By PAUL A. SMITH
For The Journal Times | Posted: Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:00 am
The planer board off the port side was behaving erratically, doing more dragging and dipping than usual. It was the kind of situation that requires some investigation to see if there is anyone - or any fish - home.
Charter captain Scott Anderson picked up the rod and began reeling. "Yep, fish," he said, confirming his suspicion. "Who wants it?"
The question was rhetorical - all anglers want to reel in a fish - and we knew Anderson was being polite. We thought it would be proper to let the guy who had traveled the farthest take the first fish, so Adam Johnson of Brainerd, Minn., grabbed the rod.
Our group - Johnson, Casey Dingels, Mike Schoonveld and myself - was three miles east of the Racine shore, comfortably riding two-foot waves aboard the Margaret V charter boat. Rich and Scott Anderson, both of Racine, were our captains.
Johnson began cranking away in earnest, encountering some stiff opposition from the other end of the line.
Fishing occurs in many contexts. In a sense, we passengers aboard the Margaret V also were part of a fishing expedition.
The Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism had combined recently to invite journalists to our fair city for two days of outdoor recreation. The goal was to introduce the journalists to the opportunities available in and around Racine. Then, as they shared their stories, it was hoped their readers and viewers would consider Racine as a vacation destination.
The invitees included Johnson, who produces a weekly television show called Adam Johnson Outdoors that airs on ESPN2 and Comcast in Minnesota; Dingels of Minneapolis, who serves as photographer for Johnson and also writes for regional publications; Schoonveld of Michigan City, Ind., who writes for Outdoor Life and dozens of regional newspapers and magazines; and me.
Being a Racine native, I had the unique opportunity to see my hometown through the eyes of a visitor as well as learn about some of the efforts to promote tourism here. I don't need to be introduced to the local fishing opportunities, certainly, but I was curious to gauge the reactions of the visitors.
The action on the boat began to get a little more serious. The fish was taking line and now had all our attention.
"Well, it's not small," said Johnson, a veteran angler who admittedly has spent more time in pursuit of bass and walleye than any trout or salmon species. "Other than that, we'll have to wait to see."
If you are going to promote Racine to the outdoor enthusiast, where do you start? What makes Racine unique? What are its greatest attractions?
Employees with the RCCVB and state tourism have carefully considered such questions and came up with several ideas. One idea was to highlight two of Racine's unquestioned natural treasures - Lake Michigan and the Root River - and have a group of outdoor communicators come into town for a sampling of the action.
The first game plan was put into action last month and resulted in the recent outing. In addition to the Lake Michigan fishing trip, there was a tour of the Root River Steelhead Facility, a tour of Reef Point Marina, fishing from shore in the Racine harbor and fishing on the Root River in Lincoln and Colonial parks.
The idea was hatched by Andy Larson of Boelter & Lincoln, a public relations firm with offices in Milwaukee and Madison that does work for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, and Dave Blank, president of the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Larson knew well of Racine's reputation as a world-class fishing destination. "I had come down and participated in the media day for Salmon-A-Rama in past years," Larson said. "I know that Racine is an excellent port for trout and salmon fishing. We used that as part of the platform and decided to invite some outdoor writers."
Boelter & Lincoln has provided advertising and public relations services to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism since 1999. Larson said the firm is always looking for ways to shed promotional light on the Wisconsin outdoors.
"It's one of our greatest attributes," Larson said. "The outdoor tradition and resources here are strong. Racine was a natural to show off."
Johnson, Dingels and Schoonveld agreed and happily accepted the invitation. Johnson incorporates a six-minute destination piece in his half-hour television show.
"With the big pond, the river and variety of opportunities, Racine should be a very interesting place for anglers to come," Johnson said.
After seven minutes, Johnson had the fish close to the boat. After one last short run, the fish was at the surface and Scott Anderson scooped it up in the landing net. It was a brown trout, about 12 pounds and brightly sprinkled with red and black markings.
Dingels was filming the whole sequence and now zoomed in on Johnson as he hoisted the robust fish.
It's the kind of scene watched by millions every Saturday morning on fishing shows. Except this one was being made right in Racine.
The fish went in the box and was later joined by a bunch of lake trout. The fishing was tough - the water temperatures were in the high 40s and it was the only time in my life when the charter captains were actually looking for warmer water - but the Andersons still put us on fish.
The visitors also were treated to waterfront views of the Wind Point Lighthouse and North Bay, as well as the historic structures in Pugh's Marina.
When not fishing and touring, they were dined and lodged downtown, within a short cast of the water.
"It's got a lot of character," said Schoonveld, who is past president of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers, the largest regional outdoor writing group, as well as a licensed charter captain on Lake Michigan. "And combine it with the quality of the fishing, the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and the proximity to the large population here in the Midwest, and I think you've got a winner."
I couldn't have said it better.