ICAST 2013 fishing tackle show coverage

ICAST 2013 Coverage



	Pinnacle Hand Tunes Tournament Class Gear This season Pinnacle ups the ante with new tournament class reel and rods. Just what does that “tournament class” mean? These top end offerings blend the company’s latest design and technology together with the features and design elements favored by the company’s prostaff.
	A "Micro" Power-Pole for Anchoring Smaller Watercrafts Looking to anchor up quickly in the shallow? Power-Pole has had bass anglers and saltwater fisherman in the flats covered with their quick and easy to deploy Power Poles and this ICAST the company has expanded the lineup to include a new series for light watercraft (up to 1500lbs), meet the Power-Pole Micro
	Toray is Going Full Force When it comes to the discussion about premium lines Toray is always in the mix and the company has continued to build a following outside of Japan where it enjoys very high popularity. Toray’s fluorocarbon lines are extremely popular but this ICAST the focus was on their latest co-polymer offering, a new line called Full Force.
	High Tech Baits from Livingston “Call” to Fish The element of sound has been part of baits for years and traditional lures make use of rattles and in an effort to attract attention to the bait and draw strikes. Livingston Lures plays on the primal instinct of fish by leveraging technology to replicate the sound and vibration of injured baitfish. How do these new high tech lures work? We met up with Livingston Lures Prostaffer Byron Velvick to find out.
	From Top To Bottom: New Baits From Damiki It seems that Damiki has been getting very serious about expanding their lineup recently, with particular emphasis on the hard and soft bait segments. We covered a plethora of new offerings from them at ICAST in Orlando last year, and things were no different this year in Vegas.
	The Lew’s BB-1 Lineup Expands and goes Pro The Lew’s baitcasters look and feel like a complete family of reels with offerings designed for various applications and at all price points. This ICAST the spotlight was on the venerable BB1 and the new variations that the company was rolling out which included a new Inshore and Pro Series.
	Who’s the Boss? Accurate Rolls out the Dauntless When it comes to fishing for the biggest baddest fish in the sea many offshore anglers turn to Accurate. Known for sheer power under pressure the Boss reels dole out plenty of torque and this season the company rolls out a new model, meet the dauntless DX2 reels.
	From Echo To Airflo With Rajeff Sports Rajeff Sports offers two well-known brands in the industry: Echo fly rods and Airflo fly lines. With the assistance from reps Randy Stetzer and Gareth Jones, we got the full tour of what's new from this popular name.
	Thinking Outside The Box With The New Legend X Fly Rods From St. Croix These new fly rods are designed to do battle with large warm water species. Utilizing a blend of four carbon fiber materials, Legend X blanks incorporate super-high modulus SC^VIgraphite in the lower section, premium SC^II graphite in the tip portion, and SC^Vgraphite throughout the blank length. What does all of this mean for you?
	New Storage Solutions And More From Fishpond Known widely amongst the fly fishing crowd, the brand has been enjoying steady growth, and at the IFTD show in Las Vegas it was apparent this growth is continuing. With a bunch of new product offerings and updates, Fishpond has some great stuff coming that might be just what you're after.
	A Win in Softgoods, the Shimano Dryfender 3T Jacket Shimano had a great ICAST and their wins extended beyond traditional tackle as they took home Best in Show in the apparel category with the Dryfender insulated jacket. This jacket is often called the Dryfender 3T for the 3 layer construction which is waterproof, breathable and durable.
	Owner Showcases Some Sharp New Offerings Owner is known for making some of the sharpest hooks on the market. Some people may not realize that they also make various other products like rigs, terminal tackle, and even baits. With several new products to show off at ICAST, the Owner crew was eager to walk us through each item.
	Just Skimming the Surface with Halco Halco's offerings are known for their quality and ability to stand up to the torture of big game and this ICAST the brand introduced a number of new offerings ranging from more big game lures to tools to help anglers manage these baits in the field.
	A Full House Of New Rods From Hardy And Greys! Utilizing their SINTRIX silica nano-matrix composite material, these rods have been earning rave reviews from fresh and saltwater anglers alike. At ICAST this year, Hardy looks to continue their hot streak with the release of several new rods, including something special for conventional anglers!
	ORCA Lights Up the Premium Cooler Market Unlike traditional run of the mill coolers these purpose built offerings are designed to keep ice longer, survive the toughest situations, and are built with extremely rugged features.
