ICAST Rendezvous2016: More Than Fish Hooks
Preview
I remember reading the historical stories about the mountain men of the early1800’s and their annual Rendezvous in the Wind River Mountains region of the Rocky Mountains. How the sage and salty men of the trade blankets would go to great extremes, enduring all kinds of hardships and many demanding days of travel endurance, just to reach Rendezvous. Then finally arriving to a convention of like minded individuals set on their itinerary for the days ahead. Days of buying, selling, trading, demonstrating their wares; networking and surely, celebrating. Celebrating new and old endeared friendships and the achievements of the Best of the Best!
Sound familiar? If you are an annual ICAST attendee it should.
Interesting Tidbit: One of the favorite trade items between the Mountain Man and the Native American was bone fish hooks.
Best of Show - Terminal Tackle - Trapper Tackle's New Hook
NOTE: The full article "ICAST Rendezvous2016: More Than Fish Hooks" appeared in the September Issue of IS Outdoors Magazine. Look for the archive at ISOutdoors.com and the September 2016 issue or view it here:
ICAST Rendezvous2016:
Fish Hooks and More
David Fields - Fishing the Americas
I remember reading the historical stories about the mountain men of the
early1800’s and their annual Rendezvous in the Wind River Mountains region
of the Rocky Mountains. How the sage and salty men of the trade blankets
would go to great extremes, enduring all kinds of hardships and many
demanding days of travel endurance, just to reach Rendezvous. Then finally
arriving to a convention of like minded individuals set on their itinerary for
the days ahead. Days of buying, selling, trading, demonstrating their wares;
networking and surely, celebrating. Celebrating new and old endeared friendships and the achievements of the Best of the Best!
Sound familiar? If you are an annual ICAST
attendee it should.
Interesting Tidbit: One of the favorite trade items
between the Mountain Man and the Native
American was bone fish hooks.
July 12-15: ICAST Rendezvous2016 Orlando County Convention Center, Orlando Florida and the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better know as ICAST.
Produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the sportfishing
industry’s annual trade show Rendezvoused for its 59th year.
Over 15,000 industries representatives from the global sportfishing industry
gathered to witness the latest innovations in gear, accessories and apparel
encompassing the 650,000 gross square foot show which included displays
developed by over 700 businesses.
For the forth year, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA)
incorporated their International Fly Tackle Dealer show (IFTD) under the
canopy of the Convention Center to offer the fishing industry representatives
a chance to “see it all under one roof.”
These “united trade shows” are the perfect venue for launching new fishing
products and sparking new trends in the growing recreational fishing
industry.
The 2016 show added yet another allied attraction to the venue with the
opening of the Marine Accessories Pavilion, hosted by the National Marine
Manufacturers Association (NMMA) thus, expanding the shows appeal to a
wider cross-section of industry buyers.
Annually, the single most important feature of the ICAST show for exhibitors
and attendees alike is the New Product Showcase. The New Product
Showcase embodies the sportfishing industry’s innovative and
entrepreneurial spirit and rewards that ingenuity through the “Best of Show”
new product awards competition.
This year, more than 1,000 tackle products and accessories were entered by
more than 240 companies into 24 “Best of Show” categories in the New
Product Showcase, all competing for the overall ICAST 2016 “Best of Show”
award.
Making up a special section of the 650,000 gross square foot show floor, the
ICAST New Product Showcase, the Highlight of the Show, provided special
visibility for the industry’s latest innovations in gear, apparel and
accessories.
You may find a complete list of the 2016 Best of Show Award
winners immediately below this article with direct links to the products but now let me give
you my ten takeaways from the 2016 show.
Number 10: The ICAST show at 650,000 square feet is enormous. I spent
three full days, granted some time was spent in meetings, and I know I
missed out on something new. I really think at this size and certainly with
any further growth a four day show is in order.
Number 9: Cobra Garage Door Storage - Whoever thunk this one up earns
a special gold star! Best of Show in tackle management. I’ve looked at the
back of garage doors for years and missed the potential of this application
altogether. Brilliant! A place to store, paddles, push poles, gaffs, rods, and so
much more out of the way. More space is always good! Check it out.
Number 8: Apparel - In a word abundance? If you need to wear it you could
find it. From belts to buffs and head wear to foot wear. From technical to
trendy and all in between. Salt life styles to fly life styles. Bright to conservative colors and safety wear to temperature controlled. But to boil it
all down to who’s Hot and who’s not and who trips this trigger for 2017, its
gotta’ be HUK Performance Fishing! Truly offering a fresh take on the fishing
world as well as offering styles that are indeed young and current, but still
appeals to this ole’ fossil!
Number 7: Destination Travel - How does a great adventure fishing
destination make it into a sportfishing tackle show? Well, you gotta’ try the
new toys and gadgets out somewhere and it might as well be Costa Rica.
Besides that, the owners and staff are just great people that happen to
enhance your life at the show or your stay at the premier sportfishing
destination know as Crocodile Bay. Located on 44 acres between Costa
Rica’s South Pacific and the largest coastal rainforrest of the Americas,
Crocodile Bay offers “world-class” sport fishing for tackle busting brutes of
the Pelagic variety. I can’t wait to get there! Have a look.
Number 6: Abu Garcia® designs and creates premium reels that push the
limit of today’s low profile reel market. Abu Garcia now offers the lightest
Revo baitcasting reel ever produced with the new 4.5-ounce Revo®
MGXtreme®. The reel is packed with features serious anglers demand to
make them more efficient and more effective on the water. I still love my
Revo MGX but there may be a new little brother in the tackle closet soon
named MGXtreme! Click Here.
Number 5: “Build a better mousetrap” in this case design a better fishing
hook. Possible?
