Meet Your Neighbor: Fry's river cruises highlight lush scenery, eagles

Sheri Trusty
Correspondent

 

Bob Fry offers Eagle Cruise trips downriver and River Cruises to Tackle Box 2 upriver on his boat seven days a week. As far as he knows, he is the only licensed captain currently offering commercial river cruises on the Sandusky River.

FREMONT - Locals have found many ways to enjoy the Sandusky River, but Bob Fry now offers a unique way to get people down — or up — the river. Last May, he started Fry’s River & Eagle Cruises, offering trips on his 18-foot Odyssey pontoon boat. As far he knows, Fry said he is the only licensed captain offering commercial river cruises on the Sandusky River.

Fry’s trips begin at Memory Marina in Fremont and can accommodate up to six people. His customers can choose a seven-mile ride down the river to view eagles or a seven-mile River Cruise traveling upriver with a dinner stop at Tackle Box 2, which offers burgers, wings and sandwiches, but is best known for its perch, walleye, and frog legs.

The River Cruise also travels by the historic Peninsular Farms.

“It’s even prettier by the river, and I give a short historical presentation on it,” Fry said.

The captain and his customers have viewed dozens of eagles on their trips downriver. During one trip, he and his three-person group spotted eagles over 50 times.

Holly Laub of Bellevue and her family took an Eagle Cruise last August.

“It was wonderful. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of eagles we saw. I never realized how big the Sandusky River is or that there are hundreds of birds there,” Laub said.

Fry can accommodate up to six people, but welcomes smaller groups, on his 18-foot Odyssey pontoon boat.

Laub said the pontoon ride was relaxing, and the kids in her group had as much fun as the adults.

“We caught the tail end of the sunset coming back in. It was just beautiful,” she said.

It’s not just eagles that clients see on Fry’s trips. Lake Erie is a nationally-known birding destination, so the river is on the migration path of hundreds of birds each year — including American White Pelicans. Plus, there are plenty of native Ohio birds to see, including swallows, ducks, cormorants and seagulls.

“At one point in the backwater area, we saw 35 or 40 egrets. It was just all white back there,” Fry said. “As the seasons change, the birds change. Every trip is different. I’m always excited about it.”

Fry, a Clyde native who lives near Bellevue, has been boating since the early 1980s and obtained his captain’s license about four years ago. His customers have booked trips to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, enjoy ladies nights out, or just to experience a couple of fun hours on the river. Children are welcome on the trips, and the boat is equipped with life jackets in sizes infant through adult.

An eagle rests in a tree during one of Bob Fry’s recent River Cruises. Fry and his clients have seen dozens of eagles as well as a wide variety of other birds, including American White Pelicans, during their trips on the Sandusky River.

Cruises are offered seven days a week. For best eagle viewing, Fry recommends morning or evening trips. Two-hour Eagle Cruises cost $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 are free. Cost of River Cruises varies with the length of the trip.

For more information or to book trips with Fry’s River & Eagle Cruises on the Sandusky River, call 419-680-4991 or visit the business’ Facebook page.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.