Knox Marine will host its first Customer Appreciation Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18, featuring special deals, family-friendly activities and a youth fishing tournament.
Organizers expect the event, to be held at Knox Marine's showroom on Knox Lake at 13285 Netherland Rd. in Fredericktown, to provide a competitive experience for young anglers while offering customers seasonal deals and celebrating the local boating and fishing community.
Mike Steele, co-owner of Knox Marine, said the event is intended to thank customers while showcasing end-of-season inventory.
“It's going to be like an open house,” Steele told the Mount Vernon News. “We're going to have some sales on end of the year closeouts. Just thank you for the people and customers that have bought from us over the years. And then we're also incorporating a youth fishing tournament the same day.”
The Knox Marine Battle on the Water Youth Tournament will run from 6:30 a.m. to noon on Knox Lake.
The youth fishing tournament idea came through one of Knox Marine's professional staff members, Steele said.
“One of our new pro staff members is one of the heads of the youth fishing for Ohio,” Steele said. “So he brought it up and we decided it was a good deal.”
Tournament participation was capped at 25 teams, but demand quickly exceeded expectations.
According to Steele, registration filled almost immediately.
“It's already full,” he said. “I think the first night there were 17 that signed up the very first evening.”
According to tournament rules released by Knox Marine, the event will begin with boat check-in at 5 a.m. at the Knox Lake North Boat Ramp. The official start time is 6:30 a.m., with weigh-in scheduled for noon.
The competition will target largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. Rules specify that “Artificial bait only, no live bait, no trolling or strolling.”
Knox Marine worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to secure an exemption to the lake's 18-inch length limit for the tournament. Subsequently, teams may weigh in bass measuring 12 inches or larger, with a five-fish limit per boat. Following the tournament, Knox Marine plans to celebrate participants with a public weigh-in. Professional angler John Cox will serve as emcee for the tournament weigh-in.
Cox is a Florida-based Elite Series professional bass angler with 16 years of full-time competition experience, 111 career events, two wins, eight Bassmaster Classic appearances and about $859,000 in career earnings.
He is known for a close-to-the-bottom fishing style, consistent tournament finishes and an active social media presence sharing updates, on-the-water insights and behind-the-scenes coverage from events across the Southeast.
Steele said Cox will also interact with customers throughout the day.
“John Cox is a Vexus pro-staff professional fisherman,” Steele said. “He'll be emcee during the tournament and answering questions here at the store while the kids are out fishing.”
Professional angler John Cox, a Florida-based Elite Series competitor, will emcee Knox Marine’s youth tournament weigh-in and meet attendees during Customer Appreciation Day July 18 in Fredericktown. (Facebook / Pro Angler John Cox)
Steele said during the customer appreciation event, attendees can also take advantage of promotions on marine and fishing products.
A promotional flyer advertising the event notes a “Customer Appreciation Day!” featuring “Huge deals on fishing tackle accessories, electronics and more!” The flyer also promotes “End of year clearance on Crestliner & Vexus boats and Mercury.”
Steele said customers can expect discounts throughout the store.
“There'll be everything from fish and tackle to reels to all the leftover boats on sale,” he said. “There'll be some good incentives to buy. It's our changeover time of year because the 27th will be coming shortly. So it's a good way for us to get somebody in a boat at a little bit of a discount.”
Knox Marine carries major boat brands.
“We sell Crestliner new aluminum fishing boats and Vexus bass and aluminum boats,” Steele said.
Knox Marine currently has seven new Vexus Boats models in stock, mostly bass boats ranging from about 18 to nearly 22 feet, with prices from the low $30,000s up to roughly $155,000.
It also has six new Crestliner boats available, spanning 16- to 20-foot fishing and utility models priced from about $19,000 to nearly $76,000.
In addition to boats, Steele said nearly every item in the store will be discounted.
“It's bait, tackle, everything in that store will have some discount on it,” he said.
The dealership also plans to offer promotions on outboard motors.
“We also have special pricing on loose Mercury outboards,” Steele said. “A lot of people repower a boat and just have to buy just a motor. So we're gonna run a deal on loose outboards also.”
