Fort riverwalk fishing ban protest lures big crowd

With a fishing rod in one hand and picket sign in the other, more than 100 people gathered on the Fort Atkinson riverwalk Saturday morning and vowed to fight an ordinance that prevents fishing between the pedestrian bridge and the American Legion Dugout.

The Fort Atkinson City Council voted 3-2 on April 1 in favor of restricting fishing in that section of the riverbank after debating the ordinance for about a month. The policy stemmed from complaints that some people had difficulty using the downtown Rock River walkway due to fishing activity and impolite behavior.

Despite objections voiced during a council meeting, the ban was approved, with council members La Verne Behrens, Mark Zastrow and Jim Simdon voting in favor.

“It’s gratifying to know that we feel the public is against the ordinance,” Frank Micale, president of the Rock River-Koshkonong Association (RRKA), said at the protest rally behind Café Carpe. “Banning this activity is a bad idea for this riverwalk and it’s a bad idea for the city of Fort Atkinson, and your appearance here today confirms that.”

Micale and other Fort Atkinson-area sportsmen also distributed a petition at the rally that states the ordinance “sets a poor precedent by targeting a specific group of users” and that the city already had “the necessary tools in place to combat all of the complaints brought before the city council.” The petition goes on to say that the “majority of those speaking at the public hearing opposed the fishing ban” and that the perception that fishermen on the riverwalk are intimidating or threatening is “greatly overstated.”

There were two separate petitions: one for residents in the city of Fort Atkinson and one for out-of-town fishermen. Jim Furley, one of the organizers of the protest, has distributed the petitions at local businesses.

(The full story appears in the June 9 Daily Union).