The staff of InTheBite attended this year’s International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show, better known as ICAST. Originally a tackle show, ICAST is now much more than just tackle, with clothing, electronics and every imaginable kind of fishing accessory on display.
We saw a lot of cool stuff, most of which represented refinements of existing product. Shimano, for example, introduced a redesigned version of its 12/16 Talica reels with new drag systems.
Fin-Nor displayed a new pair of sunglasses called Sportfisher, and Pelagic had a new line of super high quality Topshot dress shirts displayed. We had great meetings with many of the best companies in the fishing industry, including Pure Fishing, Bubba, Costa, Smith, Garmin, Raymarine, Yeti, Grundens, SiriusXM, HUK, XtraTuf, Walkers Cay and Engel. Everybody had great new products, and most of them had expanded beyond their original offerings.
But arguably the coolest thing we saw was a giant, 16-inch artificial flying fish lure made by Pure Fishing’s Savage Gear. Dubbed the BFT Flyer, this soft plastic flying fish has flexible, removable wings and can be trolled or fished from a kite. Based on a 3D scan of an actual flying fish, the lure captures the intricate movement patterns of a flying fish with amazing realism.
Look for this and other great new products soon, coming to a tackle store near you!
