need help for Mentor area

[jethro5910]

Hello All,
Planing on going to Mentor area to fish for eye's around july 17 thru 22.
We are from Kentucky so dont know anything about the area or the fishing.
Could any one tells us about motel good place to launch and agood tackle store in the area.
Thanks for any help

[Wolverine81]

Hello,
Depending upon what you are looking for, Mentor may not be the best place for you. I grew up/live in Mentor. You may wish to look at Geneva. It is the next county over & much more rural. There is an Ohio State Park there and I believe you can camp & the boat launches are free. The launch ramps are very nice & since the walleye's tend to move North & East in the Lake, Geneva tends to do very well during the end of July. Many people from Pa. etc. tend to fish out of Geneva & the lodging there may be a little less expensive than in Mentor if you do not wish to camp. You may want to check online if you want to camp @ Geneva and see if reservations are required. the ODNR website might be a place to start. I am sure Geneva Bait & Tackle could help you out.

If you still wish to fish out of Mentor, it is a much more urban area. I would go on the Lake County, Ohio website & look for lodgng there. You will have to launch out of the Mentor Lagoons, Fairport Harbor, or the Chagrin River in Eastlake(shallow). Launches will run about $10/shot. There are small local tackle shops near the launches or a Gander Mountain in Mentor. Whether you fish Mentor or Geneva, the run to fish will be 6-10 miles but if you know how to troll you should do well. Most of the fish are from the 2003 hatch and are about 6 lbs. You can see my other posts on Fairport on this page. Geneva is in Ashtabula County, Ohio so you may want to check out their website as well. Knowing what I know and if I were in your shoes, I would probably be going out of Geneva as it will probably be less expensive and you would have an easier time meeting up with serious fisherman who can help you out. GOOD LUCK and hopefully the weather will be nice next week

[Wolverine81]

Hello,
Depending upon what you are looking for, Mentor may not be the best place for you. I grew up/live in Mentor. You may wish to look at Geneva. It is the next county over & much more rural. There is an Ohio State Park there and I believe you can camp & the boat launches are free. The launch ramps are very nice & since the walleye's tend to move North & East in the Lake, Geneva tends to do very well during the end of July. Many people from Pa. etc. tend to fish out of Geneva & the lodging there may be a little less expensive than in Mentor if you do not wish to camp. You may want to check online if you want to camp @ Geneva and see if reservations are required. the ODNR website might be a place to start. I am sure Geneva Bait & Tackle could help you out.

If you still wish to fish out of Mentor, it is a much more urban area. I would go on the Lake County, Ohio website & look for lodgng there. You will have to launch out of the Mentor Lagoons, Fairport Harbor, or the Chagrin River in Eastlake(shallow). Launches will run about $10/shot. There are small local tackle shops near the launches or a Gander Mountain in Mentor. Whether you fish Mentor or Geneva, the run to fish will be 6-10 miles but if you know how to troll you should do well. Most of the fish are from the 2003 hatch and are about 6 lbs. You can see my other posts on Fairport on this page. Geneva is in Ashtabula County, Ohio so you may want to check out their website as well. Knowing what I know and if I were in your shoes, I would probably be going out of Geneva as it will probably be less expensive and you would have an easier time meeting up with serious fisherman who can help you out. GOOD LUCK and hopefully the weather will be nice next week