They’re the greenest of the greenhorns in the field, they’ve never fished in the tournament before, and they’ll be the fifth-last team to depart from the dock on opening day.
So, Brian Christian, how do you like the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship so far?
“I think we’ve got a pretty good chance,” said Christian, 16, who along with fellow Fort Frances fishing partner Mark Kellar, 17, comprise the youngest team in this year’s 136-team field taking aim at the $27,000 first prize.
“Our goal is first place, although we’d be happy to make the top 90,” he added.
“I really don’t know what to expect. Every time we go out, we just have to make sure to get some weight,” he reasoned. “We’re going to have to get at least 14 pounds per day to do good.”
Christian and Kellar are just glad to take part in the annual showdown on Rainy Lake at all. Having not competed before in the FFCBC, they were left to qualify for the 45 remaining berths through the random draw last October.
After not making it, the duo was relegated to 10th on the waiting list and left to hope that there would be enough withdrawals in the spots above them to squeeze into the fray.
Christian had faith things would work out just fine “the whole time.” Kellar was a different story.
“I didn’t think we’d get in at all,” he recalled. “It was a pleasant surprise when we found out we were in. The trouble was, I found out only three days before the payment deadline and I was rushing around trying to get together $500 to pay for my half.”
Kellar admitted to feeling extra heat on him and Christian to perform well—considering the age and experience disadvantages they’re facing.
“It’s a big challenge,” he agreed. “There’s a lot of intimidation when you’re going up against people like [Al and Troy] Lindner and [three-time and defending champ] Norm Lindsay.
“It’s a privilege just to fish in the same tournament as them. I’m really excited about it,” Kellar enthused.
In the meantime, the pair has been hard at work trying to prepare the best they can for the task in front of them.
“The pre-fishing has been pretty good, but things could change a lot [before the tournament],” noted Christian. “The bass are on their spawning beds right now. One good rain and everything might be different.”
Kellar said they’ve been studying bass spawning paths both on the north arm and south arm of Rainy, which is less frequently used during the tournament.
“We got one place picked out where we’re going to head for the first day that’s quite a distance away [from the launch area],” said Kellar, who wasn’t about to tip his hand as to the precise location.
“We’re crossing our fingers the spot will be unoccupied. We’re just going to try and get our five fish each day, and work from there,” he added.
While the older anglers may think they’re a step ahead of the FFCBC rookies, Christian stressed nobody should discount the young guns quite yet.
“We’ve both fished for a long time,” he said. “I don’t think being younger is going to be that much of a disadvantage.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
