Prestigious industry awards highlight the best of the best in Orlando
Astronaut Mike Massimino wowed a sold-out State of the Industry breakfast with stories of space shuttle flights and interstellar telescope repairs as the recreational sport fishing industry’s largest trade show officially lifted off from the County Convention Center Orange on Wednesday.
“Mike Massimino was rejected by NASA three times before he became an astronaut,” said Jeff Schluter, vice president of sales and marketing for St. Croix Rods. “For our industry, it was an inspiring message to overcome obstacles and stick together to work as a team.”
Massimino’s inspiring stories of unity in space kicked off a countdown to one of the most anticipated events at the annual trade show hosted by the American Sport Fishing Association—ICAST Industry Awards Reception. After a packed day of activities on a show floor packed with thousands of retailers, members of the media and exhibitors, the votes for ICAST’s prestigious “Best of Category” awards were tallied. From a field of 1,087 new products representing 292 companies, 37 winners were crowned.
“Winning an award at ICAST puts a product on the map,” said Westin Director of Fisheries Operations Thomas Sonotra, who traveled from Denmark to attend the show and will fly back across the Atlantic as the winner. “Having exposure at a show like this really shows that his team has done something extraordinary. Many hours are spent behind each product, from field testing to making sure that what they design is super unique and capable of competing against the tough competition.”
This year’s New Product Showcase featured a wide variety of products ranging from bass boats to personal watercraft, cutting-edge tackle and innovative electronics. Now, after a full day of voting and analysis by an audience of peers, these category winners stand. On Thursday, Best of Category winners will go head-to-head to determine an overall ICAST 2023 Best of Show:
The best of the fishing lifestyle
News and Wellness
Product: The GoMist Drinking and Misting Bottle | ExtremeMist Personal Cooling Systems
Contact: Devin Holmgren marketing@extremist.com.
Motor navigation accessories
Product: PowerPole Move ZR | Power-Pole®
Contact: Curt Hill curt@power-pole.com
Non-motorized navigation accessory
Product: WATER HAMMOCK BOAT | BOAT
Contact: Suzy Hunt suzy@boteboard.com
Boats and Vessels
Product: Old Town Sportsman BigWater ePDL+132 | Johnson Outdoor Watercraft, Inc.
Contact: Alex Sherbino alex.sherbino@johnsonoutdoors.com
Footwear
Product: Nautical Ankle Boots – Black | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
ice fishing
Product: LiveScope™ Plus LI Ice Fishing Package with ECHOMAP™ UHD2 93sv | United States
Contact: Carly Hysell carly.hysell@garmin.com
Glasses
Product: King Tide 8, Black 580G Blue Mirror | Costa sunglasses
Contact: Hannah Trotter hannah_ext@verdepr.com
Lifestyle clothing for women
women’s dress | Huk Performance Fishing
Contact: Bobby Lader blader@marolina.com
lifestyle clothing for men
Ocean Bound Hooded Performance Shirt | AFTCO
denny le denny@aftco.com
Women’s Warm Weather Technical Clothing
Product: Mojeaux 1/4 Zip Performance Shirt | AFTCO
denny le denny@aftco.com
Technical clothing for warm weather for men
Product: Channel Performance T-shirt with hood | AFTCO
denny le denny@aftco.com
Women’s Cold Weather Technical Clothing
Product: Women’s Barricade Rain Suit | AFTCO
denny le denny@aftco.com
Men’s Cold Weather Technical Clothing
Product: Gale Jumper | black fish gear
Contact: Addy Hansen ahansen@clamcorp.com
Best of General Tackle
soft and hard coolers
Product: Flop Box 10 | failed industries
Contact: Kyle Dougherty Kyle@divebombindustries.com
electronics
Product: Westin EscapeCam | western fishing
Contact: Michael Trost mtr@fairpoint.dk
Cutlery, Hand Layers or Tools
Product: BUBBA Pro Series Smart Fish Scale | BUBBA
