061225...R ERIE DEARIE 1...Mecca...06-12-25...Cathy Galbincea Brunstetter, far right, and her brother Dan Galbincea, both of Mecca, talk about the history of the "Erie Dearie" fishing lure, created by their father Dan Galbincea, during a meeting in Mecca Township Hall about pursuing a historic marker to commemorate the invention of the lure...by R. Michael Semple

MECCA — Township trustees want a historical marker placed in the township to recognize the Erie Dearie fishing lure, which was invented and manufactured by the local Galbincea family.

Trustees met Thursday with representatives of the Trumbull County Planning Commission, Trumbull County Historical Society, Mosquito Lake State Park and Trumbull County Tourism Bureau to discuss what steps are needed to get the designation.

Trustee Greg Chopko said the marker could be located near the boat launch ramp at Mosquito Lake.

Also attending via speaker phone was Port Clinton’s mayor and safety service director.

Mecca resident Cathy Galbincea Brunstetter said her father Dan Galbincea II manufactured the fishing lure in Mecca.

“My family feels so honored for the trustees to honor my father for all the hard work he did all these years,” she said.

Chopko said the fishing lure helped put Port Clinton on the map, which became known as the “Walleye Capital of the World” with all the people who fished there for walleye.

He said people would fish for walleye using the Erie Dearie fishing lure.

Chopko said for anyone who fished the Erie Dearie fishing lure was well known and well used.

Trustee Dan Galbincia said his father was able to create a lure that was ideal for hunting walleye and other fish for the way it would spin, sink and retrieve. He said the lure became a staple among anglers who admired it for its effectiveness and simplicity,

“Many people have said it was easy to use. My dad was a hell of a promoter,” Galbincia said.

Galbincia Brunstetter said the name Erie Dearie came because her dad always wanted to fish at Lake Erie and her mom Helen running the Causeway Sports Shop and taking care of five children and she would be frustrated and say to him “Just go up to Erie, Dearie.”

Resident Ed Chopko said the Erie Dearie “was always the lure to use when fishing back in the day. I am sure it is still used a lot today.”

LOCAL FISHING SHOP

Galbincia Brunstetter said her parents had a fishing shop by Mosquito Lake in the 1950s and her dad invented a fishing lure which was sold years ago for 89 cents and today is $5.50.

Dan Galbinica said his father would go to Port Clinton and Lake Erie to fish and would sell the lure out of his car.

He said his father, who died in June 1996, has a marker dedicated to him and the Erie Dearie fishing lure in Port Clinton.

After the family sold their business 15 years ago, the lure was still being manufactured out of state. The family made more than 30 different lures, which were patented.

Galbincia said his father was honored when he was inducted into the Ohio Sportsmen’s Hall of Fame in 1984.

Port Clinton Mayor Michael Snider said in honor of the fishing lure there is a Erie Dearie Park in Port Clinton and every Memorial Day weekend there is Walleye Festival held which is among the largest annual festivals in Ohio.

He said a 20-foot fiberglass walleye is lowered on New Year’s Eve in Port Clinton with this being the 30th year to do that walleye drop that draws people from around the world.

Trumbull County Planning Commission Director Julie Green said her office will work with Mecca officials on steps to get a marker with the deadline May 2026.

Meghan Reed, director of the Trumbull County Historical Society, said the process to get a marker takes two to three years.

“The state is looking for areas where they have not done markers in the past. This is worth an application,” Reed said.

Beth Carmichael of the Trumbull Tourism Bureau said first-hand accounts about the Erie Dearie are important. She said possibly a display can be set up at a nature center at Mosquito Lake State Park to help publicize the fishing lure.