Ultimate Fishing Town USA' By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

Friday, September 9, 2011 11:12am PDT 'Ultimate Fishing Town USA'
Roscoe, N.Y., earns right to be labeled
By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com
Roscoe, N.Y., for years renowned as a trout angler's paradise, has earned the right to be labeled "Ultimate Fishing Town USA," and landing such a broad and potentially lucrative distinction was no small feat.

The rural community, gateway to the Catskills, this week was declared winner of a national online-voting competition that involved 300 towns across the U.S., many in states world-famous for outdoor recreation, such as Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan and Florida.

Perhaps surprisingly, the three-month contest turned out to be mostly a duel between Roscoe -- which has only 600 residents -- and fellow New York hamlet Waddington, with the former surging into the lead in the final hours. No other community was in serious contention since 20 finalists were named in early May. Roscoe edged Waddington, 267,433 to 265,985.

"We are so proud and thrilled to receive the title of Ultimate Fishing Town USA," said Elaine Fettig of the Roscoe-Rockland Chamber of Commerce, which spearheaded the town's efforts. "This experience brought our community and the surrounding areas together -- from folks spreading the word about the contest; to the media speaking about it frequently; to business owners allowing staff to vote during the business day."

The competition was sponsored by the World Fishing Network, which will donate $25,000 to Roscoe and feature the town in an upcoming episode. Rounding out the top five were Waddington; Baudette, Minn.; Gladstone, Mich.; and Winthrop Harbor, Ill. (A similar contest was held in Canada, with Chapleau edging its Ontario counterpart Port Colborne.)

The U.S. competition stands out because the battle came down to towns so small that you might miss them if you were momentarily sidetracked on the highway.

The Roscoe area, however, boasts some of the finest trout streams in the U.S. Waddington, which has about 2,000 residents, sits on the St. Lawrence River and is known for its giant carp, but also lures anglers seeking largemouth and smallmouth bass, pike, muskie and perch.

According to WFN rules, a person was allowed to vote four times a day -- once each during specified time periods -- per email address. So a person with, say, three email addresses, could vote 12 times a day. The system was designed to allow smaller communities a chance against their larger rivals.

Whereas larger communities, such as Homer, Alaska, and Kissimmee, Fla., to name a couple, might have taken their prominent standing in the angling universe for granted, Roscoe and Waddington constantly called upon residents and supporters from near and far to vote as many times as the rules allowed.

"Not just Roscoe but the greater community played a role," said Evan Lavery, owner of Beaverkill Angler in Roscoe. "We get fishermen from New York City, New Jersey and other northern states such as West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. They knew about this competition because we posted it on our website."

Alicia Murphy, president of the Waddington Chamber of Commerce, said her town is not bitter to have finished second after leading for much of the way.

"The contest has gotten us more press and more PR than $25,000 can ever buy," she explained. "It has really brought us together as a community; not just Waddington but all the little communities around here, which have been very supportive."

To be sure, this was not a scientific undertaking by WFN, a 24-hour fishing channel. But the format did allow angling destinations a chance to express passion about their communities and to see how far that passion could carry them.

Said Mark Rubenstein, president of the World Fishing Network: "WFN's search for our Ultimate Fishing Town was not just about finding the place to catch the most fish. As any angler will tell you, and as Roscoe proved, the people are just as important a factor. Roscoe's passionate angling community stepped up to prove that their pride, passion and fishing are second to none."

This, by the way, is a peak angling season in Roscoe, with hungry trout rising for flies. Hopefully for locals the rivers won't become too crowded, after all this fuss.

-- Images of happy trout anglers are courtesy of the Roscoe-Rockland Chamber of Commerce