Fond du Lac Area Visitor’s Bureau Welcomes the Outdoor Industry with Open Arms

“All that visit the Fond du Lac area will be warmly welcomed to a convenient Lake Winnebago destination with a versatile, affordable experience.”

C’mon in…

image

Serving as the base hub for the largest inland lake in Wisconsin, Fond du Lac undoubtedly offers the outdoorsman a wide variety of recreational opportunities.

Last fall the Fond du Lac Area Visitor’s Bureau rebranded itself, and has been making headlines in the outdoor industry. Due to the efforts of the handful of employees at the Visitor’s Bureau, it has become a hotspot for the outdoor communicator looking for the next great story.

The Visitor’s Bureau has embraced the outdoor lifestyle in such a way that it’s hard to ignore. Realizing that one of their most valuable travel commodities is its natural resources and understanding that word of mouth advertising is key when it comes to exposing potential visitors to the location; they have reached out to thousands of outdoor writers, bloggers, photographers, broadcasters and other outdoor companies. They’ve worked tirelessly to create dynamic and quality rich events, leaving the participants wanting more. In 2013 they will be hosting the annual Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers convention, bringing even more attention to the available activities within the area.

Conveniently located a mere 73 miles north of the Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport, its location and its reputation for tournament walleyes is gaining notoriety for being a premier fishing destination in the US. It ranked number twenty five in the Bassmaster Magazine 2012 100 Best Bass Lakes in the U.S.

In 2010 an event on Lake Winnebago hosted the world’s largest fishing tournament; landing it in the Guinness Book of World Records. Fishing revenue on Lake Winnebago is estimated at approximately $300 million a year.

One of the more famous activities Lake Winnebago has to offer is sturgeon spearing. It’s one of just two places in the entire world you can legally spear a sturgeon; and it’s the only place in the world where sturgeon spearers gather in great numbers.

The second – Black Lake, Michigan has a harvest cap of only 5 sturgeon and pales in comparison to the Lake Winnebago 2013 harvest cap of 2,428.

The Winnebago System holds the largest natural sustaining lake sturgeon population in the world and is used as an egg source for lake sturgeon re-introduction and rehabilitation projects throughout the fish’s North American range.

Each year a venerable shanty town appears overnight on the ice. Ice shanties (or Dark Houses as many locals call them), ATV’s, cars and trucks begin materializing seemingly out of thin air all over the 137,700 acres of frozen water on the massive lake.

Measuring 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, Lake Winnebago boasts 88 miles of shoreline and is one of the largest inland lakes in the United States. This amount of surface area creates a sizeable amount of prime “on ice realty” for excited sturgeon hunters to set their dark houses on.

The Fond du Lac Area Visitor’s Bureau knew that with the current road they were traveling; they needed a sturgeon event on the docket.

They checked their budget and in the spirit of sincere friendliness, they extended a warm welcome to 10 female communicators to participate and 18 media representatives to cover the Women on Winnebago – a 4 day media event in February 2013.

Participants representing 5 states and media coverage from all over the Midwest were extended the invitation, to not only test the waters but to fully embrace, the unique opportunity to partake in the age old tradition of spearing a sturgeon in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.


click tracking


3 thoughts on “Fond du Lac Area Visitor’s Bureau Welcomes the Outdoor Industry with Open Arms

  1. It was a great weekend and the hospitality was never ending from all involved. I highly reccommend any events held through the Fond du Lac area Visitor’s Burea and the many local events in the Fond du Lac area. It was a memory of a lifetime and will draw me back year after year!!

  2. A successful event due to great outdoor communicators participating … including our very own Carrie Z … always welcome back in the Fond du Lac area to experience more of our great natural resources! Can’t wait for your next adventure back! C’mon in! 😉

Leave a Reply to Trisha Bowen

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up for the HuntFishTravel Newsletter!

Also, just so you know: I respect your privacy and will not share your personal information with third parties or partners. You and I are buds, and buds don’t share personal info!