Fish Stories

The Big Three: Part II - Hobie BOS

In this second installment to the national kayak scene I head over to the Hobie Bass Open Series, more commonly known as Hobie BOS. I had wanted to fish the Santee Cooper event in 2022, but with the fast sell out of the 200 max angler limit (since raised to 225) I missed the opportunity. This year I was more on top of the sign up timing and was able to get right it. However, 2023 did not see the sell outs as it did initially for the 2022 season and that wasn’t an issue for anglers.

Hobie Bass Open Series (BOS)

Unlike Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) that we covered in Part 1 of this series ,Hobie BOS is mainly set up as a part of Hobie itself as its own built-in sponsor with additional sponsors onboard as the series has taking hold. Hobie has been known for hosting kayak events across the globe withe Hobie Worlds as well as many others as way to promote its brand. The Pro Angler and Outback have been long time favorites amongst many kayak bass fishing anglers across the country. With the built in angler loyalty to the brand and growth of competitive kayak bass fishing it made complete sense for Hobie to get involved.

The trail series is headed up by AJ MacWhorter, a sales representative for Hobie who took the reins for the series. Steve Fields has also been a crucial player in the smooth running of the series working alongside MacWhorter to promote and run the events. Events are 2 day total events with antlers competing on Saturday and Sunday with the best 5 from each day counting to their total score.

The Angler of the Year format for the Hobie BOS format includes 9 events or “rounds” in 2023 and similar to KBF includes 4 out of the 9 regular events plus the Tournament of Champions points for its Angler of the year race. Qualifications to fish the Tournament of Champions are the previous champion, top 3 from each round, rolled down to the top 32 anglers in points.

One difference is the mandatory check in for Hobie events on the Friday night before the event. This includes bump board verification, registration completion with event IDs and the captains meeting. The check in was smooth and efficient, and Captain’s Meeting ended with what we all were expecting, a cancel for Saturday’s fishing. The wind and storm ripping across the Southeast caused an abundance of caution to be used, and they did.

Anglers get a descent amount of attention, and check cashers get their due on social media. Hobie BOS did announce there would be some cut backs in 2023 with regards to some extras that they were known for including food and support boats. Hobie BOS also made this change as well as increasing the entry fee which also went to support the now 15% of field payout.

The event at Santee Cooper unfortunately went a little sideways between the weather issue and vehicle issue for me. Not to hide the fact that my fishing was sub-par at best, dropping a Santee toad and missing other bites which were few. I wasn’t able to attend the awards because of the vehicle issue needing immediate addressing so I could make it home. However, as per usual the awards were done live on Facebook where they give the top anglers time to discuss their day and throw a shout out about their sponsors they may have.

Pros:

• Solid trail with built in sponsor support
• Multiple Day event format to award the highest consistent angler
• Good promotion of the anglers across social media
• Angler of the Year points based on 4 events that helps reduce some travel
• 15% of field payout (could be a negative to some, less money to top anglers)

Cons:

• No trolling motors allowed
• Minimum buy in high at $295 per event, $400 for ToC
• Events spread out geographically (could also be considered a positive?)
• Limited staff, sometimes slow to respond
• Limited articles on the events, mostly on social media

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Eric Nelson
Professional Kayak Bass Angler

Biography

I was born in Southeastern Massachusetts, where I began fishing for bass when I was in my early teenage years, graduating to competitive bass tournaments in my late 20’s. I moved to North Carolina in 2015 and found the passion for bass fishing from a kayak, and quickly became involved in both the local and national kayak bass tournament scenes. My fishing skills have allowed me to qualify for almost every major event since joining the clubs, be it at a club, state and even national level.

Being a professional in the online web development and design field for publications, I have always used my skills to help promote the clubs and the sport as a whole in my spare time.  I have been a part of the club directors for Cape Cod Bass, and now for Carolina Kayak Anglers, one of the larger kayak clubs in the country. I am also a part of the national KBF tournament advisory board.

The Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) format has allowed me to travel across the United States, fishing against the best fisherman in the country. Now with the KBF Pro format, and the merging with the FLW organization, I am looking forward to where this adventure takes me in the future.

Highlights

Total Career Earnings - $3,250

Competition Highlights
Inaugural FLW / KBF Cup Championship Qualified 2019 - Hot Springs, AK
KBF National Championship Qualified 2020 - Lake Guntersville, AL
KBF Challenge Championship 2018 - Toledo Bend, LA
2019 KBF National Championship - 57th overall out of 462 anglers - Shreveport, LA
KBF Regional Trail Championship Qualified 2019 - Lake Wheeler, AL
KBF National Trail Championship Qualified 2019 - La Crosse, WI
2nd Place 2018 KBF National Trail - High Rock Lake, NC
2nd Place 2019 - Plastic Pirates - Randleman Lake, NC
11th Place - 2019 KBF Southeastern Region Trail - Santee Cooper Lakes, SC
13th Place - 2019 KBF Southeastern Region Trail - Chickamauga Lake, TN
46th Place 2019 FLW / KBF Cup Qualifier - Nickajack Lake, TN
2nd Place - Plastic Pirates - Randleman Lake 2019
1st Place - Cape Cod Bass,  2002 - Lake Winnipesaukee, NH
1st Place - Cape Cod Bass, 2008 - Glenn Charlie Pond, MA