	Major Craft On It's Way To U.S. Shores? Much to our surprise while walking the aisles at ICAST, we stumbled upon none other than the Major Craft booth. Some of you may have come across the name Major Craft while hunting through online Japanese tackle outlets, as they are a very prominent Japan-based rod company. Judging by what we heard, it seems they are working towards entering the U.S. market in the near future.
	Ready For Some New Gear From Redington? Redington is well known for producing fly rods and reels that offer strong performance for the money. Their line of angling apparel is no different, offering great quality and value. After perusing the Redington tackle section at the 2013 IFTD show, Kara Armano gave us a tour of their fresh new fishing apparel that looks like it should be a hit.
	From 13 Comes No. 8 From the guys at 13 Fishing is a new brand with the same numerical theme. No. 8 Tackle is the name, and their slogan “Fish Your Heart Out” aims to catch the eye of anglers seeking the ultimate in value and performance.
	More Precision Baits From Red Hot DUO It's tough not to hear the name DUO in the bass fishing world right now. With the technique of spybaiting rapidly gaining attention in the states, the Realis Spinbait 80 is probably the single hottest lure going right now. Although this bait is undoubtedly productive, DUO makes some other very high-quality offerings which product specialist David Swendseid helped guide us through at ICAST 2013.
	G. Loomis Expands The Popular Pro 4X Fly Rod Series Th Pro4X series from the legendary G. Loomis utilizes blanks consisting of both GL3 and NRX graphite, and delivers a total package that earned high marks from us. This year, Loomis is expanding the Pro 4X line to include a broader spectrum of sticks covering everything from specialized nymphing to spey casting.
	Okuma and Scott Martin Partner to Introduce Tournament Concept Rods The new TCS rods feature a split grip design and the blending of EVA and cork materials together to create a clean and aggressively styled rod. The blanks are 40-ton graphite and designed to not only be sensitive but be able to stand up to tournament abuse.
	New Rods From Phenix Will Handle Trout To Tuna! Phenix has been a popular rod name over the years, but there has seemingly been a big resurgence in the brand ever since introducing their Recon bass rods a couple years ago. Even though their bass rods have certainly been well received, their other sticks are no slouches either.
	Tightlines UV Sheds Some Light On Their Latest Offerings Tightlines UV baits are quite different when compared to others on the market. What makes them so unique? They are made using “Ultimate Vision” which basically means these baits are put together with an ultraviolet vision enhancer that allows them to be more visible to bass.
	Trigger Happy Comfort for Baitcasting Rods Coinciding with the same timeframe as ICAST we were shown a new product from a company called Trigger Happy Comfort Grips. This simple yet purpose designed product is designed to improve the ergonomics on baitcasting rods.
	Savage Gear’s Newest Baits Shine at ICAST Savage Gear continues to garner attention from U.S. anglers and this powerhouse from Europe entered ICAST with winning lures from the recent European Fishing Tackle Trade Exhibition (EFFTEX) in Vienna. For the third year in a row Savage Gear received the Best Soft Lure Award at EFFTEX, this time with the 3D Crayfish.
	More Lucky Offerings From 13 Fishing The brand offers some very refined products at surprising prices, and our initial review of the Omen OBC73M proved to be very positive. These rods weren't just a hit with us however, as the brand has experienced huge growth in just a short time span. With several new offerings and even an award at the show this year, it appears their hot streak is continuing.
	Ardent Addresses the Mainstream with an "APEX" Selection of Reels Known for their domestically made reels Ardent has expanded their offerings year on year and this last season ushered in a new level of refinement with the introduction of their Edge Series. In a departure from their other reels the new Apex Series will not be made in the U.S.A. but will be available at aggressive price points...
	Advantage Bait Company Makes Spinnerbaits More Versatile And User-Friendly! We previously reviewed these baits in December of 2011, but at ICAST this year CEO Jason Schwartz unveiled his latest offering, the brand new Quick Change series. Along with a series of swim jigs unveiled earlier in the year, these baits look to deliver a high level of performance and quality.
	Simms Goes Big at ICAST and Introduces a Complete Spectrum of Premium Gear Simms had a huge presence at ICAST this year and it seemed like their booth was buzzing all event long with attendees looking to learn more about this season’s introductions, and there were many! It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that Simms was making the leap from the fly fishing market onto the bass scene and what a transition it has been.
