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Four 13-year-old boys lined the Black River shoreline and launched their fishing lines into the still, murky water.
They waited patiently for the perch, bass, sunfish and crappies to bite.
“Fishing is a fun thing to do. It keeps us out of trouble,” said Ben Reimler of Onalaska.
The boys were vying for the top spot in a youth fishing tournament held on a rainy and cold Saturday during the city’s Waterfront Day, a one-day event designed to promote the waterfront. Activities included walking, marsh and bike tours, an archeology dig and canoe demonstrations.
Onalaska officials deemed Waterfront Day a success despite the damp chilly weather. “We were quite happy with the event,” said Jean Lunde, the city’s tourism director. “Several people commented how they were glad we had the event because they had never been down to the waterfront.”
Saturday was Terry Pohja’s first visit to Onalaska’s waterfront in her 42 years as a city resident.
Pohja stood in the grass next to her husband, Larry, where Irvin Street slopes to the Black River, and let her eyes scan the shoreline.
“It’s beautiful down here,” Pohja said.
The Pohjas also attended the event to learn more about city’s plan for waterfront development and downtown revitalization set to begin next year. A steady stream of visitors gathered inside a booth displaying the master plan with maps and artist renderings.
“This is an opportunity for us to come down here and see plans for the waterfront. I think it’s going to be a great thing for the city,” Terry Pohja said.
Visitor feedback on the plan was overwhelmingly positive, said Sam Scinta, chairman of the Waterfront Project Management Team.
“There’s pent up energy in the community because they’ve been talking about it for a number of years,” he said.
The railroad tracks didn’t seem to be a hindrance for anyone. “They enjoyed the sounds of the trains and were quite aware of the existence of a live rail line,” Lunde said. She said there are many communities along the Mississippi River that have very active waterfront areas where people need to cross railroad tracks for access.
Lunde said the raptor program, which featured a peregrine falcon, great horned owl, bald eagle and an American kestrel, was a great attraction. “The tent was at capacity and everyone indicated they loved it,” Lunde said.
A significant number of people took advantage of the waterfront tours. “They loved the fact that someone was available to guide them through the Waterfront Master Plan and were shown specific locations that were referred to in the plan,” Lunde said.
The Harshman family of Onalaska lined the Black River shoreline to take advantage of the fishing opportunities. The kids already had caught a catfish, blue gill and perch by mid-morning.
“They love to fish,” Kessa Harshman said. “It’s inexpensive and something we can all do.”
Trenton Harshman was a winner in the fishing tournament’s 10-and-younger group with a 2-ounce perch. Austin Rainey won with a 4-ounce sunfish, and Mariah Wick won with a 1-pound, 12-ounce bass.
In the 11-16 age group, Chris Hebel won for a 4-ounce crappie and a 5-ounce sunfish. Sam Kinderman won for his 2-pound, 14-ounce bass.
Staff writer Jo Anne Killeen contributed to this report.
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