Battle on Bago is one of Northeast Wisconsin’s most well-known events. It not only gets thousands of people out on our cherished Lake Winnebago, but also brings in thousands of dollars to benefit Fox Valley youth and regional conservation efforts. Battle on Bago has raised an impressive ~$1.22 million over the past twelve years.
Chris Acy, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator of the Winnebago Waterways Program, attended the event Friday and Austin Pethan, Winnebago Waterways Program Assistant, attended Saturday. Under the massive event tent, the Winnebago Waterways Program was able to talk to folks about Lake Management Planning efforts and aquatic invasive species.
We have recently added a “Winnebago System Memory Map” to our table. This interactive piece lets visitors to the WWP table record a memory in a book, and then place a pin into the map that corresponds to where that memory took place. It’s a great conversation piece, and gets folks thinking about how the system has changed over time. This past weekend a man shared a memory from the mid 70s – he claimed he witnessed an algal bloom so thick and far along in its decay, that a cat walked out onto it. The mat supported the cat for some time before it broke through and ended up in the sludge. We aren’t sure if it’s fact or fiction, but it sure creates a comical scene. It’s interesting to hear how varying the different accounts of change can be depending on where that person used the system. One person will claim that aquatic plant levels are the highest ever in their 30 years of living on the lake, while the next person will reminisce about the abundance of aquatic plants and fishing habitat 30 years ago, as if that abundance is a bygone era.
We also had success selling raffle tickets for the autographed Clay Matthews jersey. We will be selling tickets at the Northeast WI Sport Fishin’ Expo before drawing the winner on March 3rd.
BoB’s prizes are arranged in a way that gives someone coming in at 2,000th place a brand new 2018 Ford F-150 or a new boat at 600th place. This arrangement really brings out the masses, while still keeping the event’s competitive edge.
Check out this awesome drone footage of all the anglers participating in Battle on Bago off of Merrit Avenue.
Next weekend, catch us at the NE WI Sport Fishin’ Show March 1-3, held at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh.
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
This post was written by Austin Pethan for the Winnebago Waterways Program. Questions or comments? Contact Austin at austin@fwwa.org or (920) 920-851-4295.
