For years, Baudette, Minn., along with the Lake of Woods region has been calling itself the "Walleye Capital of the World."
As of Feb. 12, the region can take the claim to the bank, literally.
The Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau was given the idea of making the longtime claim a state trademark by Gregg Hennum, owner of the Sportsman's Lodge in Baudette and Tourism Bureau treasurer.
"We have been using the title for I don't even know how long," Hennum said. "This is just a way to put Lake of the Woods on the map with a strong title and no one can take it away from us."
When the board decided to go through with the state trademark process, Denelle Hovde, executive director of the Tourism Bureau, filed all of the paperwork and was notified the trademark was approved on her way to a sports show in Omaha, Neb.
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"When we got down there, we were sort of competing with another area as to who was the real walleye capital," Hovde said. "But I could tell them that we were officially the capital and they thought it was a neat thing."
Since the trademark was approved by the state of Minnesota, the Lake of the Woods region is privy to 10 years of uninterrupted use of the name "Walleye Capital of the World" with no other Minnesota city making the same claim.
But the Tourism Bureau is trying to go even further by taking on the much more rigorous process of acquiring the national trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If the region obtains the national stamp of approval, the trademark would be permanent.
For now, the Tourism Bureau is hoping people will realize that Baudette and the Lake of the Woods are the real deal when it comes to walleye fishing.
"I think it will help our marketing plans," Hovde said. "Because that little 'tm' is a symbol people recognize."
Also, the trademark will prevent any other city from using the same slogan. That in and of itself could be a hassle since according to www.roadsideamerica.com , there are up to nine different cities making the same claim.
However, Hennum is confident people will see Baudette as everything a walleye capital should be.
"When people sign up to visit the 'Walleye Capital of the World,' they expect world class resorts and world class fishing, and that's what we have here."
