily spread out and pushed downstream from the isolated country bridges they are tossed off (by ignorant idiots) by strong springtime currents. The rubber tires also aren’t a simple pick up out of the water either, because they are filled with silt, mud and sand which has to be removed with a shovel or trowel beforehand, otherwise lifting them out is nearly impossible. All is then placed in a canoe or small boat to transfer out to a drop off location.
            The Cass River is divided into two categories by the Caro Dam which was built in 1906 to meet the energy needs of a new and growing sugar beet industry. Upstream of the Caro Dam is known as being the Upper Reaches, and downstream is known as being the Lower Reaches. The CRG began its cleanup efforts on the Lower Reaches, and recent years have seen it diligently concentrating on the Upper Reaches as far upstream as the “Forks” at Cass City, which occurred two summers ago, downstream to the Dodge Road Bridge (not far from my farm – yep folks, I’m an Upper Reaches riverman), with an ongoing effort to continue downstream to Caro.  Last summer had a cleanup from Dodge Road Bridge to the Hurds Corner Road Bridge, which among other trash items such as LP tanks, trash barrels and lawn chairs, was 110 tires, including large tractor tires. Obviously, the Dodge Road Bridge is a favorite late night drop-site the idiots use for getting rid of trash, especially tires.
            Last Saturday morning, nearly 60 volunteers got together, thanks to the warm courtesy and hospitality of the Kappen Tree Service, to perform a CRG Cleanup from Hurds Corner Road, downstream to Forks Road. Four teams were formed with each covering a specific stretch of river. One team was even assigned to go upstream to retrieve a pile of tires which due to the high volume, had to be cached (and GPS marked) last year, for later removal.
            Since the vast majority of the Cass River’s shoreline is privately owned, having landowners’ cooperation to allow access at certain points is critical, and I can state for a fact landowners on the Cass River truly appreciate seeing the river cleaned up, and often lend a helping hand in extracting the trash that has been gathered up and brought in by canoes to their location (for instance, Adam Rodriguez and Nicholas Pink were ready and waiting with their tractors and loaders which really smoothed matters out loading onto waiting trucks). All the trash is then hauled by truck to a specific location for later removal.
            Last Saturday provided phenomenal sunny and warm weather for the Cass River Cleanup crews and all had a great time performing teamwork to extract mostly tires. A real challenge to all of this was maintaining their footing on the small, round rocks presently found on the Upper Reaches river bottom. The big floods which occurred recently in May and June washed out a bunch of rocks which have been stored for centuries in the riverbanks, and had been perfectly rounded eons ago by the glacier. 
I had a bit of a wade down the Cass River in July and can attest it is similar to walking on lubricated ball bearings (most of which are the size of billiard balls and are very animated when stepped on), and requires using a wading staff to stay upright. Throw in a strong current while wading on these moving rocks and I can assure you it is real easy to get some dents in your “tailgate”, because I ended up with a few! It is an example of how springtime floods can suddenly change the character of a river from year to year.
I fully support the efforts of the Cass River Greenway in placing a major focus on and continually improving and enhancing a very historical and beautiful river. For more information, go to www.cassriver.org .
            
            

