Wil Wegman had his first newspaper article published in 1985 and a year later began writing a weekly newspaper column called the Great Outdoors for a Richmond Hill newspaper. For the next ten years he would write for this paper but his column also went into syndication and was appearing in other weekly’s in Newmarket and the Kawartha Region. He soon began freelancing for magazines and has had numerous articles published in such great Canadian magazines as: Ontario Out of Doors, Outdoor Canada, Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing and all issues of Bassman Magazine. In fact he became editor of BassMan, and until May 2010 helped develop some of Canada's most intriguing bass related articles and columns thru this publication. American publications like In Fisherman, Bassmaster and BASS TIMES have also published Wegman’s work. He is the “Hooked On Fishing” columnist for Lake Simcoe Living Magazine and his articles can be seen on the www.lakesimcoeliving.com site. In 2006 Wil jumped back into writing a weekly newspaper column for the Georgina Advocate called Focus on Fishing*. He is a regular contributor to the Toronto Sun’s annual National Fishing Week section and in 2007 won a National Outdoor Writing Award for an article in that section. Numerous feature length articles written by Wil can also be seen on the popular www.fishonlineca.com site. He is a regular contributor to the Lures and Tours booklets and several Tourism Guides publish his articles on fishing Lake Simcoe. As an official ESPN Press Observer, he has covered more Bassmasters Classic’s in the US than any other Canadian writer.
As well as being a prolific and award winning outdoor writer, Wil is also a successful bass tournament competitor (since 1986) and has qualified three times for Team Ontario, representing the Ontario BASS Federation Nation (OBFN) at Bassmaster Divisional Championships in the US. He is also a prominent figure on The Bassmania Tournament Trail – which runs more competitive fishing events than any other organization in the province. In 2006 Wil marked the 20 year anniversary of the bass fishing courses he teaches at Seneca College. His bass classes are accredited with introducing hundreds of anglers to competitive fishing through his bi-annual amBASSadors Cup Tournaments open only to students of the course. In 2007 he marked 20 years of teaching his ice fishing courses.Today he has put his bass and ice fishing courses on-hold to focus more on how-to seminars at various sports shows and other venues.
Wil has been a guest on several episodes of Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing Show – including one that won the top award in the 2006 Outdoor Writers of Canada TV Fishing Show category... for an episode of Wil and Bob fishing the Toronto Islands. In 2008, he was on a two part Real Fishing ice fishing show filmed on Lake of Woods. He is also a frequent guest with Outdoor Journal’s Radio Hour on the Fan 590. Wil was a member of Team Canada at the World Ice Fishing Championships in 1991 and has several top ten finishes in the Canadian Ice Fishing Championships. In 2006 he won the Perch Trap Attack on Lake Simcoe.
Wil volunteers as the Conservation Director for the OBFN (since its inception in 1995) and is a member of the Aurora Bassmasters Club. Since 1996 he has also taken on the role as OBFN Media Director; writing and editing press releases and articles for the OBFN and its ~27 Bassmaster clubs across the province. The monthly Newsletter www.timeonthewater.org is edited by Wil. He is also a proud member of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and the OWC.
Other:
· Frequent Fishing Seminar host at locations like Bass Pro Shops, Sportsman Shows etc.
· Long time sponsorship with companies like Rapala, HT Enterprises, Lowrance
· Employed full time with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources
· On organizing committee (responsible for media and communications) for Canada’s Premier One Day Bass Tournament – the Bass Pro Shops Lake Simcoe Open
· Co-ordinator of award winning Lake Simcoe Bass Tagging Research Project. Over 1,000 bass tagged at tournaments so far providing information on seasonal movements, population dynamics and effectiveness of fizzing
· Winner of 2004 Bill Bond Memorial Award- “For dedication to promoting & conserving the Lake Simcoe fishery”
· Winner of 2006 “BASS Federation Nation Conservation Director of the Year Award for the Eastern Division” and Ontario BASS Federation Nation Member of the Year Award
. On Advisory Panel for US Publication "Bass Club Digest Magazine'
. Winner of 1991 Greg Clarke Outdoor Writing Award
. Winner of 2007 OWC National Fishing Week Outdoor Writing Award
· Excellent name recognition and very well respected within angling community
*Focus On Fishing articles have since moved from the Georgina Advocate newspaper to his new website’
You can reach Wil at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it