Kristine Fischer may be a small-town girl from Nebraska, but she sure has made a name for herself in the fishing industry. We had a chance to speak with Kristine to not only hear about her recent tournament win but how her love and passion for the outdoors have turned into a successful fishing career.

Kristine did not grow up with a tv, so her love for the outdoors started at a young age. She was your textbook tomboy, hunting and fishing with the boys and she had a love for sports. The love for being on the water and competition has always been in her blood. After college, Kristine worked at an outdoor retailer working on bows, selling fishing equipment, and sharing her knowledge of hunting with customers. Kristine did not have much time to fish while she was working in retail, so she started teaching Pilates to give her a more flexible schedule to be able to do what she loved, fishing.

With little money and always being financially conscious, she decided that buying a kayak and learning the sport was something right up her alley. Kayak fishing is a cheap way for anglers to get out from shore and onto the water. A question that I have, as do many other anglers, is how does one get a kayak into their vehicle or on top of their vehicle by themselves? When I asked Kristine this question, she explained there are so many options out there for kayaks and if weight is something you are worried about, they have vessels as light as 40 lbs! Fischer has an amazing Youtube Channel where she shares tricks and how-to videos on kayak fishing including one that answered our question (see link below).  You will also see her landing huge catches of species that range from bass to musky and sailfish to sturgeon, all from her kayak. We asked if she was ever nervous when bringing up a huge catch like a musky from a kayak, but she said she loves the thrill and adrenaline rush. She also went on to explain that having a good sturdy kayak is key.

Kayak fishing lets anglers get up close and personal with nature, allowing anglers to be close to the water and get to secluded areas that many motorboats cannot. Fischer said that her favorite part about the sport is not only being one with nature, but also the kayak community itself. Being new to a sport can be intimidating and many might not know where to start. The kayak community is like no other, they are people just like you and me who not only love to fish but also welcome any newcomers with open arms. Kristine went on to say that they are “very likeminded people who are generous and live and breathe the outdoors”. If anyone is interested in getting into kayak fishing, Fischer encourages all new or current anglers to reach out to your state or local Grass Roots Fishing Club. Each state has its own club and many put on kayak-related events. Many anglers are willing to show new anglers the ropes before they go and buy a bunch of gear. (see Casting Queens Q&A blog for more)

While learning the ropes of kayak fishing, Kristine started to dabble in the tournament circuit. She said after taking 3^rd place in her first tournament, she was officially hooked! Being a woman in the outdoors isn’t easy with the fishing industry being a predominantly male-dominated sport, Kristine felt the pressure to continuously prove herself as a serious angler. She took this as motivation to make her name known.

As we previously stated, Kristine loves competition and was up for the challenge. She worked her way through the tournament circuit and was able to take her love for fishing and the outdoors full-time 3 years ago fishing in multiple tournaments a year.  With continued tournament wins and top 10 qualifiers she really started to catch the eye of her competition.

The Hobie Bass Open Series is a very competitive circuit and the series consists of 10 opens (also called tournaments) all over the country. Each open has about 150 anglers participating with only 50 qualifying for the Championship. To qualify for the Championship, there are two ways to qualify: First is to place in the top 3 in one of the 10 opens. The second way to finish in the Top 20 Angler of the Year (which takes the best 3 opens). Kristine was one of 2 women that qualified for this year’s Championship Open! 

The Hobie Bass Open Series Tournament of Champions is a kayak bass fishing championship event and is held on Lake Eufala in Alabama. It is a 3-day event with 0 cuts each day; unlike typical Bass Competitions we see, weight is not a key factor for this tournament, they measure strictly on the length of 5 bass. There is a running total each day and whoever has the highest amount of inches at the end of day 3 is declared the winner. On the first day, Kristine had 77 inches and was in the 11th spot. On the second day, she caught a total of 80.50 inches and moved up to 3rd place. On the third and final day, she hauled in a whopping 83 inches which brought her to a total of 157. 50”, securing that 1st place win!

After her big win, she gave all glory to God. Kristine went on to tell us that everyone’s spiritual walk is different, there are times when she struggles but she always comes back to her faith and relationship with Jesus. Trusting in God and knowing he is in control gives her a sense of peace. Living in the world we live in today, sometimes it is hard to think of peace, but when we put all of our trust in God and His plan, we know it will be okay. She went on to say “He is our peace and our truth. We can do anything through Him. By captivating that type of trust and faith in Him, it fully helps us live out our purpose. A lot of us don't fulfill our purpose out of fear.”

What an amazing thing to see an empowering woman like Kristine defying the odds and showing what hard work and dedication can get you! She said she has been fortunate to have a lot of big wins and has been able to tell her story at seminars. She feels like she now has the entire industry behind her! God truly has blessed Kristine in her abilities and mental attitude and she is a true inspiration for not only myself but other women in the industry! 

Follow Kristine on Instagram @midwestfishergal & hit that Subscribe button on her Youtube Channel!