By Stephanie Gavell

It’s Father’s Day, 2009 and the Regional Angler/Young Angler Fishing Competition was being held at Kam Lake in Yellowknife. Emma, aged six, and her Dad, Shawn, got up early, dressed in warm clothing with their knee rubbers, baseball hats, life jackets, and bug spray to fend off the giant mosquitoes. They loaded their gear on the truck and headed out to the lake for a fun-filled day on the water.

Sharp at eight the whistle blew and off went 22 teams in all sizes and shapes of boats. Shawn and Emma were in a 16-foot canoe powered by a four horsepower motor with Emma sitting in a little lawn chair with sawed off legs. Shawn had to manoeuvre away from the wakes of the larger boats to avoid being swamped and steered them to a secluded cove where they fished undisturbed for the heaviest three walleye and heaviest single pike.

The fish were biting that morning so they had many nibbles, and before long were landing walleye, comparing the sizes, and keeping the heaviest in their makeshift cooler that served as a “live well.” Every time a bigger fish was landed, Emma would draw a picture in her notebook to log the catch. From time to time they would head back to shore to weigh and release their biggest walleye, stretch their legs, and have a snack. By noon, they had their three walleye weighed for a total of 7.45 pounds.

With three hours left, they headed back out on the lake to catch a few fish for the pot and see if they could land a pike. Before long, they had a few walleye and a good-sized pike and because it was only an hour until the three o’clock finish of the competition, they motored back to the dock to register their pike, which weighed in at 3.77 pounds.

Everyone waited with baited breath for all the teams to return with their catch, register, and weigh in. Stacks of prizes were laid out on the ground and on tables, including the grand prize of a 12-foot aluminum boat, four horsepower motor, trailer, trophies, and a trip to Edmonton that included entry into the National Angler/Young Angler Competition in Kenora, Ontario.

Finally all the fish were weighed in, the officials called for attention and began to announce the prizes. "The grand prize winner with the heaviest three walleye weighing 7.45 pounds and receiving prizes valued at over $8,000 is the team of Shawn and Emma Canning!”

The announcer continued…”and second place in the heaviest pike weighing 3.77 pounds and receiving prizes valued at over $1,000 goes to…Shawn and Emma Canning! That is quite a Father’s Day for this pair!”


Submitted by Emma’s Grandma and Granddad
Philip and Stephanie Gavell
Author’s note: This is a true story that took place on Father’s Day, June 29, 2009 in Yellowknife, NT. And we were there to celebrate! Emma, who was born in Gander, NL is our granddaughter. She loves fishing with her Dad and has caught some pretty big fish from their canoe, on the shore, and ice fishing. Shawn, who is from Deer Lake, NL is our son-in-law. He is an amazing fisherman who loves nothing better than to be fishing anywhere, anytime and cooking up a feed of fish for whoever is around. We think he might be a “fish whisperer!"
  Submitted By: Stephanie Gavell