An unmanned boat found near Deception Pass created more than a tidal stir below the iconic steel bridge Monday afternoon.

Bret Ginther, tour captain and owner of Deception Pass Tours, was about to take a group out when he spotted a small fiberglass boat drifting near Strawberry Island.

The boat contained poles and fishing tackle, he said, but no one was onboard. Ginther temporarily suspended the tour, called park rangers, scanned the area for clues and towed the boat to Cornet Bay.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, the Washington State Parks Department and a Coast Guard helicopter and cutter unit responded to Ginther’s report of the small fiberglass fishing boat, sans crew, according to Chief Marv Koorn of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue.

“The tour boat spotted a 12-foot boat with fishing gear and a motor on,” he said.

The nine-horsepower motor was in the down position with the propeller in the water, which caused concern that a boater may have gone overboard.

Shortly after the search began, emergency responders learned that no one had been aboard the 12-footer that was towed by a 24-foot boat earlier that day. Apparently the tow-line snapped and the boat began to drift with the tide.

“They didn’t realize they’d lost it,” Koorn said. “How that happened, I don’t know.”