HSM Outdoors, Pro Staff Spotlight: Shane Wepruk, Canada

I grew up with a fishing rod in my hand and spent the early years primarily chasing walleye on several back lakes in the Fort Frances area.

In 1990, my parents purchased property on Rainy Lake and has been my home body of water ever since. I quickly fell in love with the structure that Rainy Lake has to offer and it's endless opportunities for a multitude of species.

In 1998, I began guiding part time for Tinkers and Tinkers Too resorts in Nestor Falls, Ontario. The part time position transitioned to a full time position for the next 3 summers until I finished college. The resort was very unique in that the main lodges were situated on Lake of the Woods and Crooked Pine Lake, however we had access to approximately 40 lakes which we flew to daily depending on the species that our guests were wanting to target. It was a fantastic experience.

In 2009, I was bitten with the smallmouth bug in a major way. It was at that point that I discovered my current obsession...tournament fishing. I love everything about it...the friendships, the competition, the pressure, the morning take off, the anticipation and most of all, that first bite.

I fish 4 tournaments a summer including the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship on Rainy Lake, Atikokan Bass Classic on Marmion Lake, Sioux Narrows Bassin for Bucks on Lake of the Woods and a one day smallmouth tournament hosted by Labelle's Birchpoint Camp on Rainy Lake.