Kristine Fischer Previews Lake Tenkiller Elite
Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships / Photos: Bassmaster
Kristine Fischer added to her impressive kayak fishing accomplishments when she won the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lake Tenkiller presented by Native Watercraft last week. Fischer now has victories in three different national kayak tournament trails and has helped to make kayak fishing cool, amassing a huge following on social media and beyond in the process.
Fischer is one of the most decorated kayak anglers in the country but this year she’s stepped out of her comfort zone, competing in Bassmaster Opens and Lady Bass Angler Association (LBAA) tournaments out of her Ranger boat. The Team Toyota pro already notched an LBAA win out of her bass boat on Lake Seminole earlier in the year and now has her first Bassmaster Kayak Series title.
“It was such a whirlwind and I couldn’t be more grateful for my first Bassmaster win,” Fischer beamed. “I am not anti-FFS at all, but this win was extra special because I fished the way I love to. Skipping docks, flipping bushes and never having to even turn my electronics on. It was so much fun and definitely felt meant to be.”
Fischer is a BassmastHER ambassador and as good as she is on the water, perhaps her best work is done in supporting and inspiring women or inexperienced anglers to get outside and get their feet wet. Fishing, especially tournament fishing, can be intimidating but anglers like Fischer have done a great deal to help bust down barriers for folks who aspire to try their hand.
“It is my biggest dream that every single other woman out there can see this and believe that they can do this, too,” Fischer said. “I just want more story to help pave the way for future female Bassmaster Elite & Classic qualifiers.”
With the seventh stop of the Bassmaster Elite Series set to kick off tomorrow on Lake Tenkiller less than two weeks after Kristine’s big win, who better to preview this event and talk current conditions? According to Fischer, water level fluctuations will have a big impact on this tournament.
“The lake levels have been all over the place at Tenkiller the past few weeks,” Fischer explained. “When we started practice water was 8+ feet high, but by the end of the tournament it was only three feet high. I’ve kept my eye on the lake level this week and the Elites are going to experience similar conditions.
“The water was 7-feet high and rising to start practice for the Elites and they are pulling water again. It was just over 5-feet high the last time I looked. Because of these fluctuations I purposely stayed away from the backs of creeks and tried to focus on the mouths of creeks and steeper banks. It’s looking like the Elite guys might have to do the same.”
Fischer explained that she found a solid offshore bite in practice, catching fish at depths all the way down to 40+ feet, but she decided to fish her strengths and left the offshore bite to others. That decision proved fruitful as she used a variety of swimbaits like a Berkley Cull Shad to catch quality keepers around floating docks and then had a strong flipping bite around bushes and willow trees using a Texas-rigged Berkley Crud Craw on a 5/8-ounce weight.
This one-two punch was enough to propel Fischer from second place on day one to the top spot by the end of day two. While Fischer believes Elite Series anglers will continue to capitalize on the shallow bite, she knows things are changing fast and expects to see a different side of Tenkiller shine.
“I expect the Elites to show out the deep bite on Tenkiller this weekend,” Fischer said. “The water has a lot of color to it but it’s mid-June, it’s hot, and a big population of fish will be offshore or moving offshore during the tournament. I think we’ll see a lot of 15-16-lb mixed bags of both largemouth and smallies. That makes for a fun tournament for the anglers and an exciting show for the fans!”
At just under 13,000 acres, Lake Tenkiller is on the small side in terms of Elite Series venues, but as Fischer alluded to, there are a myriad of ways to catch bass in this eastern Oklahoma reservoir. What Tenkiller lacks in size, it makes up for in number of fish and beauty.
Perched in the rolling hills and scenic bluffs near the western edge of the Ozark Mountains, this fishery is full of bass. Despite curveball conditions with regional flooding and lots of debris in the water, Fischer believes Tenkiller is poised to show out once again for the 2025 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite.