Author: Dave Shmyr

NOVEMBER IS GO TIME! For those of us who love to both hunt and fish, November can be a busy time. Our lakes are just starting to freeze over and  rut season is kicking in full time. Throughout the years my friends and I have always been in this situation. What do we do. Should we hunt? Fish? What if that big buck shows up and someone else gets him. What if the fishing’s really good though. You know we need a good haul of whitefish for the smoker? TOUGH DECISIONS This can be hard on the mind what to…

A MECCA FOR TROPHY FISH! Ever since my brother and I were very young we were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to join our father on a yearly trip to Nipawin, Saskatchewan. The anticipation for this trip still makes me think about it months on end prior to departure. Wondering where the hot bites will take place and what kind of monster fish would join us for a few pictures. Not sure how dad was able to pull strings getting us to miss school for a week every October, but sure glad he was able to for so…

As the water warms up, vegetation starts to impact weed growth,  creating a jungle for all! These weeds hold a ton of aquatic life from plankton, different insect larvae, minnows, baitfish, and of course all kinds of predators. Something is missing on that list and that some something is anglers. Although these areas can be frustrating with snags, (like your trying to golf your way out of a bunker), the rewards can be amazing.    BIG FISH LIVE HERE! Some of the thickest walleye, pike and perch we have caught this time of season are calling these areas home. Many of these fish don’t leave these areas and spend their entire summer season here, because it’s like an all-day buffet! These predators that live in the…

Many lakes have numerous spawning grounds. This could be a rock shoal, creek mouth, or shallow bays. These are 3 areas I love to target this time of year because they are loaded with fish that are spawning or just finishing up the spawn. Typically, the walleye spawn takes place between 45-55 F, but it can vary depending on how far north or south you are. I would like to share a few basic tactics I use when fishing these three key areas. They have been very influential to my success in spring walleye tournaments. In fact, one lake the spring tournament is won in one of these three areas almost every year. The only…

No matter what I’m chasing on the ice my Grandma Shmyr always made it very clear what fish she wants me to bring home for supper. She’s always patiently waited for the ice to freeze each fall because she knew that’s the best time to target her favourite, the lake whitefish.  Although it’s not my preferred species to eat there isn’t another fish to me that tastes better smoked.   As the September rolls around and the temperatures start approaching freezing, numbers of mature lake whitefish migrate to their spawning grounds. These areas are generally two to eight feet of water depending on the lake, but majority from what…

As the leaves start to turn colour and the temperatures cool down big walleye get real hungry! Places like Tobin Lake, Bay of Quinte, Last Mountain Lake, Columbia River are some of the key places in North America have a chance at record walleye. These different bodies of water all have distinctive features, but when it comes to night fishing, things even out. KEY AREAS TO NIGHT FISHING When I first started fishing at night years ago, I didn’t have a clue how to approach it! Through those years of failure one day came success. The real key to becoming…

When people think trout the first thing that comes to mind is a fly rod. Hard to argue, since it’s of the most exciting ways to battle a rainbow or brook trout. While I enjoy using a fly rod to catch these fish, there are times when I want to up the odds on catching larger fish. During certain conditions and times of day I use multiple different set ups while fishing trout. As I wrote about before I truly love slip bobbing with leeches, by far my favourite method. Last year during the summer I was struggling to catch…

GET YOUR PERCH GEAR READY, IT WON’T BE LONG! During the first few months of the hardwater season the famous Yellow Perch can be often tough to locate. They are one of the most targeted freshwater species during the ice season, pressured by many different predators. Not only do fishermen come from all over looking for these tasty panfish but so do the underwater predators as well! Northern pike and walleye feed for extended periods of time during the last few months of open water and first month of hard water calendar. This makes the perch very spooky, spread out…

As avid walleye fishermen we often dream of catching a fish surpassing the ten pound mark. This is considered a goal for many walleye anglers throughout North America. This also can be a very humbling task and can leave fishermen doubting and disbelieving their strategies. The honest truth to being successful in doing this you have to be where they exist. Many bodies of water throughout our provinces and states simply don’t have what it takes to produce this size of walleye. Genetics, over population, food supply, regulations, and quantity of harvest are some of the major factors causing this.…

As surface temps begin to warm up, post spawn walleye start their decent to deeper water. A transitional period in which walleye can be found very scattered along slow tapering drops migrating to their summer areas. Once walleye have made it to their summer holes, they can be easily located in big numbers. This allows fishermen to effectively set up and jig over these big schools of walleye.  However, the weeks leading up to this happening can leave fishermen in awe trying to figure out why they struggle to find numbers of fish. The truth is, during the migration from…