	More Than Just A REVELATION From Batson Enterprises Based in Washington state, they carry several brands like RainShadow, Alps, and Forecast under their name. While they supply parts to many individual rod builders, they also deal with some of the largest rod companies around. This year at ICAST, they unleashed not only a variety of new products, but a whole new image as well.
	Hunt The Big Ones With New Baits From Lunkerhunt We brought you coverage of Lunkerhunt baits at last year's ICAST show in Orlando where the company took home the award for “Best Soft Lure” with their Bento Baits Minnow. Unbelievably, the company took home the exact same award this year for their new Lunker Frog lure. Will this be a yearly occurrence?
	STORMR Offers Serious Foul Weather Gear Have your heard of STORMR? If not you will soon. This company is bursting onto the bass scene with new foul weather gear that makes use of neoprene core technology.
	Cranking it Up with Molix This Italian based lure manufacturer has a hip, stylish way about them that's reflected in the playful way their lures are shaped and the graphics used to market their product. Is it any wonder Mike Iaconelli is on their staff? Let's take a look at what's new for Molix in the coming year.
	Lucky Craft Goes Big and Digs Deep With New Baits! Ten years ago, there weren't even that many Lucky Craft SKUs on the shelves but that's changed too and year after year Lucky Craft continues to expand up an already diverse and successful lineup. So what do they have in store for us in 2014? Brent Ehrler takes us through the lineup of new baits!
	Advanced New Perception Fly Line And Suppleflex Tippet from RIO Rio is one of the top producers of premium fly lines, tippets, and accessories in the industry. We've had pleasant experiences recently using their latest products, and now they are taking trout fishing to new heights with new fly line and tippet material that's sure to grab the eye of any trout bum.
	Stalk Your Prey With The New Denali Kovert Series The minimalist approach has been a popular one for rod manufacturers the last several years. Denali has become well known for making “those rods with the pretty wooden foregrips”, but now they shift into stealth mode with their new Kovert line of bass rods. With a simple but very cool blacked-out appearance, these rods look like they mean business.
	Two New and Hot Baits from Spro! SPRO continues to add to their lineup of lures that leverage the expertise and specialties of their well known prostaff, for example their popular BBZ swimbait series from Bill Siemental, and their aggressively styled crankbaits from John Crews. We always look forward to checking out what they have new and this year, John was on hand at ICAST to show us what's up!
	Rapala's New Baits Dive and Scatter! New for Rapala this year is an entire series of cranks featuring what they are calling their new Scatter Lip. The unconventional lip on this series of baits features a u-shaped bend across the front of the bait.
	Hardy Unleashes Three New Reel Models Known in the fly fishing world as a company that produces premium gear, some of their latest offerings definitely do not carry a premium price! Whether you chase small-stream brookies or Key West tarpon, one of these new reels should fit your needs.
	Spittin', Poppin', Flippin', Jiggin', n Crankin' with River2Sea Last year it was about the Bumbershoot umbrella rig, Ish Monroe's spinnerbaits, the Bully Wa Frog, and Scott Martin's Rover topwater bait. We hang out with Scott Martin, John Murray, and Larry Dahlberg, to take a look at what's new for the coming year for River2Sea.
	Lamiglas Restarts Their Bass Franchise with Excel II Lamiglas has always been a powerhouse in steelhead and salmon rods but since the departure of BASS Elite pro, Skeet Reese from their list of sponsored pros, Lamiglas has not had the spotlight in regards to bass fishing rods. They're looking to change that now and it begins with the redesign of one of their more popular lines.
	New Fly Rods And Reels From Sage! Sage has always been one of the “big boys” in fly fishing, and this year they are flexing their muscles with several new product reveals. Continuing their long tradition of ultra-premium products designed for serious fly anglers, these latest offerings don't appear to disappoint. Touting fresh features, technology, and design, it's no wonder their booth was always buzzing with people!
	GYCB Cranks It Up With Their Very Own Line of Premium Hardbaits! When you're one of the most popular plastic bait brands in the world, what can you do to extend and expand your line? You can introduce variants of successful designs. You can create new, custom colors. You can come out with new soft plastic baits to match and mimic successful products by your competitors. What happens when you've already exhausted those alternatives?
