PERCHFEST CASTS ANGLING ACTION

Event provided guests with education, skill building, other family-friendly activities

Perch may be synonymous with Northeast Ohio, but for dozens of youngsters at Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve and Marina Aug. 28, the game fish, for the first time, introduced fun-filled activity and natural discovery.

Thanks to PerchFest, the city of Mentor provided area youth with opportunities to learn the basics over the course of three days, beginning Aug. 27 through Aug. 29.

As derbies and clinics took place during the inaugural event, kids learned multiple aspects of the sport, including how to tie flies, identifying fish species and prime fishing spots, cleaning and filleting, and advice on baiting.

The family-friendly environment also included live entertainment, games, food, crafts and more.

While perch festivals have been celebrated in Lake County throughout the years, Mentor wanted to resurrect the generations-popular event, which was discontinued in 2017.

“We have a great working relationship with the Mentor Lagoons Yacht Club and wanted to

“We have a great working relationship with the Mentor Lagoons Yacht Club and wanted to offer this to the Mentor Marina dockers and the general public.”

— Kenn Kaminski, director of parks and recreation

offer this to the Mentor Marina dockers and the general public,” said Kenn Kaminski, director of parks and recreation.

“Both entities felt it was time to bring back the event because we felt that we could safely host an outside event to attract people to the marina.”

With a handful of willing groups, organizing the fest was relatively easy, Kaminski added.

“The club and the city worked very well together and we had the same goal for the event,” he said. “The club has a lot of experience and we are just a perfect partner.”

Dubbed as a smaller version of CityFest, a two-day gala held Aug. 20-21, Kaminski believes PerchFest could continue building on a longstanding county tradition.

“Ideally, if we have 6-to-8,000 (people) over the course of the event we will be really happy, he said. “We are very confident in the setup and plans, due to all of the events that we host annually in the city.”

Visitors outside of the Mentor area really propel the event, added Art Carina, past commodore of Mentor Lagoons Yacht Club.

“I’ve been boating and fishing all my life, my parents always had a boat, and it’s just what we did,” he said, “so it’s nice to see the families come out with the kids, especially the kids who don’t know how or never had the chance to fish. It’s a fun thing.

“They get really excited while we show off the property, and it really is a community-driven effort, plus ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) had contributed tremendously, with rods and gear,” Carina added.

“Collectively, Mentor has done all the heavy lifting — in years past, with the club’s events, I’ve had to do all of the heavy lifting, so this is a nice change,” he said, laughing.

“And the fact that people enjoy it makes it even more of a nice change.”

PHOTOS BY CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS HERALD Seven-year-old Denny Meyer Jr. holds up his catfish as Art Carina takes a measurement on Aug. 28during the inaugural Mentor PerchFest at Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve and Marina.

The Mentor PerchFest drew multitudes of fishing enthusiasts over the course of three days, including a duo of prepubescent rogues who gleefully flouted clearly marked order.

CHAD FELTON — THE NEWS-HERALD Art Carina, past commodore of Mentor Lagoons Yacht Club, presents prizes to a young fisherman on Aug. 28during Mentor PerchFest.