We have the famous Kamloops rainbow trout, a sport fish admired by anglers around the world.

We have more pristine lakes, streams and rivers than you can shake a Shimano graphite spin-rod at.

And we have one of the most scenic landscapes in all of B.C.

So, here’s a question for all the anglers out there: Do you think Kamloops has what it takes to be named the Ultimate Fishing Town?

“Oh, absolutely,” said Brian Chan, a fisheries biologist and local fishing guide.

“When you think about what Kamloops has to offer in terms of lake fishing for rainbow trout, it’s definitely in the top three places in the world.”

Chan is one a countless local anglers who already consider Kamloops the ultimate fishing town.

But now they have a chance to prove it to the rest of Canada by helping Kamloops win the WFN: World Fishing Network’s Ultimate Fishing Town Contest.

WFN is a specialty channel devoted to all things hook-and-rod related and it’s on the hunt for the No. 1 fishing community in Canada.

So far, five nominations have put Kamloops in the running against popular fishing kingdoms such as Kenora, Ontario. Kenora is one of the frontrunners in the contest, with 20 nominations to date.

Each community that’s nominated has its own page on www.wfn.tv/ultimate-fishing-town, to which anglers can add written testimonials and photos detailing why they think their town should win the title.

“Kamloops has long had a history of being an outstanding fly-fishing destination,” said Tourism Kamloops CEO Lee Morris.

“Combine that with the fact that you can, in 15 to 20 minutes, be on one of your favourite lakes from your own home, it truly does make us a great city as a fishing destination.”

Avid fisher Melody Gobkes agrees.

She moved to Kamloops from the Kooteneys just for the fishing.

“One thing going for us is that our lakes are so close to town,” said Gobkes, who works in the fishing department at Surplus Herby’s.

“You can fly fish or troll in most of the lakes within 20 minutes from town.”

But praise alone won’t win Kamloops the title of Ultimate Fishing Town if that praise isn’t uploaded in the form of a written testimonial on the WFN’s website.

Local fishermen have 18 days in which to do that.

The winning community gets national bragging rights and $25,000 for fishing-related causes. The winner also gets a 30-minute feature show on WFN.

Kamloops is facing tough competition. As of late Tuesday, Port Alberni was sitting in second place with 23 testimonials from avid anglers. The remaining top-five competitors were all Ontario hot spots — Port Rowan, Kenora, Dryden and Thunder Bay, which was sitting in first place with 24 testimonials.