	St. Croix Livens up the Inshore and Trout Markets St. Croix has spent a lot of time over the last few years refining their bass series of rods. This year, their attention was spent in other markets like Musky, Ice, River, Trout, Inshore, and Fly. Of those new offerings, three really stood out to us...
	A Trio Of New Fly Rods From Redington! Redington has been upping their game in a big way the last few years, introducing some pretty impressive products, especially when taking into consideration the affordable prices of most items.
	Megabass Debuts Yet Another Flagship Line of Rods : Destroyer X7 This year, dedicated fans who've been bemoaning the "sell out" of one of their favorite manufacturers get their wish - a return to high end with the brand new Destroyer X7 - a top of the line series featuring a new Coreinplex X-7 Graphite. Here's a look at the lineup!
	Right up Your Alley, Winning Optics from Costa At the show we met up with Pro Angler Byron Velvick who was eager to show us the latest offering from Costa, the Tuna Alley. The Tuna Alley has a large comfortable fit and has stainless steel integral hinges so that they will feel comfortable for many anglers.
	A Classic is Reborn with Methods to Fenwick Madness At one point in time, more than 30 years ago, Fenwick was the dominant rod manufacturer in the industry. In fact it was roughly 40 years ago when Fenwick introduced us to the very first graphite fishing rod, the HMG. This year at ICAST, Fenwick brings us a new HMG and some innovation for the travel weary angler.
	Drive Fish Crazy With Pirana Lures With so many hard baits on the market, it's extremely difficult devising ways to set yourself apart. On day one of ICAST this year, we saw some extreme creativity and design that evoked feelings of both excitement and curiosity amongst us. As a newcomer to the scene, Pirana lures showcased their brand new plug featuring a wildly different design the likes of which we haven't seen before. Let's check out this very unique bait!
	Abel Rolls Out Stunning New Colors And Premium Products Are you a fly angler and like nice things? We mean really, really nice things? Southern California-based Abel Reels has been producing not just premium, but stunning products for quite some time. As a matter of fact this marks their 25^th Anniversary, and they even showed us something new to commemorate this very special year.
	Getting To The Point With Trokar Hooks As the world's first surgically sharpened hooks, they have gained a lot of attention from anglers who want the very best in hook penetration and strength. At the ICAST show, several of their latest offerings were on display, and pro bass angler Scott Martin was there to help walk us through these new products.
	An Inside Look. Koppers new BaitBall Lure Series While traditional crankbaits, ripbaits and topwater lures typically represent one unit of prey the Baitball does exactly what the name implies, it presents multiple baitfish within a single lure. The new lure series is a sub-brand of the Livetarget brand and is built on the foundation that predatory fish often strike on not just one but multiple baitfish...
	Matching their New Reels, Daiwa Rolls out Tatula and Lexa Rods Daiwa has been accused many a time of focusing on the enthusiast angler versus the mainstream fishermen. Well this ICAST this was just the opposite as Daiwa introduced more mainstream reels and rods than premium positioned ones. The Tatula was the big story for Daiwa this ICAST and what rod does the company hope anglers will pair with this new reel? Their own of course...
	Daiwa’s Big New Lexa and Isla Reels tackle the Salt This ICAST the company rolled out an even bigger Lexa, the mammoth 400 size reel which actually manages to make the 300 look small. Holding 300 yards of 55lb Samurai braid this big baitcaster can be employed for Mukie, Tarpon, Cobia, White Seabass, Yellowtail, Dorado and even Sailfish.
	Jackall Introduces Five New Lures at ICAST This is the first ICAST show that Jackall was represented by the Shimano team and under the new collaboration the brand introduced five new lures that encompassed everything from big baits to blades.
	The JDM Meets USDM. Could it be the Perfect Storm? Brandon Palaniuk is a fast rising young star on the BASS Elite Circuit tour recently swept up in a storm of controversy resulting from his Day 2 disqualification from the Mississippi River event out of La Crosse, Wisconsin based on what many believe to be an unfair technicality. The silver lining in this storm was the light he shed on a new series of baits...
	Yuki Ito Releases His Secret Stash Every lure designer no matter how successful, or maybe especially the very successful, has that secret little stash of baits that only he or she knows about. Perhaps if you're in their inner circle, you're allowed a peek. Imagine the secrets a designer, CEO, and manufacturing rock star like Yuki Ito must have in his personal asylum. Well, this year at ICAST, we received a peek.
