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Twenty Questions With Walleye Pro Chris Kindraka
This week's interviewee is a great guy from our neighbors in the North country, Canadian Chris Kindraka. As with all Twenty Question participants, Chris will be our Walleye Central Chat Host this coming Wednesday, 12/2/09. Join us for our "Fireside Chat" to ask Chris your own quesitons about fishing and hunting there!
Juls: Who is Chris Kindraka?
Chris: Juls, this is the first question, and you are already making me think! I am a walleye addict from Canada, who enjoys all things fishing. I do about 10 to 12 tournaments a year, and try to get out fun fishing as much as possible. I take a lot of photographs of fish, and love the outdoors. I hunt too much as well, mainly for whitetail deer with both rifle and bow. Living in Alberta and being close to the mountains I also fly fish trout streams, and make the ocasional trip to the west coast to salmon fish too. When I am not fishing or enjoying the outdoors, I build houses, and enjoy spending time with friends and family. I am a big Edmonton Oilers fan, and love watching hockey. I have been trolling around on Walleye Central since 1999 under the handle of Chris K.
Juls: How old are you? And, are you single or in a relationship? Kids?
Chris: I am 29 years old, I'm single, and have no kids.
Juls: How old were you when you first began fishing as a child and what is your earliest memeory of going fishing?
Chris: I remember being carried on my dads back while he waded across trout streams in the mountains of Alberta, and he would take me along while he fished for rainbows, whitefish and bull trout. I was three years old, and remember him flyfishing at a small beaverpond that had some brook trout in it, and Dad got the fly stuck in a tree. He was a pretty big guy, and he climbed up the tree but when he almost got his fly unstuck, the branch he was on broke and he came crashing down. He told me the fish spit the hook up in the tree, and for quite a few years I believed him.
Juls: Who first took you fishing?
Chris: My dad, Larry Kindraka. He took me with him all the time while growing up, and would even take me out of school in the spring to go on walleye fishing trips with him and his friend Konrad. We would go camping to lakes and streams and fish everywhere we went. He loved icefishing and we went on a lot of trips with him and my friends, and we had lots of great laughs. Unfortunately my dad passed away this spring and I really miss fishing with him, but his memory is still with me everyday when I hit the water.
Juls: You're from Canada...what made you want to start fishing tournaments outside of Canada?
Chris: I saw the PWT on tv and thought the pro am format was interesting. Richard Mellon, was fishing the PWT at the time. After speaking with him at a sportshow in Edmonton, I really wanted to do it. Richard livied in Alberta and was one of two Canadians competing in the PWT at the time. I travelled with him to fish the West division of the PWT as an amateur back in 2000. Between the travelling and the prefishing with him I got to see all the ins and outs of a professional walleye tournament fisherman in action. He was teamed up with Joe Lundquist, and I really appreciated a lot of the lessons on and off the water that they taught me. Also back in 2000 the RCL Championship offered an incredible $400,000 for first place prize, so how could I not want to go to the states and fish?
Juls: What is your favorite memory from all your years of fishing? (tournament or fun fishing...doesn't matter)
Chris: Back in 2002, I was fishing the RCL at Lake Sharpe in South Dakota. I had an alright first day and was around the 25th spot, or so. It was a slot limit with no culling, so you really had to catch the right fish to do well. On day two, my am partner and I absolutely whacked the fish, and I moved up to 5th place to make the cut after the first two days. We were done fishing by 10:30 in the morning, so we went back near the boat launch to put the boat up on shore to wait for the for weigh in. When my fish were in the bump tank Dan Plautz was behind me in line. While my slots were being measured he congratulated me on catching some really nice fish, and that was pretty cool. I ended up 14th after day three and came in that day with 30 seconds to go, trying to catch one additional pound and a half slot, but I fished hard and came up one fish short. The whole experience of doing well against the best fisherman in the world, and having their respect for placing well amongst them meant a lot to me.
Juls: When did you start tournament fishing?