By Tom Lounsbury
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The lake sturgeon found in the Great Lakes is unique in that it has remained the same since prehistoric times. The fact that it features cartilage instead of bones like other fish has it closely related to sharks. Being a bottom feeder, the lake sturgeon uses its spade-like snout to root in the mud to stir up food and 4 sensory organs dangling down known as barbels to locate it, and uses its prehensile lips to vacuum up the food. Its diet consists of worms, leeches, insect larvae, crustaceans, mussels, snails and small fish. It is a large species which survives by eating very small species.
            The lake sturgeon is a long lived fish with males typically reaching 55 years and females 150 years of age. It is very slow growing, about an inch per year, but can reach up to 8 feet in length and weigh over 300 pounds. Its reproductive rate is also slow, with only about 10 to 20 percent of the population spawning each year, with spawning runs taking place each spring (usually in April and May) in fast running rivers, and is water temperature dependent requiring 53 degrees F or warmer. Sturgeon are also slow to reach sexual maturity with males being at least 15 years old and females 20 to 25 years old. The sturgeon mating ritual has the male and female circling each other while shaking violently until sperm and eggs are released. The sturgeon afterwards will then usually return to the Great Lakes. The fertilized eggs soon turn into juvenile sturgeon that will eventually return to the Great Lakes as well, until they are sexually mature. Typically the river in which the spawn takes place will leave a genetic imprint for the sturgeon to return to when they have reached sexual maturity.
            The sturgeon was very abundant in the pre-settlement era and an important food source for Native Americans. Besides being eaten fresh, it could also be smoked or dried to keep for winter storage and its flesh offered an excellent source of protein. The spike-like projections on its body were also used as abrasive scrapers (quite handy in making wooden bows and arrows or smoothing out a dugout canoe). The plentiful sturgeon were also an important food source for European settlers, but its having an all too common presence had it becoming considered as being trash fish, taking a backseat to other species such as trout and whitefish. It was buried to act as fertilizer and used to feed hogs.
            Commercial fisherman developed a great dislike for the sturgeon because there was no market for them and their large size and body spikes damaged nets when they thrashed around. Instead of releasing the netted sturgeon to eventually cause more damage, the fishermen would kill them. Dead sturgeon were placed in piles on the beach, and when they became oily enough, set on fire. They were also dried and stacked like cordwood to be used to fuel steamboats.
            In 1879, it was discovered there was a market for lake sturgeon and its flesh was considered a gourmet delight (similar to cod) and its roe (fish eggs) could be used as caviar. The sturgeon’s swim bladders were also used to create a gelatin called insinglass which speeded up the clarification process for beer and wine. From that time on until 1900, Great Lakes commercial fishermen would harvest over four million pounds of sturgeon each year. However, this overharvest of a fish species with a low reproductive rate would eventually have its effect. The Great Lakes sturgeon harvest would be less than 2000 pounds in 1928.
            Progress of a fast and growing young nation would also be hard on the lake sturgeon. Dams were built in rivers to create energy to power lumber and grain mills, and eventually to create electricity. The dams in turn would block sturgeon from performing their annual spawning runs up rivers they had used for eons. Pollution as well as sediment caused by erosion would also have a major impact, and the lake sturgeon numbers would continue to plummet in a steady and dramatic decline. There is no question that the only thing which kept the lake sturgeon from becoming an extinct species of the (near) past was its longevity. Being able to live a long time was its only edge during hard times. Even though the harvest of sturgeon became highly regulated, this very unique fish truly required more help.
            The Clean Water Act of 1972 has certainly been one of the best things to ever happen for the Great Lakes in general, and is a definite boon to lake sturgeon (not to mention other fish species as well). Removing no longer used dams which only serve as a fish-spawning block in rivers is another very positive move. A good example is the Fish Passage on the Cass River at Frankenmuth, which was completed in 2015. This replaced the Frankenmuth Dam, which was originally constructed in 1850, and blocked spawning fish from venturing further upstream ever since. This Fish Passage is not a fish ladder like that provided for salmon and trout, but is instead a series of fish ways, with resting pools which allow fish such as walleyes, suckers and sturgeon to successfully venture further upstream.
            A very important factor that is bringing the lake sturgeon back to the Great Lakes is the fish hatcheries managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the MDNR Fisheries. Roe (eggs) and sperm are collected from captured wild sturgeon, after which the captured fish are released unharmed. All is then taken to the fish hatchery where fertilized eggs are carefully brought to fruition in a highly controlled environment. In this manner thousands of juvenile sturgeon are being released each year in select Michigan rivers.  
On August 31, 2018, Frankenmuth was the site of a grand celebration of releasing juvenile sturgeon into the Cass River. It would include representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the MDNR Fisheries, MSU’s Sea Grant and of course the City of Frankenmuth. This was the result of the successful joint effort of all those folks and agencies working closely together to make it happen.
Water buckets carrying juvenile sturgeon (which are small and beautiful mirror images of the adults) were carried down to the Cass River, where participating children were allowed to scoop them up from underneath with cupped hands and individually release them, one at a time. This gave all the children present an opportunity to play an important role in a definitely historic moment they will long remember. In all likelihood these sturgeon will make a genetic imprint of the Cass River and return to spawn when they reach sexual maturity in about 20 years.
The fact is, adult sturgeon have already been documented of late in the Cass River as far upstream as Frankenmuth, and there is no doubt the Fish Passage at Frankenmuth now allows them to venture even further upstream, the way it was once, before 1850. Natural reproduction per these adult fish will no doubt occur, and adding hatchery produced sturgeon certainly ups the ante.
I just completed canoeing down the Cass River from Cass City to Saginaw and I can attest that the water quality and river habitat is truly ideal for lake sturgeon spawning activities.
It is truly wonderful that a very unique fish species which nearly came to the brink of extinction now has a definite and positive future in the Great Lakes for all to enjoy for generations to come.

By Tom Lounsbury

Last Saturday represented the final leg of my journey down the Cass River, from Cass City to Saginaw. This would entail 5 scheduled daytrips in order for those who wished could join me on this grand adventure, and a goodly portion of these folks, including some kids, would be with me from start to finish. An example is Bob Walker of Kingston and his 15 year old grandson Hugh Walker of Cass City, who paddled their canoe throughout the entire journey. Professional photographer John Scollon would also be there to film the entire journey. There were also experienced kayakers Russ and Peg Fall of Millington who brought along their grandchildren on many occasions, and also experienced paddler Larry Kolb of Cass City.

I would paddle my own canoe on the first leg, from “The Forks” at Cass City to Caro, but from Caro on I would use kayaks (and a kayak is actually a Type K canoe) provided by Eric Fielbrandt, owner of Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures (kayakfrankenmuth@gmail.comor call 989-652-3400). I learned a long time ago that renting from a reliable canoe/kayak livery saves on the logistics of hauling everything and then putting in and getting out, and Fielbrandt provides quality equipment and services. He even provided transport for those of us who used their personal watercraft.

The Cass River is divided into two parts, the Lower Reaches (which is from Saginaw upstream to the Caro Dam) and the Upper Reaches (which is from the Caro Dam upstream the rest of the way, including both the North Branch and South Branch, which join to become one at Cass City). Thanks to the diligent and dedicated efforts of the Cass River Greenway (CRG), a goodly portion of the Lower Reaches, from Saginaw upstream to M-46 (Enos Park), is now an official water trail. My journey down the Cass River was to commemorate this fact, and to hopefully extend the water trail into the Upper Reaches someday. 
Ecotourism has become very important to the economy of Michigan which has countless lakes and waterways, including the Cass River. The Cass River Greenway has developed canoe/kayak launches (some with handicap accessibility) on the official water trail of the Lower Reaches, and this group is more than willing to assist (including obtaining grants for funding) municipalities who recognize the recreational value which the Cass River truly represents. They also perform regular cleanups on sections of the river each summer, and I can state for a fact that their efforts show. I’ve just paddled down a pretty clean river. Their 10thAnnual Cleanup on the Cass River is actually happening in my neck of the woods, near Cass City on August 18th. For more information, go to www.cassriver.org. 

My journey from Cass City to Saginaw has taken 26 hours to complete, and I estimate that it would take another 4 hours if I were to include a couple obstacles that I chose to avoid. The first obstacle is the Caro Dam which is privately owned and has a broken floodgate. The second obstacle is a gigantic logjam that is about an hour paddle downstream from Bridgeport, and blocks the entire river. Logjams of this nature can affect the current by intensifying it a bit, and they can suck you in. For this reason, we had selected the Shiawassee Boat Launch on M-13, just south of Saginaw, which is downstream from the logjam. It would be our shortest daytrip and entail about a 3 hour paddle to reach Wickes Park on the Saginaw River.

The weather prediction for last Saturday had a 70% chance for rain, so we were all prepared in that event. However it didn’t rain at all during our paddle, and though the sky was overcast, it was an excellent atmosphere for paddling that was surprisingly bug-free. My group entailed 15 people in 13 colorful kayaks and one canoe, and we had a decent tailwind along with the current. There were a lot of bald eagles soaring above, and eagles as well as ospreys have been our constant companions on the entire trip down the Cass River, which says a lot about the good water quality. The Cass River also has its share of history, and the Treaty of Saginaw which Lewis Cass made with Native Americans on its banks in 1819 was located most likely somewhere along our final leg of the journey (I’d sure like to find exactly where).
I spotted one bald eagle soaring above with a male red-wing blackbird homing in on it and this scene looked similar to small fighter plane coming in to strafe a large bomber. Instead of strafing, the little red-wing actually landed on and clung onto the eagle’s back and started pecking away! This caused the eagle to perform a near barrel roll to shake the little bird loose. Certainly a David and Goliath bit of drama in nature to witness firsthand. 

