Welcome to WesternSportfishing.ca!

Our History:

Western Sportfishing is a dedication to the sport of fly fishing, and all that western Canada has to offer. We formed the first Western Sportfishing website in the year 2000, and are based out of Alberta, Canada. The goal of this site is to showcase different areas of fishing, various techniques, and any other information that will help fly fishermen here in Western Canada. Whether you are looking to gain more knowledge into a certain area of fly fishing, interact with other anglers on our "Social Media" sites, or want to check out some great fishing related info (videos, pictures, articles, etc), then you have come to the right place!

Instagram: #westernsportfishing

Tim Tchir

Tim Tchir

Fishing since before he can remember, but fly fishing for one less FULL year than Andy (he hears about it all the time), Tim enjoys most of his fly fishing in BC and Alberta on creeks and small lakes. His first fish landed on the fly rod was a 5” rainbow trout on a dry fly from the Kettle River in British Columbia, while wearing a Gary Payton Seattle SuperSonics jersey back in 1999. He enjoys a good adventure off the beaten path every once in a while, and loves the peacefulness and mystery of casting on a new piece of water. Traveling all over Western Canada, various US states, and some tropical destinations has taken him to some beautiful locations to wet a fly. Tim has a passion for teaching those new to the sport, and gets more satisfaction from seeing them catch a fish than himself a lot of the time! He has written articles for various online magazines in the past. His favourite fish to cast to is the mighty bull trout, but will fish for anything that will take a fly.

His personal motto: “Are there fish in that water?”

Instagram: @FlyFishingTim

 

 

Andy Tchir

Andy Tchir

Andy began fly fishing the year after Nick did, and one year before his older brother Tim. He holds this extra year of experience high over Tim's head, especially when out-fishing him in Tim's own boat. Nick reminds Andy of his extra year of experience over him, especially when he ties 5 flies and Andy is finishing up his first. Andy's first fish on a fly was a pumpkinseed from Christina Lake, BC. He has enjoyed fly fishing in Canada, USA and Mexico, and looks forward to more adventures. He was instrumental in getting the WSF Video Series off the ground from 2005 to 2011 through his Doctor Shoal Productions studio. When asked what his favorite type of fly fishing was, Andy replied, "lakes in the spring and fall, and creeks/rivers in the summer." His favorite species is the cutthroat trout due to their willingness to take a dry fly.

His personal motto: "Any day on the water is a great day, as long as no one fishes my spots, and I don't get trolled over."

Instagram: @westernsportfishing

 

 

 

Nick Sliwkanich

Nick Sliwkanich

Nick began fly fishing in 1997 at just 12 years old, and started fly tying less than a year later. No one in his family fly fished, but some fly fishing articles about small stream brown trout kicking around the house really piqued his interest, and his obsession started. The fact that his first fish on the fly happened to be a 20" rainbow from his home lake, caught on a dragonfly nymph he'd tied himself, didn't help. To say he got hooked is the understatement of the century, and he's been fanatical about it ever since, with time on the water throughout Canada and the western USA, and as far away as Ukraine, Italy, and Croatia. In addition to copious amounts of time on the water with family, friends, and solo, he's guided, written fly fishing and tying articles for numerous publications, and delivered seminars about fly fishing and tying. If pressed, he'd have to say stillwater trout and pike are his favourite (with an extra soft spot for brown trout and grayling), but he always loves a challenge and will toss a fly at just about anything with fins.

His personal motto: "What's a spin rod?"

Instagram: @thedragfreedrift

 

 

Trevor Sliwkanich

Trevor Sliwkanich

He does fish. Really, it’s not a myth. He does get out a few times a year. If you could graph the number of times a year he goes over the last 20 years, there'd be a clear downward trend directly correlated to the increase of daughters he’s responsible for. Trev is a proud “girl dad” and is excited to take his oldest three to the small foothill streams he loves fishing the best. When out on the water, you can generally find a fly rod in his hand, though spin fishing for pike and walleye have a nostalgic hold on him. He loves casting various highly visible dry flies on small streams for small trout and grayling, though he will begrudgingly use any fly Nick tells him to use.

His personal motto: “I dunno”