By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

The city of Kissimmee just got a bite after making the top 20 list of cities vying for being named Ultimate Fishing Town U.S.A., but now it needs the help of residents to reel in the prize.

As of press time Friday, Kissimmee was ranked eighth with 1,060 votes in the national contest hosted by the World Fishing Network. In voting, residents are saying that Lake Tohopekaliga and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes makes Kissimmee the best fishing location in the country. Online voting began last month.

If it wins, the city would receive $25,000, which will be used for projects that would enhance the angler experience in Kissimmee, city Economic Development Director Belinda Ortiz said.

When the news broke that Kissimmee made the shortlist, she wasn’t surprised.

“We do have such a great community that is really enthusiastic about the lake,” she said.

Kissimmee is just one of two Florida cities to make the list, with the other being Destin.

Now city officials are asking residents to keep the votes going by visiting www.wfnfishingtown.com and then type ‘Kissimmee’ in the search box and follow the ‘Vote Now’ prompts. This final round of voting will end Tuesday, May 31.

“We are appreciative to the community. Now we want to keep the momentum going,” Ortiz said.

But winning is not just about the money, Ortiz said. It’s also the publicity the city would get. The city that is crowned the best fishing town will be the focus of a feature about the winning town produced and broadcast on WFN and WFN HD. There also will be a check presentation and media event with WFN in the winning town.    

But Kissimmee has a lot of ground to make up to catch the leader on the list – Roscoe, N.Y. At press time Friday, that city had 12,342 votes.

Ortiz said she was confident the city could make the necessary strides, but needs help from local businesses. She’s asking business owners to persuade their employees to vote twice a day on Tuesdays and Fridays. Why those days?  They’d be the easiest days to remember by referring to them as “Tackle Box Tuesdays” and “Fishing Fridays,” she said.

“That would quickly get us the thousands of numbers we need,” Ortiz added.

Residents can actually vote four times a day in six-hour blocks on any day of the week.

When voting, there is an opportunity for residents to write that they think Kissimmee is the ultimate fishing destination. Kissimmee City Commissioner Cheryl Grieb wrote, “My Dad loved to fish and he passed this love on to me and my brothers. My older brother, Eric, would take me out when I was a kid and we would fish all day in Lake Toho. It made me feel close to my Dad knowing he would have been right there with us. It did not matter whether I caught anything or not (though I usually did!), it was just great to be on Lake Toho and watch eagles fly by or to see a gator. It is one of my ‘God’ places and I hope to share it with others. Great places like this are meant to be shared with others.”

Another question asks voters how the $25,000 should be spent. Mark Detweiler, owner of Big Toho Marina at the lakefront, wrote, “The money would be spent to enhance the lakefront for our visitors that come from all over the world ... such as boat ramps, public fishing facilities and the marina area. Also pavilions for the tourists to get out of the sun.”

According to the contest, the second-place winner would win $5,000 to be used for fishing-related causes, while third place would earn $2,500.

Last year’s winner was Port Alberni, a community on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Canada.