Here comes Trapper Tackle. You will be hearing more about the Trapper Hook
this fall and in 2017, for sure. I promise. Voted Best of Show for new
innovative terminal tackle was Trapper Tackle. “Revolutionary and patented
new hook design which will improve your efficiency and increase your fish
retention.” FYI, that’s your “stay hooked up to net rate.”
Number 4: Introducing the Monster 3X Family. “Monster 3X Concept Lures
manufactures the strongest, toughest and most resistant soft plastic lures
in today's market. “We believe that soft plastic lures are the most
effective way to catch all types of fish in fresh and salt water and Monster 3X
stands alone when it come to strength, durability and toughness.” So says the Monster3XUSA partner and spokesman, Raul Prieto. I’m doing a little
testing myself and you know what, so far HE’S RIGHT! Click Here.
Number 3: He’s back! Remember your old favorite? Penn's Slammer
spinning reel returns due to popular demand. This time the new Slammer III
features IPX6 sealed system to keep water out of the gear box and drag
system in heavy spray and sea conditions. Gear ratios range from 6.2:1 with
37 inches of line retrieve on the smaller reels to 4.2:1 with 43 inches of line
retrieve on the largest. Maximum drags start at 30 pounds in the smaller
models to 60 pounds on the largest. Want to see one or win one? Click Here.
Number 2: Enter (just who I was looking for) Duo International Realis.
Japan’s foremost leader in lure innovation and quality. A product that I’ve
had to search hard to find. At least in the models, sizes and colors I have
wanted. I’ve used the Realis line for Largies over the last few years with
exceptional results and addiction, but I need their Saltwater Fangbaits for
the South American exotics we chase like explosive Peacocks, toothy Payara
and the steel jaw “River Tigers” or Dorado’s. Introducing “Fang Ops” and
“The Beast Mode” Fangbaits. Coming soon. See it Here. We’re all in!
Number 1: I gotta say, at least for me, that the most encouraging
observation of the 2016 ICAST Show was this: The industry is fully
supportive and absolutely behind our youth in fishing and in introducing this
generation to the industry. I have never seen, in my 15 years attending
ICAST, the level of interest for our youth so apparent from industry people,
angling icons, companies and professional fishermen and fisherwomen as I
saw in July. I began noticing this about four years ago but this year was
stunning. Countless times I watched industry insiders and company
personnel alike drop their intense ‘one on one’ conversations, perhaps even
with clients, to address a question from a young angler or an aspiring high
school or college fishing team member. Congratulations fishing industry . . .
for dropping everything else to both invest and indulge yourselves into these
young people. They are your ICAST peers of the future. Well done!
Let’s all remember to take a kid fishing and introduce them to the great
outdoors!
2016 Best of Show Awards went to:
Johnson Outdoors, Inc. and its MINN KOTA ULTREX were voted by buyers and media as the best product in both the “Boat Accessories” category and the overall “Best of Show.”
ICAST 2016 Overall Best of Show - Johnson Outdoors – MINN KOTA
Product: MINN KOTA UTLREX
Best of Show - Freshwater Rod – St. Croix Rods
Product: Legend Glass Rod
Best of Show - Saltwater Rod – Lew’s Fishing Tackle
Product: Lew’s Mach Speed Stick/Inshore Rod
Best of Show - Fly Fishing Rod – St. Croix Rods
Product: SOLE
Best of Show - Freshwater Reel – Lew’s Fishing Tackle
Product: Team Lew’s Custom Pro SLP
Best of Show - Saltwater Reel – Pure Fishing, Inc.
Product: PENN SLAMMER III
Best of Show - Fly Reel – Pure Fishing, Inc.
Product: Pflueger President Fly Reel
Best of Show - Hard Lure – Savage Gear USA
Product: 3D Suicide Duck
Best of Show - Soft Lure – Squidnation
Product: Longtail Flippy Floppy
Best of Show – Lifestyle Apparel – Under Armour, Inc.
Product: Men’s UA Fish Stalker SS
Best of Show – Technical Apparel – Plano Synergy
Product: Frabill I-Float Suit
Best of Show - Boating Accessories – Johnson Outdoors, Inc.
Product: MINN KOTA ULTREX
Best of Show – Boats - Johnson Outdoors Watercraft, Inc.
Product: Old Town Predator PDL
Best of Show – Combo – Lew’s Fishing Tackle
Product: Mach II Speed Spool Combo
Best of Show – Electronics – Johnson Outdoors – Humminbird
Product: HELIX 10 SI
Best of Show - Eyewear – Costa
Product: Rafael
Best of Show - Fishing Accessory – YETI Coolers
Product: Hopper Flip 12
Best of Show – FishSmart – Adventure Products
Product: EGO Kryptek S1 Genesis Medium Clear Landing Net
Best of Show - Fly Fishing Accessory – Boomerang
Product: Retractable Fly Box
Best of Show – Footwear – Shimano American Corporation
Product: Flats Wading Boots
Best of Show – Giftware – Weego
Product: Weego Jump Starter 44
Best of Show - Kids’ Tackle – Steinhauser, LLC
Product: 48” Starter Rod Combos
Best of Show – Line – G. Pucci & Sons, Inc.
Product: P-Line Tactical Fluorocarbon
Best of Show - Tackle Management – Cobra Garage Door Storage
Product: Cobra Garage Door Storage Rack
Best of Show - Terminal Tackle – Trapper Tackle
Product: DropShot/Live Bait/Finesse Hook
All of these products showcased and introduced at ICAST16 will begin showing up in your favorite fishing tackle stores later this fall and in 2017. Check back here at the fishing the Americas Blog for updates on these ICAST2016 award winners and other great products.