	Big Bite Baits Gets Real. Big Bite Baits has made a real push over the last several years and is gaining some serious traction with the diversity of their soft plastics offering. Top that off with their very unique process of hand painting several of their lines and you have the makings of enthusiast quality soft plastics! They introduced two new baits this year at ICAST.
	The G.Loomis NRX Line gets Classic Mag Bass Actions and a Win with a New Umbrella Rig Rod Still positioned at the top end of the G.Loomis rod lineup are the company’s premium NRX Series and this year at ICAST rather than roll out a new line of rods they focused on expanding this series with a plethora of new rods to fill out gaps in the line as well as give anglers a lot of what they loved about the original Mag Bass rods in a NRX format.
	The All New Mitchell 300PRO Is NOT Your Grandfather's Spinning Reel! Inventors of the world's first spinning reel, the Mitchell 300 has a long history of proven performance and reliability. The only problem is, that original design looks older than the reel itself. If you have a higher end spinning rod, are you really going to match it up with an ancient looking reel? Not likely, but the new 300PRO spinning reels should change your thinking.
	Special Report - Abu to Bring JDM Reels Stateside! We were very excited to learn about the round reel introductions and were interested to check out the new Orra series. But when we showed up at Abu's booth early Wednesday morning, Andrew had a slight grin on his face and told us there's something that turned up last minute he wanted to show us.
	Okuma's Helios gets even lighter with a Magnesium Version, Enter the AIR The lightweight baitcaster battle is on and Okuma is in the fray with a brand new addition to their popular Helios line. While many other manufacturers are turning to carbon composites Okuma knows that there are some anglers that still prefer the feel of magnesium and this ICAST they rolled out their first low profile magnesium baitcaster... meet the Helios Air.
	Pflueger Refines and Simplifies at the Same Time Pflueger is a brand that's kind of gotten lost in the mix over the last couple of years. For the most part they're a brand that's been considered a good value, but for some reason had trouble gaining a foothold in a very hotly contested market. They hope to change that in 2014 with a redesign of their baitcasting lineup.
	Powell Shows Off Not One, But TWO New Bass Rod Lines! Powell has certainly attracted a lot of attention since they first offered up their Max series of bass rods. Though they have added the Endurance and Diesel series' of rods to their lineup, they have always lacked one thing: a true high-end offering in the segment. Well, guess what? The wait is now over. At ICAST, Powell showed off their new premium Timax rods, and the affordable new Inferno series.
	Tuning and Re-Tuning for Performance : Quantum Two years ago, Quantum PT brought us the game changing Exo casting reel, so what do they have in store for us this year? Let's find out.
	Abu Garcia Brings Baitcasters Back Round! Abu Garcia is a company steep in tradition. Over the last half decade, the company has redefined itself with the continuing evolution of their diverse low profile baitcasting reel lineup. But before popular introduction of their Revo lineup, before the rise of their competitors, Abu Garcia with their Swedish engineered reels was considered by many to be the top dog and this year at ICAST, it's all about rekindling their origins and bringing it all back 'round.
	Abu's New Mid-Line Low Profile Series and a Revo 9.0:1 !! While the major story with Abu Garcia's introductions at ICAST this year surround the resurgence of their round casting reels, there are refinements to their low profile lineups as well. Revo received a huge makeover last year, and this year, it's Orra's turn. Here's a look at what Abu Garcia has in store for us with their mid-level suite of reels.
	Set Hard with PowerPro Zero Impact Microfilament Braided Line PowerPro introduced a new line at this year’s show called Zero-Impact which is a microfilament braided line with a unique provision for helping anglers to set the hook with passion. Designed for both fresh and saltwater applications this new superline is designed to make the braid stronger in the “termination zones.”
	Shimano Unleashes the new Chronarch CI4+ baitcaster with SVS Infinity Cast Control Shimano was one of the first reel companies to embrace carbon composites in their high performance reels and this year they kicked it up a notch with the introduction of the new Chronarch CI4+ which leverages a new frame material and a new cast control system called the SVS Infinity braking system.
	The JL Marine Systems PowerPole Micro Anchor takes home Overall Best of Show The dust has settled from day 1 at ICAST and the New Product Showcase winners have been unveiled. The ICAST 2013 “Best of Show” awards were presented on Wednesday, July 10, during the Chairman’s Industry Awards Reception, sponsored by Rapala, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.