Chris: I fished my first walleye tournament in 1999, on Lesser Slave lake in Alberta. We ended up running out of gas in the middle of the lake with a weight in the livewell that would of put us in the top 10. I learned some really good lessons that day, and always make sure I am well prepared and gassed up the night before.
Juls: How did you get started touranment fishing, and do you remember how you got your first sponsor?
Chris: I worked in a tackle shop during and after high school, and that’s where I started getting interested in walleye tournaments. Some of the tournament regulars would come in and a friend and I would pick their brains about techniques and lakes. With the Walleye Insider on the shelf always at hand, and tons of walleye books that had to be read, reread, highlighted, and dog eared, my appetite for walleye info could not be satisfied. A guy I knew needed a partner at the last minute for a tournament and asked me to fish with him and I jumped at the chance. Later that year my boss from the tackle shop and I entered the Golden Walleye Classic on Slave Lake in 1999, and the store paid our entry.
Juls: What circuits have you fished in the past?
Chris: PWT, RCL, AIM Championship, Northern Alberta Walleye Trail, Southern Alberta Walleye Trail and the Saskatchewan Walleye Trail. The Sask walleye trail is by far my favourite Canadian circuit though. The fisheries are awesome, the tournaments are all well run, and the calibre of anglers in Saskatchewan is incredible. The team of the year and angler race always comes down to the last tournament, and I can’t wait to start the year off looking for big walleyes out of Elbow on Lake Deifenbaker in late May.
Juls: Who are your sponsors?
Chris: Lund Boats, Mercury, Ryjus, Northland Fishing Tackle, G.Loomis, and myself. I have a few I am working on for next year too, so hopefully a few more in the near future.
Juls: What do you have planned for this off season this year?
Chris: I have been hunting ever since I sold my boat at the start of October, trying to shoot a trophy whitetail. I have a house I am currently working on and should have finished by March. After that I will start building another. During the winter I icefish, preferably for perch and walleye. I do get out for rainbow trout and brook trout through the ice early in the season, and this year I can’t wait to try fishing for lakers through the ice. I may attend the NPAA meeting in Minneapolis, but I still have a few things to work out in my schedule. I will also attend some fundraising dinners this winter as well as shows, and the Lund Boats catalog photo shoot in the spring.
Juls: Are you doing any sport shows or boat shows where people will be able to meet you and talk to you?
Chris: I will be attending the Edmonton and Calgary Boat & Sportsmen Shows, and possibly a few others to help out local Lund Boat dealers. I used to work for Lund in their marketing department and have done shows all across Canada, and some in the states. I enjoy working shows and helping customers find the right boat for their needs and always have time to chat a little bit about fishing too.
Juls: Who is your dealer, and where are they located?
Chris: Rally Motors in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. They have been an absolute pleasure to deal with, and their staff are top notch. I could not ask for better support from a dealer, and I know that they go the extra mile to take care of every customer that walks into their store.
Juls: Do you do anything with kids groups?
Chris: I am a tournament Director for an Angler Young Angler Fishing Tournament in Lac La Biche, Alberta. The event has been running for the last seven years, and it is the highlight of my summer. I also help out at the Angler Young Angler National championship where I helped guide this year. I have attended the AYA championship in Kenora Ontario since it’s inception, and I really enjoy helping out in any way I can. The AYA events are wonderful for exposing youths to competitive sportfishing, and those kids are the ones that will participate in tournaments in the future and keep growing this sport.
Juls: Do you do any guiding?
Chris: I do not guide for monetary purposes, but do take out a lot of family and friends and their kids to enjoy fishing. I really enjoyed guiding a team at the Anger Young Angler National Championship on Lake of the Woods this summer. In the future I may persue doing some local guiding here in Alberta, depending on my work and tournament schedule. When I retire someday, I would love to guide on the Canadian side of Lake of the Woods!
Juls: What would be your advice to anyone that wants to start tournament fishing?
