Author: Wes David

FIESTY FALL FISH    If you have been fishing for any amount of time, you have heard the saying “Bigger baits catch bigger fish”. And believe it or not, there are times during a fish’s feeding cycle when that statement couldn’t be truer. Large predator fish such as pike, walleye, bull trout, lake trout, and believe it or not, perch can eat up to 20 percent of their body weight. Take a 40-inch pike for example. When a pike is aggressively feeding it has no problem consuming three or four pounds of fish per day. And many fish species have no…

Planning a trip to Canada’s West Coast During the winter of 2019, I was booked to shoot an episode of Fishing the Wild West TV with Queen Charlotte Safaris, out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. The trip was originally to take place during the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, during the winter months of 2020, the world was put on hold due to COVID-19 and we couldn’t make it to Queen Charlotte Safaris. Two years later, we finally made it and I must say, it was one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever fished. GETTING THERE From the time you…

LAKE STURGEON ON THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN Editors Note: Over my 42 years in the industry I have fished almost every section of the North Saskatchewan River, from Edmonton all the way to Lake Winnipeg where it ends it’s incredible journey. This river is dynamic and a multi-species bonanza. It should be on everyone’s fishing bucket list! During the summer of 2021, I booked a trip with Nick, the owner of Lunker’s Fishing Adventures to do battle with the lake sturgeon swimming within the murky depths of the North Saskatchewan River. Nick has been guiding for lake sturgeon and many other…

A WEALTH OF FLOWING WATER Millions of years ago when the glaciers melted and the continents divided, the world’s lakes and river systems were formed. Flowing water was forced to cut its way through the North American landscape until it reached its final destination. As the landscape changed, water flow was cut off in some areas forming lakes. In other areas opened up and water was free to flow creating the rivers and stream systems as we know them today. Alberta was a district of the Northwest Territories until being named a province in 1905. After the provincial borders were…

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE Way too often when you talk about fishing in the province of Saskatchewan, our thoughts quickly turn to northern Saskatchewan. These include numerous untouched lakes, world-class fishing lodges, and the mystery of the breathtaking landscape the north holds. It seems that every angler has an amazing fishing story from northern Saskatchewan. The anglers that haven’t done battle with monster northern pike, walleye, lake trout, and many other species within the depths of a northern Saskatchewan lake, have a goal and dream to one day head north and do battle with these monster fish. Southern…

PIMP OUT YOUR RIDE NOW By the time I was 16, I had saved enough money to purchase my first truck. I can still remember it, a 1983 Ford F-150. It was nothing more than a beat-up farm truck but to me, armed with a driver’s license, it meant a world of freedom. I went to work on it immediately, cleaning, tuning up the engine. I had saved my money and replaced the ugly cracked bench seat with bucket seats, the best stereo and speakers I could afford, and I even installed a Cheech and Chong crammed chain-link steering wheel.…

CASTLEGAR WALLEYE! The town of Castlegar is the second-largest community nestled within the Selkirk Mountains of the beautiful West Kootenays British Columbia. The headwaters of the Columbia River originate from Columbia Lake and the river flows through the southern portion of the valley.  It flows right through the town of Castlegar, heading south through the state of Washington and Oregon before spilling into the Pacific Ocean. The Columbia is a life source for many cities, towns, and communities along the way and has been for hundreds of years. However, in more recent years, the portion within BC has been invaded…

THREE WAY RIGGING FOR LAKE TROUT SUCCESS Each year I make it a point to schedule as many self-guided fly-in fishing trips as I can into northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba, or the North West Territories, to do battle with northern lake trout. Lake trout are considered by many anglers to be one of the strongest fighting freshwater fish species. If you’ve had the good fortune of setting the hook into a large lake trout than you have a good understanding of what avid lake trout anglers are talking about. A GREAT SPORT FISH Lake trout will test an angler’s patience, stamina,…

CENTRAL SASKATCHEWAN WALLEYE MECCA We all dream of fly-in fishing lodges where the fishing is non-stop and you regularly set the hook into big fish!  Locations where you know with your next cast you could be fighting a fish of a lifetime. As much as I love fly-in fishing locations the province of Saskatchewan has no end to drive-to trips of a lifetime! AN ANGLERS DREAM DRIVE-TO DESTINATION Chitek Lake is one of those spots, a mere three-hour drive north of Saskatoon. It is well within central Saskatchewan, nestled in Saskatchewan’s beautiful Boreal Forest. With abundant weedbeds, especially at the…

Canadian angler and conservation club/associations have been working diligently to keep the spread of invasive zebra mussels and Quagga mussels out of our waterbodies. The spread of these invasive species has raised havoc on our waterbodies and native fish species. Zebra mussels have caused millions of dollars of damage to Canadian water infrastructure, including irrigation canals and equipment, water treatment plants and equipment, fish habitat and even our beaches.  ZEBRA MUSSELS ARRIVING FROM OVERSEAS IN MOSS BALLS Originating in Ukraine, and traveling all the way to North America, on March 5, 2021, live zebra mussels were found in a shipment…