What a Weekend!
Stephanie Vatalaro
2/25/2011
Hello friends! We’re finally back home in Alexandria after an absolutely amazing week down south.
A few of us traveled to Florida for the Miami International Boat Show where we saw some absolutely breathtaking Miami scenery and some pretty enormous boats (more than 2,500 of them!). We’re told our little group was only a mere speck among the nearly 105,000 people in attendance. The place was packed!
Another group of us was just a few states to the west in New Orleans for the Bassmaster Classic.
We were thrilled with the amount of interest that our new digital resources generated at both shows. In fact, more than 1,400 attendees stopped by the Take Me Fishing Center at the Bassmaster.
As the crowds died down and the weigh-in event began, a few of us snuck away to see how the real stars of the show made out for the day. While both seasoned professionals and rookies brought in some impressive catches, Kevin VanDam went home as overall weight winner of the tournament for the second consecutive year!
Click here to see the full leaderboard.
At both of our Take Me Fishing Centers, we gave away nifty little bags that were quite a hit. Can’t go missing with these bright orange puppies!
We gave new users a chance to check out our website via handy kiosks so we could teach them all about our Hotpots Map, Fishopedia, Fishington and the countless tips and tricks we provide at TakeMeFishing.org.
We also introduced all of our visitors to our brand new mobile site, takemefishing.org/mobile. It was a hit with children of all ages.
Overall, we couldn’t have had a better time down south and we’d like to thank the folks at the Bassmaster Classic and Miami International Boat Show for having us! To see more pictures and see updates from our trip, visit us on Facebook.
Stephanie Vatalaro
Stephanie Vatalaro is vice president of communications for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and its Take Me Fishing and Vamos A Pescar campaigns where she works to recruit newcomers to recreational fishing and boating and increase awareness of aquatic conservation. Stephanie grew up in the Florida Keys as the daughter of a flats fishing guide. Outside of work, you can find her fishing and boating with her family on the Potomac River in the Northern Neck of Virginia.