Kayaks By Bo – Fishing Seminar & New Store Tour

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Today I am going to do something different, instead of a traditional “fishing report” I am going to report on the recent Kayak Fishing Seminar led by Tournament Champion & YouTube sensation Chris Mitchell, as well as go over the store, and inventory of Kayaks By Bo’s new downtown Cocoa location. I figured that as Black Friday approaches, and people are starting to think about Christmas season shopping, this would be a good time to do a store breakdown.

Mitchell

First off, I cannot say enough about Chris Mitchell’s presentation, and seminar. He covered a variety of topics including: Tournament Etiquette; Efficient Bass Locating Techniques; Tournament Day Strategies; Photo Submissions; Stress Management & the Mental Game; and Post-Tournament Analysis, as well as a Q&A session at the end. I met some really cool people, and got a lot of great fishing information.

As someone who isn’t interested, or able to take on the tournament life, I still found a lot of value in this seminar – especially the topic on “Efficient Bass Locating Techniques”. First off, it was not lost on me that Chris spent very little of his own time talking about his lures & presentations, but he spent a huge chunk of time talking about how to locate fish – that to me is very telling, and fits a personal belief that I have been evolving into for the last few years – which is what you throw at the fish is not-nearly as important as the time and energy that should be spent FINDING the fish. I believe this is a truth that extends beyond Bass fishing, and can be applied to the inshore realm as well.

Some of the key takeaways from the locating Bass section were:

Use of Maps for Gameplanning (Chris used Omnia)
Finding tight contour lines, which denote depth changes.
Understand Wind Direction
Know when to gameplan for wind protection, and know when wind pushed water is a good thing (Wind pushed plankton, which pushes bugs, which pushed baitfish, which pushed predators into an area)
Look for hotspots. In the world of Florida Bass fishing, these include structure, cover, and spawning areas.
Spawning areas include hard bottoms, and different types of vegetation.

Shop Kayaks By Bo

So let’s start off by talking about Kayaks By Bo’s headline items…Kayaks. So when a store is called Kayaks By Bo, we have to understand the main attraction is going to be the inventory of kayaks, and there is no other place in the Space Coast that offers this level of inventory. Headliner brands such as Old Town, Hobie and Bonafide fill up the showroom floor. They are also selling used demos from the top brands as well. As we enter the holiday season Kayaks By Bo is offering a mark down sale on their inventory, and they also offer rigging and repair services on kayaks.

So let’s say you are like me, you don’t need a kayak. Don’t worry, a trip to Kayaks By Bo is still worth it. They have a full selection and array of PFD’s and Yak Attack accessories. Carts, rod holders, camera mounts etc. If you need it, they probably have it.

When kayaking, or paddle boarding, it is important to have waterproof storage gear for your phone, keys, wallet and other personal items. They have it and more, backpacks, cell phone carriage cases/pouches, as well as waterproof footwear, sandals and flip flops.

Last but not least, apparel & shirts! They have a full line up of Fish Skinz shirts and hooded outerwear. With some absolutely sick designs, these shirts also offer full sun protection with lightweight breathable fabric. These have been a big hit amongst my family members, and fishing club members at school as they have been my go-to gifts to give for the last year.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, don’t forget to shop local, and support a family owned business and support the local fishing oriented business community!

Next week I will get back on schedule with a fishing report. Make sure to follow Kayaks By Bo on social media for information about upcoming events & sales!

Until next time!