The 10 Best Darn Places An Angler Can Call Home by Sylvia MacBean photo courtesy of Nipawin Journal Nipawin (Saskatchewan) Pike central: Nipawin, home to the 30-year-old Pike Festival. Nestled between two of Saskatchewan’s great walleye fisheries—Tobin and Codette Lakes—Nipawin is another one of those towns with many more services and things to do than warrants its size. A 280-kilometre drive north of Saskatoon, this town of 4,300 has the usual selection of restaurants and diversions you’d expect of an outdoors-oriented tourist town, including golfing, hunting, boating, camping and, of course, fishing. And with its healthy retail and service sectors, Nipawin promises good prospects for both employment and new business. Throughout the year, meanwhile, the local social calendar remains lively with a full roster of festivals, community events and fishing tournaments, chief among them the 30-year-old Nipawin Northern Pike Festival, late September’s Vanity Cup—billed as Canada’s richest walleye tourney—and the Saskatchewan Premier’s Walleye Cup, where anglers from Canada and the U.S. battle for $60,000 in prizes. No doubt most competitors hope they’ll meet up with Saskatchewan’s record walleye—an 18.06-pound monster that was caught and released on Tobin Lake in 1997. FACTS OF LIFE Population: 4,318 Average Household Income: $49,137 Average Home Cost: $57,735 Major employers: Agriculture, forest, tourism and service industries Learn more: Town of Nipawin, 1-877-647-2946; www.nipawin.com THE FISH Burbot; goldeye; lake sturgeon; northern pike; perch; sauger; walleye.      “Tobin is one of the favourite places for fishing because your chances of catching a walleye over 10 pounds are greater than on any other lake,” notes an understandably biased Sherry Michalyca of Nipawin Tourism. In fact, Saskatchewan’s walleye record has been broken four times on Tobin, while Codette Lake, on the other side of town, has been known to yield 15-pound specimens. Both Tobin and Codette were formed in 1986 during the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Saskatchewan River, but why such big fish? At least part of the credit can be claimed by the province’s strict slot limits: walleye between 22 and 31 inches must be live released, as must northern pike measuring between 29.5 and 41 inches. Put down roots here, and just think of all the time you’ll have to trump that 18-pound-plus walleye record. text and photo by T. J. Schwanky Selkirk (Manitoba) Writer with one of the Red River’s finest. Not to be outdone by Kenora’s giant Husky the Musky (see next page), Selkirk has its very own piscatorial roadside attraction, Chuck the Channel Catfish, who watches over this bustling community from its perch on the banks of the Red River. And like Husky, Chuck represents the close affiliation between the local townsfolk and their angling heritage—in particular, the Red’s monster cats. Founded as a fishing port in the early 1800s, Selkirk remains one of Manitoba’s busiest harbours, although recreational anglers have now largely replaced the commercial fleets. Today, the Catfish Capital of North America still has small-town appeal, but with big-town offerings, such as a modern hospital, an indoor recreation complex and excellent golfing. All this goes some way in explaining why Selkirk, just 20 minutes north of Winnipeg, boasted the province’s second highest number of housing starts last year. It also doesn’t hurt that the town lies at the south end of the Interlake region, one of Manitoba’s most popular fishing and hunting destinations. FACTS OF LIFE Population: 9,881 Average Household Income: $55,611 Average Home Cost: $80,393 Major employers: Manufacturing, agriculture and service industries Learn more: City of Selkirk, (204) 785-4900; www.cityofselkirk.com THE FISH Rock, smallmouth and white bass; black crappie; bullhead; carp; channel catfish; freshwater drum; goldeye; mooneye; northern pike; perch; sauger; sturgeon; walleye; whitefish.      Comprising the numerous smaller lakes, rivers and streams between Lake Winnipeg to the east and Lake Manitoba to the west, the Interlake is home to a good variety of sportfish, including northern pike and walleye. There’s also excellent hunting to be had for white-tailed deer, waterfowl and upland game birds. But for Selkirk residents, the farthest they have to go for some of Canada’s finest fishing is the Red River. Not only does the Red hold the provincial records for carp, channel catfish, sturgeon, walleye and mooneye, it also lays claim to the Canadian channel cat record: 44.5 pounds. The most famous stretch of the Red is the section between Selkirk and Lockport to the south, and each summer hundreds of 20-pound-plus catfish are taken from these murky waters. This section of the Red River is also home to Canada’s most famous run of humongous fall walleye. Nicknamed greenbacks because of their greenish hue, these sportfish are reported to reach weights topping an amazing 20 pounds. For the serious walleye angler, that alone is reason enough to get interested in the town of Selkirk. Read more about Canada`s best fishin` towns: Introduction & Victoria, B.C. Whitehorse, Yukon & Calgary, Alberta Nipawin, Saskatchewan & Selkirk, Manitoba Kenora & Peterborough, Ontario Magog, Quebec & Doaktown, New Brunswick Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador