Dan Falloon
If Fort Frances is going to be declared Canada’s “Ultimate Fishing Town,” the help of local residents is needed—and fast.
The first round of voting in the World Fishing Network contest is now underway and will continue until Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. local time at www.wfn.tv/ultimate-fishing-town
From there, the top two towns from the Ontario region will advance to battle the best of the Atlantic and West regions, with four “wild card” entries also advancing to the top 10.
But Fort Frances already is lagging well behind the leaders, mired in 15th spot in the region with about 35 votes as of this morning.
By contrast, Nestor Falls led the voting with more than 1,600, followed by Thunder Bay in second, having just passed the 1,000-vote milestone.
Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship winner Dorian Lindholm was surprised at the low numbers, noting that he had more stories from out on Rainy Lake than he could remember, especially with walleye and bass—among other varieties of fish available to be caught here.
“There are all species of fish around here,” noted Lindholm. “It’s all good.”
Meanwhile, Maureen Hanson, who first nominated Nestor Falls for the contest, was hoping the momentum for her town kept on rolling in hopes of winning the $25,000 community donation.
“We’re quite pleased with how things are going, but we don’t want people to slow down on voting,” she stressed.
“We definitely would like everyone in the Rainy River District to get behind us.”
Hanson said the real challenge will come in the Top 10 round, which runs from Sept. 7-28.
“That is when we really need the votes to happen,” she remarked.
“We just want to keep moving forward and the momentum to keep happening.”
Hanson noted a strong placing in the contest would help boost the town’s name on the fishing map while the prize money could be used to help keep it there.
“It’s the main industry in our town,” she explained.
“There’s nothing our town is known for other than fishing and hunting. It’s our identity,” she stressed.
“The prize money would go a long way in helping promote us and bringing recognition to us.
“I think when everybody thinks of Nestor Falls, they think of a fishing story of some kind.”
Hanson concluded by saying she will ensure that a vote will be cast for anyone wishing to cast a vote but is unable to do so.
They can contact her at Hanson’s Wilderness Lodges at 1-888-383-5674 or via e-mail at barleyanna@bellnet.ca