Contact Matt Kinamore mkinamore@aob.com
fishing accessory
Product: ENGEL USB Rechargeable Lithium Ion XL Live Bait Aerator Pump | ENGEL refrigerators
Contact: Chris Holloway chris@engelcoolers.com
children’s ticket
Product: ProFISHiency Next Gen Crazy Combo | Anything Possible Brands
Contact: Amanda Rispoli arispoli@anythingpossible.com
tackle management
Product: Pontoon Boat Tackle Center | boat suppliers
Contact: Jared Walton jwalton@teakisle.com
terminal input
Product: VMC Swingin’ Ned Rig Jig | rapala
Contact: Matt Jensen mate.jensen@rapalavmc.com
Custom rigs and components
American Tackle Tsuka 2 Full Carbon Handle | American rigging company
Contact: Kevin Landers kevin@americantackle.us
Fishing line
Product: Fluorocarbon Mastiff | Shimano
Contact: Cory Van Auken cory@darbycommunications.com
The best of fly fishing
Fly Fishing Waders & Waders
Product: G4Z Stockingfoot Wader | Simms Fishing Products
Contact: John Frazier John.frazier@simmsfishing.com
Fly lines, leaders, tippet and line accessories
Product: BUZBE Colony 8T (FINE) | BUZBE
Contact: Caleb Sutton caleb@buzbe.com
Fly Fishing Packs, Bags & Luggage
Product: Flyweight Vest Pack | Simms Fishing Products
John Frazier john.frazier@simmsfishing.com
Technical Clothing and Accessories for Fly Fishing
Product: Master Edition M6014 | Renzetti, Inc.
Contact: Lilly Renzetti lilly@renzetti.com
fly fishing reel
Product: Cheeky Spray Fly Reel | cheeky fishing
Contact: Peter Vandergrift pvandergrift@northpointbrands.com
fly fishing rod
Product: Heavy Duty Z Pull | pure fishing, inc.
Contact: Kimberly Hoffman Kimberly.hoffman@purefishing.com
The best of lures
freshwater soft lure
Product: Berkley PowerBait Nessie | pure fishing, inc.
Contact: Kimberly Hoffman Kimberly.hoffman@purefishing.com
Saltwater Soft Lure
Product: Mulletron LT (Line Through) Swimbait | Z-Man Fishing Products
Contact: Cory Schmidt cschmidt@zmanfishing.com
freshwater hard lure
Product: ChatterBait Elite EVO | Z-Man Fishing Products
Contact: Cory Schmidt cschmidt@zmanfishing.com
saltwater hard lure
Product: MIrrOlure The Dog Duke | L&S Bait Company
Contact: Michael Tennian mtennian1@tampabay.rr.com
The best of reeds
freshwater reed
Product: St. Croix Mojo Bass TRIGON | Santa Cruz Rods
Contact: Josh Lantz joshl@stcroixrods.com
saltwater rod
Product: Inshore NRX+ | shimano
Contact: Cory Van Auken cory@darbycommunications.com
Rod and reel combo
Product: Abu Garcia ZATA Baitcast Combo | pure fishing, inc.
Contact: Kimberly Hoffman Kimberly.hoffman@purefishing.com
The best of the reels
freshwater reel
Product: Stradic FM | Shimano
Contact: Cory Van Auken cory@darbycommunications.com
saltwater reel
Product: Seapower 1200 | Daiwa Corporation
Contact: Chip Cone chipc@daiwa.com
Navigate the ICAST Show with the ICAST App
Loaded with useful features, the ICAST mobile app, sponsored by ANYTHING Brands possible, is a one stop shop for maps, event schedules, booth locations and exhibitor listings. Available on Android and Apple devices, the app is a convenient digital companion for keeping a busy week organized.
Keep up with ICAST
ICAST can be found on social media at: Facebook – @icastfishing – Instagram – @icastshow and Twitter – @ICASTshow. When posting, use hashtags: #ICAST2023 #ICASTshow #ICAST.
Thanks to the sponsors of ICAST 2023!
ASA extends our sincere thanks and appreciation to our members for their generous support of ICAST 2023.
Platinum: Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, under armor and Wired2Fish
Gold:, Coastal Conservation Association, crocodile bay, Engel Refrigerators, Fishing tackle retailer, garmin, Major League Fishing, KastKing, Shimano, Santa Cruz rod, VisitOrlando and way point tv
Silver: AFTCO, ANYTHING Brands possible, Bonnier Corporation, Get Folks Fishing Foundation and swamp wear.
Bronze: beer stopper, Hook + Bullet and hook and tackle