Corey and Sean are back again with episode 12 of the Beneath the Surface Podcast: Division No. 18. In this episode, we travel back in time to a trip dreamt up by BOTE Creative Director, Rob McAbee, as he and several members of the BOTE family venture off-the-grid. They are headed to a place known only as Division No. 18, but to most fishermen it’s known as one of the best places on earth to fish for Northern Pike and Rob and the crew were looking to be the first people to ever fish this area on stand up paddle boards.

“The trip is a tale of good friends going into the wild and challenging ourselves to go after incredible fish….the entire trip was something I would repeat in a heartbeat”

- Rob McAbee, BOTE Creative Director 

Links from the Episode 

Check out Milton Lake Lodge.

You’re going to need a BOTE Inflatable SUP.

Dive into Corey and Sean’s Everglades trip (round two) in BOTE Presents // Never Again. 

Check out Rob’s written account with photos by Nick Pujic in BOTE Presents // Division No. 18.

Who’s in the Episode

Lead Designer, Co-Founder, and CEO at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer hailing from Auburn University. Corey is the pioneer of the DarkRoom, assisting with the design of the machinery, concepting the layout and ultimately developing the workflow used in DarkRoom production. Corey’s passion for this project is so strong that on any given day, regardless of how busy things are at BOTE, you will often find Corey working in the DarkRoom.

Sean Murphy is the Director of Photography at BOTE and a world-renowned photographer based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After spending most of his career based in Los Angeles, shooting for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and Toyota, just to name a few, Sean moved back to the Redneck Riviera. You can find Sean capturing gritty America and spontaneous moments that translate into visually stunning photography.  

BOTE Creative Director, Rob McAbee, brings the style when it comes to designing eye-catching stand up paddle boards and developing color palettes, patterns, fonts, and illustrations that unite and define the BOTE brand. With over 25 years of professional brand building and marketing experience, Rob combined his love for fishing with his love for creative design when he joined the BOTE family in 2013. An avid fly fisher, Rob is the founder of BugslingerTM Fly Gear and, in collaboration with Corey, the creative brain behind the BOTE brand.  

Rebekka Redd is an accomplished global fly angler, photographer, adventurer, published writer, speaker, conservationist and TV show host. Along with her work in television, she has garnered a worldwide following through her photography and writing.

Nick Pujic is the founder of Vantage Point Media House and is also the co-founder of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4), a widely popular touring event throughout North America. Nick’s productions continue to air in over 170 countries around the World on leading broadcasters such as Discovery Channel, SportsNet, ESPN, Outdoor Channel, WildTV, WFN, Canal+, and Caza y Pesca.

Yoshi Aoki is also known as the “ninja” at Vantage Point. Not only is he outright deadly with a camera in his hands, but he is up a mountain and filming before anyone else has even left the parking lot. Yoshi’s talent with photographs, illustrations and cinematography are only rivaled by his passion for the outdoors.