Like all of the Cass River we’ve travelled down on this journey, the final leg was absolutely beautiful with its own distinctly unique habitat features (such as being primarily surrounded by marshland and even having its own special scent in the air) and offering absolute solitude, as we were the only paddlers on the water in a truly wild atmosphere. There were snow-white egrets flushing and flying a short ways before landing again ahead of us, and even a long-bearded wild turkey gobbler on the riverbank seemed to be mesmerized by the wide array of colorful kayaks passing by. Numerous largemouth bass were rolling on the surface and jumping out of the water, and I made a mental note about doing this trip again, most likely real soon, with fishing gear. The bass were obviously on feeding frenzy of some sort. 

 Only about half of our final leg entailed the Cass River. It is often assumed that the Cass River empties into the Saginaw River which isn’t the case at all. The Cass River has a way of suddenly ending and you run into the Shiawassee River coming in from the south and passing by. When you leave the Cass River, you do a hard right turn (actually it is quite a wide stretch of water where the two rivers connect) and you are then paddling downstream on the Shiawassee River. About a mile downstream, you will encounter another river angling in on your left, which is the Tittabawassee River, and once this joins in, it then becomes the Saginaw River. Not far beyond this point is Wickes Park and it had been a great trip to paddle.

There no doubt was a mutual sense of accomplishment felt by those of us who had paddled the entire journey on the very beautiful and historic Cass River. Good fortune also smiled upon us in regards to the weather last Saturday, because right after we got off the water, we could see the rain coming, which appeared almost like a fast approaching fog, and it came down with a vengeance. Of course we really needed the rain, but I was sure glad our timing had fortuitously worked out.

Canoeing down the Cass River, from “The Forks” at Cass City all the way downstream to meet the Shiawassee River, and then also meet the Tittabawassee River where it all then becomes the Saginaw River, has long been on my bucket list. It has been truly amazing to witness the steady transition of the fauna and flora which is unique to the different stretches as we paddled downstream. It has also been truly wonderful to meet and share the Cass River with a bunch of really great folks.
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 I will no doubt do this all over again, because this sort of adventure becomes a bit habit forming.

By Tom Lounsbury
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Last Saturday dawned gray and with the hint of rain in the air. The TV weatherman the evening before, had predicted spotty showers in the Thumb during the morning and moving on by noon. I had high hopes the “spotty showers” would miss our group of paddlers while we journeyed down the Cass River from Vassar to Frankenmuth.

Vassar has a beautiful canoe/kayak launch located just below a rapids where a dam once stood. There is a nice parking lot featuring a handy cement sidewalk down the river making access quite convenient. This is due to the continued efforts of the Cass River Greenway (CRG) that has strived diligently to work with communities on the Cass River to establish such quality accessibility to a historic and absolutely beautiful waterway. Just recently, thanks to the efforts of the CRG, the Cass River has become an official water trail from M-46 downstream to Saginaw, with the hopes of continuing the official water trail further upstream, which is a painstaking process that doesn’t happen overnight.
The key element is to have a community realize the recreational importance of the Cass River and play a role, and the CRG has the means, including obtaining grants for funding, to make it all come to fruition. Ecotourism is a fast growing element which is a very important fact for Michigan with all of its lakes and rivers. For a long time, the (historic) Cass River has been erroneously looked upon by some as being the “Rodney Dangerfield” of Michigan waterways, something I have never agreed with, and what the CRG is striving to change, and why I fully support the group.

This is why I decided to canoe the Cass River from “The Forks” (where the North and South Branches join to become one at Cass City, which is named after the river for this reason) all the way downstream to Saginaw. I have been doing this as planned day trips, covering various river port to river port sections in order for those who wish, to join me on my journey. It is during this process I have come to know some mighty fine folks who also love and enjoy the Cass River and we were strangers who have become as close as family. We are definitely a cohesive team whenever accessing or disembarking the river, while paddling our canoes and kayaks downstream to the various destinations. Everyone never hesitates to lend a helping hand whenever it is needed.

Our first leg involving a dozen participants, from Cass City to Caro’s Chippewa Landing, occurred on Saturday, April 28 and required a leisurely paddle (including a lunch break) of 7 hours. The second leg (involving a dozen participants) of from Indian Fields Park near Caro, to Vassar occurred on Saturday, May 5 and required a leisurely paddle (including a lunch break) of 6 hours. From Cass City to Caro is considered the Upper Reaches of the Cass River, and launching at Indian Fields Park just below the Caro Dam would mark our beginning down what is considered the Lower Reaches.