Chris: Tournament fishing is so much fun and is very addictive. Unfortunately, it is also very expensive. One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to start out and see if it is for you is to do fish the co angler side of a pro am tournament. You bring your raingear and some lunch, and the pro takes care of everything else. You learn hands on, on the water and see everything that goes into the decision making during the day of tournament fishing. You go through the highs and lows, learn fishing and boat control techniques from the best walleye anglers in the world, and make great friends along the way. Fishing local events as well with seasoned vertrans can help you ease your way into tournaments too. The people and friends you will meet from doing tournaments will all help you become a better angler. Remember to keep things fun and stick to your gameplan, and try make sound decisions on the water. You have to be willing to have a very open mind, and work hard to be strong with all techniques so you can be as versatile as possible. After attending and fishing over a hundred events in my lifetime, it still amazes me to find out how a lot of fish are caught and how good a lot of anglers are to figure out what the fish are up to to get them in the net. Little tweaks or small changes in presentation can make huge differences come tournament time. The more time you spend on the water, the better the angler you will become, and have more confidence in your abilites.
Juls: What are your top five favorite lakes or rivers to fish and why?
Chris: Last Mountian Lake , Saskatchewan - I won my first tournament on Last Mountain in 2001, and there is a great diversity in that lake from the weedy flats in the south, to the deeper midlake points in the midsection, to the rocks up north. The walleye get big, and there is always a chance at a fish over 13 pounds.
Lake of the Woods, Ontario/Minnesota – The scenery and diversity are unparralelled! Over 14000 islands and a million acres of water. It’s a fishing playground!
Tobin Lake, Saskatchewan – I have touched a walleye that was 17 pounds from this waterbody, and it has incredible numbers of fish in the mid teens due to a protected slot between 21.5 and 34 inches. There is a small river portion below a hydro dam, and a large lake from a downstream damming fo the North Saskatchewan River. You never know if your next bite will be a 16 incher or a 16 pounder.
Calling Lake, Alberta – My favourite lake in Alberta, and approximately 2.5 hours from my house. It has good numbers of fish from 5 to eight pounds, and each year it usually spits out some over 10. In my opinion it’s the best walleye fishery in northern Alberta.
Wabigoon Lake, Ontario - I love the diversity that the ‘Goon has to offer. From the clear backwater lakes, to the tannic stained Dinorwick, and then silty Wabigoon, there is always good fishing somewhere in the chain. There is every kind of natural structure imaginable and the fish relate to it all at times. I really like staying at Bonny Bay Camp while I am there too, and their hospitality makes the awesome fishing even better!
Juls: What are your plans for the coming season? Will you fish only Pro/Ams or will you also fish some team events?
Chris: All of our curcuits or tournaments here in Western Canada are team events. The schedules have not been released yet, so I don’t know what events might conflict with others as of yet. We have some tournaments up here that pay incredibly well. The Anglers Cup on Slave Lake paid 75,000 for first place, and the Vanity Cup in Nipawin is 50,000. It’s hard for me to give up fishing local bodies of water where the payouts are good, the fields are full, as they are much closer to home versus traveling to the States. I live 12 hours straight north of Fort Peck, Montana and when I go to US tournaments I have a lot of extra driving. I know for sure I will fish the whole Saskatchewan Walleye Trail, a few events in Alberta, and hopefully I can make it to the Aim Championship again. It was awesome to participate in a CRR AIM event this year! A bunch of my friends have also decided to get married this summer, so that may put a crimp into a few tournaments as well.
Juls: Will you be traveling to the USA to fish tournaments this coming season?
Chris: It all depends on the schedule in relation to the other events I fish. I really want to do more of the AIM events, so we will see. Hopefully in the upcoming years there can be another CanAM Pro AM up here so us Canadians can have a shot to defend our title!
Juls: If you could only catch fish one way...what would that presentation be? What is your favorite?
Chris: I enjoy rigging for walleyes with big leeches on sharp drop offs or on mid lake humps. Pulling up to a spot and marking some big hooks on the graph, athen backtrolling slowly in my Lund until they bite. Feeling that hit and letting them swim off with the bait…then setting the hook with a sweep and having your rod load right up with the weight of a big walleye, I just love that feeling!
Juls: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Chris. Best of luck in your 2010 fishing season! We hope to see you in the states again real soon. :)
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