Harbor Bait and Tackle in Fairport Harbor aims to meet the many needs of anglers
Jun. 20—It didn't take long for Don Moore to realize that his retirement years weren't going to be filled with idle time.
"When I retired, I lasted two weeks at the house, and then my wife, Marianne, said I needed to go do something else," he said.
After a long career as a commercial pilot, Moore began thinking about ways to re-enter the workforce.
"Fishing was about the only other thing I knew a lot about," he said.
At that point, Moore decided he would try to fulfill the needs of local anglers by opening a business called Harbor Bait and Tackle.
Originally located at 786 Richmond St. in Painesville, Moore relocated Harbor Bait and Tackle three years ago, heading a short distance northward to Steele's Plaza at 1248 High St. in Fairport Harbor.
"As long as I'm on the main drag to the boat ramp, it's a good location," he said.
Throughout its 15-year history, both locations of Harbor Bait and Tackle have been situated on a direct path to and from the Fairport Harbor Port Authority boat-launch ramp and the Fairport Harbor Pier, which are both at the northern end of Water Street on the Lake Erie shoreline. The store also is located in a part of Lake County which offers various fishing spots along the Grand River.
Moore also noted that Steele's Plaza, where his current store in based, features a parking lot with decent space and easy access for vehicles that are pulling boats on trailers.
Harbor Bait and Tackle sells live bait, such as minnows, crayfish, red worms and nightcrawlers; rods and reels; an impressive assortment of fishing lures; and hooks, sinkers, swivels and other angling gear.
Moore also said that Harbor Bait and Tackle strives to provide helpful advice and friendly service to all who visit.
"That's what makes us special here," he said. "There are three or four others who work for me, and they all have the same interest."
Although Moore ran a corporate flight department for a Cleveland company prior to his retirement, he said launching a bait and tackle shop 15 years ago proved to be challenging.
"You learn as you go, because I really didn't have anybody to help," he said. "But I was very fortunate. I got to fish all over the world and learned a lot about it, and knew the specifics needed in this (geographic) area, and what works and what doesn't work."
Moore recalled that it also took a while for his bait and tackle shop to reel in a steady stream of customers.
"You had to get people to come by and then realize what you had to offer above and beyond Walmart and all the others," he said.
Running Harbor Bait and Tackle is a year-round venture for Moore.
"We have fishing pretty much 12 months out of the year here," he said. "Ice fishermen in the winter, plus we have a tremendous steelhead trout fishing season that starts in the middle of September and goes all the way into May."
As he reflects on the past 15 years, Moore said he's enjoyed owning and operating Harbor Bait and Tackle.
"I love the people," Moore said. "For the most part fishermen are just great. There is nothing I would do in retail other than this."