It was at this point some of us would be using kayaks provided by Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures (kayakfrankenmuth@gmail.comor call 989-652-3400), which offers quality equipment and services. I learned a long time ago that working with a reputable canoe/kayak rental helps a whole lot with the logistics in accessing a river and being picked up later, and I believe it was quite fortuitous that Eric Feilbrandt would open up his new Frankenmuth kayak rental business this spring. Long a devout (Type C) canoe-person, this would be the first time for me to ever paddle a kayak (actually a Type K canoe) down the Cass River. I had gained a deep respect for the maneuverability of kayaks in the multiple (and very exciting) rapids of our journey down the Upper Reaches from Cass City.

At Vassar last Saturday morning, I would climb aboard a comfortable one-person kayak provided by Fielbrandt which is quite stabile and offers what I would call an “easy chair” to perch on above the deck. Fielbrandt also provided a two-person kayak which held our professional cameraman, John Scollon, in the front and was paddled from the back by expert kayaker Russ Fall of Millington. I’ve discovered on this journey that Russ is a good man to paddle a river with, and the cameraman was in excellent hands for the next two days.

There were 14 participants on this day, including several kids, some of whom had their own kayaks and were paddling all around and thoroughly enjoying our trek downstream to Frankenmuth. Having kids along during the adventure down the Cass River this spring has added a certainly animated atmosphere that I truly enjoy. Having kids energetically paddling back and forth around me while I’m simply paddling to the next bend in the river truly revives my spirit, and it is wonderful seeing kids enjoying quality time in the great outdoors.

The “spotty showers” would start up shortly after our launch at Vassar, and would continue during our entire paddle downstream, and at times would turn into a downright downpour, which didn’t dampen anyone’s spirit any, as we were all prepared for it, and it even added to the experience, with large raindrops hitting the water and creating unique bubbles all over the surface. It was actually quite beautiful.

We would take our lunch break at the handy canoe-launch at Tuscola and then continue on to Frankenmuth where we would land at another handy launch site above the Fish Way after a five hour paddle. It was as we neared Frankenmuth that we encountered a riverboat paddling upstream and we waved at the tourists onboard who waved back and were obviously curious about the canoes and kayaks out in the rain.

On Sunday the following morning, nine of us would launch from just below the Frankenmuth Fish Way (which replaced the Dam in 2015 and even features a canoe/kayak portage trail around it) and begin our 5 hour paddle downstream to Bridgeport. A distant church bell chimed a nice tune as we started downstream, and fortunately, although the day featured overcast skies, there wasn’t any rain throughout our trip.

This stretch of the Cass River features more sand than clay on the riverbank, and in certain areas springtime high waters have carved away the soil to expose the roots of gigantic hardwoods, creating what I would describe as a “Sleepy Hollow” effect which is quite beautiful and unique. Like the rest of the Cass River we have travelled thus far, we experienced true and uncluttered solitude that is lined with a forested riverbank, and the air was scented by fragrant spring blossoms. Eagles and ospreys have been constantly sighted throughout our journey which says a lot about the good water quality of the river.
One thing you will notice is the transcending change of the habitat as you venture down the Cass River with the atmosphere in the Upper Reaches featuring a northern Michigan flavor entailing a large mix of evergreens, and the Lower Reaches which begin to ease into a southern Michigan flavor featuring a dominance of hardwoods until seeing any evergreen trees becomes a rarity. All in all, each stretch we’ve covered has expressed its own unique individuality, and definite beauty.


In no time, It seemed, we were landing at the Bridgeport canoe/kayak launch site which is handicap accessible and features a ramp with rollers which allow you to pull yourself up using a railing, and you can easily get out at the top (Frankenmuth has this as well, thanks to the CRG).

The only thing we encountered on the river during that trip was a man and woman fishing from a canoe that was powered by an electric trolling motor (and they were successfully catching walleyes – the Cass River offers excellent fishing opportunities for a variety of species throughout its entire length). Otherwise we were offered complete solitude on an absolutely beautiful river.

​Our paddle down the Cass River thus far from Cass City to Bridgeport has entailed four (5 to 7 hour) day trips which were performed in a very relaxing and enjoyable manner. Our next and final trip from Bridgeport to Saginaw will happen in July, and I can hardly wait for it. Canoeing the Cass River from “The Forks” at Cass City, all the way downstream to Saginaw has long been on my bucket list, as I dearly love the Cass River, and having thoroughly enjoyed it since my early childhood, I owe much to it.
Meeting and getting to know some mighty fine folks to share the river journey with is truly the frosting on a very unique and flavorful cake.