Fishing the Wild West TV October 2022 Newsletter

This has been one of the craziest and busiest seasons of shooting Fishing the Wild West TV (FTWWTV) that we have ever experienced. Not only were we shooting the #7th season of FTWWTV, but we were also still cleaning up COVID scheduling messes from as far back as 2020 which I’m sure many of you were also feeling the same pressures. However, with a dramatic push and only eight days at home from July 4th to September 8th, and a little B-roll work in mid-September, I’m happy to say, season #7 of FTWWTV is complete. In fact, as Chuck spends countless hours in the editing room, I have already begun to line up the 2023 season and it’s already looking equally as exciting.

During the winter of 2019, we were booked to shoot an episode at Queen Charlotte Safaris, out of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, 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. However, we finally made it to Queen Charlotte Safaris this past August, and I must say, it was one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever visited with FTWWTV. It would be impossible to fully explain our amazing experience within this one newsletter, but I will say this, the fishing at Queen Charlotte Safaris will take care of itself. I caught my first Tyee (30lb Chinook Salmon) and countless other salmon, rockfish, ling cod, and halibut during our stay. Valerie runs a first-class operation with all the comforts of home and the feeling of being surrounded by family only minutes after arriving at the lodge, which is one of only two lodges on the entire island. From the moment you arrive at the Sandspit airport, you’re in good hands with Queen Charlotte Safaris. Book your trip of a lifetime with Queen Charlotte Safaris today. https://qcsafaris.com/

While we were on the west coast, and Vancouver Island, we had the good fortune of spending a few days fishing with Tim Dolden. Tim and his wife Gaia are the owners of Buzzbomb Tackle, out of Courtenay, British Columbia. We stayed at the bountiful Crown Isla Resort, https://crownisle.com/ while Gaia, handled the day-to-day operations at the Buzzbomb Tackle, shop & warehouse, I had the good fortune of receiving two full days of jigging Buzzbomb lessons from Tim. Tim and I were jigging Buzz-Bombs, Spinnows, and Zzingers for salmon in a similar fashion that I use the same lures to jig lake trout, walleye, bass, and rockfish. Along with the amazing salmon jigging experience, Tim, and Gaia, treated us to a tour of the Buzzbomb Tackle facilities. BuzzBomb Tackle Iconic, sonic, fishing lures https://www.buzzbombtackle.com.

During our west coast run, we did a full-day social media takeover with Gill Fishing. Which was easy to do as I had all my Gill Fishing gear with me. We spent 12 days fishing different areas of the west coast, and I’m glad I had all my Gill Fishing gear with me as we experienced a wide variety of weather conditions and all four seasons while fishing the Pacific Ocean. Gill Fishing. Anywhere. All Conditions. https://www.gillfishing.com/

We are setting the network airing schedule now and will post to our Fishing the Wild West TV media outlets and on our webpage www.fishingthewildwesttv.com as soon as we get the official schedule and airtimes back from the networks. However, at the end of each year of shooting FTWWTV, thousands of questions start to flood in about our season. When will the first new episode air, did you go to this lake or that lake, what species did you fish, etc.? But many people also want to know what was the largest fish I caught or did I catch anything weird or out of the normal. 

The largest fish is always the toughest one to determine, because of the species.

  • 30lb Chinook Salmon, Queen Charlotte Safaris, British Columbia
  • 90lbs Halibut, Queen Charlotte Safaris, British Columbia.
  • 40lb Ling Cod, Serengeti Fishing Charters, British Columbia. www.serengetifishingcharters.com
  • 150lb Skate in 300 feet of water, Serengeti Fishing Charters, British Columbia.
  • 30inch Greenback Walleye, Catdaddy Fishing Guide Services, Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba.
  • 35lb Channel Catfish, Catdaddy Fishing Guide Services, Red River, Manitoba.
  • 44inch Northern Pike, Nordic Lodge, Saskatchewan reindeerlake.com

And the list could go on. However, the weirdest or most unique fish caught this year in my opinion, was caught and released by Chuck, our chief editor and co-producer. We were shooting a night episode on the Red River near Selkirk Manitoba, with Catdaddy Fishing Guide Services. After Chuck shot 212-minutes of channel catfish footage and I was exhausted, which is very common with Catdaddy Fishing Guide Services, so Chuck decided to fish for a while. Chuck made one cast and waited about five minutes and his rod bowed over under the pressure of a heavy catfish. Once we landed the catfish, we realized this was no ordinary-looking channel catfish. What Chuck landed was a very healthy gray and black pinto channel catfish. I wouldn’t say it was the weirdest fish caught and released this season, that title would have to go to my 150 Skate, but I would say that Chuck’s catfish was the most unique fish caught and released this season https://catdaddy.ca     

There are a lot of extreme highs & lows with shooting FTWWTV, and aside from the companies we work with and that support us, there are so many people that make FTWWTV possible. From the people we meet at the boat launches and gas stations, the people we have never met that send us messages of encouragement to keep shooting the show, our friends, families, and especially our wives. From all of us at FTWWTV, we want to thank you and want you to know, that FTWWTV wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for you.   

I hope to see you on the water or at this year’s outdoor sports shows. For now, you can follow us on social media, through the pages of Hooked Magazine, and on Sportsman Channel Canada, Sportsman Channel, the World Fishing Network, and many local cable networks! New episodes of FTWWTV begin airing on December 26, 2022.

Thank you all! Wes David Host & Producer of Fishing the Wild West TV