The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The World Fishing Network wants to know where Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town is. Is it Flin Flon? An online contest is accumulating votes to determine the winner of the title. Flin Flonner Glenn Whitbread decided to nominate his hometown when he saw an advertisement on one of the WFN's programs. 'I was watching (TV) and it popped up. I went to the website...made a couple clicks and started it,' says Whitbread. Whitbread says the prize for the Ultimate Fishing Town _ $25,000 _ is a pretty good incentive. 'There's good money up for grabs,' he said. Proud of his community, Whitbread wants to help promote Flin Flon. 'We need to get the word out there and this is a great way,' he said. The Ultimate Fishing Town contest will run the rest of April and well into May. Whitbread started the nomination process for Flin Flon on Monday. Other towns had been nominated already, so Flin Flon has some catching up to do. As of Wednesday afternoon, 13 votes had been cast for the community. 'We gotta get at it,' Whitbread said. But Flin Flon isn't the only northern Manitoba town nominated, as Cranberry Portage and The Pas are also up for the title. The Pas had a solid lead over Flin Flon with well over 260 votes, while Cranberry Portage was still waiting for its first vote. In the Western category, Flin Flon was ranked fifth _ two spots behind The Pas. 'Flin Flon is a good place to come and fish. People need to come and hear about it,' said Whitbread. 'It will help if Flin Flon is heard about.' Round one of the online contest runs until May 3. Round two will start the same day with the communities with the most votes continuing. 'It's basically a fun game,' Whitbread said, noting that the contest is free. 'It's something anyone can get involved with.' Voters are eligible to vote up to four times every 24 hours. Quality fishing The main question Whitbread had to answer to nominate Flin Flon was this: what makes Flin Flon the Ultimate Fishing Town? 'Do we have fish? you bet we do!' he wrote. 'Here in Flin Flon we have been known for our quality fishing experiences forever. 'World record Lake Trout and lakes and rivers in every direction hold fish of all sizes, shape and colour. ''Mega Fishing' typically describes our area by visitors from all over the world. Easily reached by air or from the South on #6 and #10 highways, along with the friendliest people in Manitoba truly makes Flin Flon a large part of the World Fishing Network and as you will see, the Ultimate Fishing Town.' If Flin Flon is chosen as the winner of the Ultimate Fishing Town, Whitbread hopes to see the $25,000 prize go to the Flin Flon Trout Festival. '...in my mind that's where it would be best served,' he said.
