The top honors for the event went to Kristine Fischer of Weeping Water, Nebraska. With 100 anglers turning in over 720 fish in two days, it meant that the level of competition was extremely fierce. According to AJ McWhorter, the tournament director, even a top ten finish in a competition of this magnitude is a respected, difficult feat. Fischer stated that her win was thanks to a lot of determination, as well as hard work and a relentless passion for competitive kayak fishing. She also mentioned that she has received an overwhelming amount of support from the kayak fishing community and fishing world in general after her success.
Fischer also described her initial strategy for the tournament, which was to make use of her deep water fishing expertise to fish ledges. However, testing out the waters before the tournament revealed that the bass were very scattered and unpredictable when attempting this strategy. This prompted her to switch tactics and go far south in search of shallow fish that could be a bit more predictable. This strategy proved to be very promising, which boosted her confidence for the tournament.
Unfortunately for Kristine, her first day on the water didn't quite go according to plan and she ended up losing five fish, including three really large ones, by 6:30 a.m. She did manage to put 89 1/2 inches in the boat, but day two went a whole lot better for her after she returned to the spot. Despite water temperature that had risen, hard rain and wind, Kristine continued to change her baits over the course of the day to adapt to the conditions. This perseverance paid off as by 10:30 a.m. she had caught about 35 fish and described it as one of the best fishing days number-wise that she has ever had on Kentucky Lake.
Kristine has stated that she absolutely loves fishing the Hobie events and will be at the Opens as well as one or two Satellite Events. Her main goal for the year was qualifying for the Hobie Tournament of Champions, which she managed to accomplish with this win. However, her immediate plans after winning such a prestigious event is to grab her camping gear and head down to southern Tennessee. Her plan is to disconnect and rest by enjoying some time on the water and fishing for muskies for four or five days.
The top six competitors for this event, who all qualify for the Tournament of Champions on Arkansas' Lake Ouachita in November of this year are as follows:
Kristine Fischer, First Place, 178 inches
Joshua Stewart, Second Place, 170.25 inches
Eric Siddiqi, Third Place, 169.5 inches
Cody Milton, Fourth Place, 167 inches
Adam Riser, Fifth Place, 165 inches
Guillermo Gonazalez, Sixth Place, 162.5 inches
The next Hobie B.O.S event will take place at Lake Fork, Texas on June 1-2, followed by more events at Lake St. Clair, Michigan, Lake Guntersville, Alabama, and more.
