Prestigious industry awards highlight the best of the best in Orlando
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL — July 13, 2023 — Astronaut Mike Massimino captivated a sold-out State of the Industry Breakfast with tales of space shuttle flights and interstellar telescope repairs as the recreational sportfishing industry’s largest trade show officially blasted off from the Orange County Convention Center on Wednesday.
“Mike Massimino was rejected by NASA three times before he became an astronaut,” said Jeff Schluter of St. Croix Rod. “For our industry, it was an inspirational message of overcoming obstacles and sticking together to work as a team.”
Massimino’s inspiring stories of unity in space started a countdown clock to one of the most anticipated events at the annual trade show hosted by the American Sportfishing Association—the ICAST Industry Awards Reception. After a jam-packed day of activities on a show floor bustling with thousands of retailers, media members and exhibitors, the votes were tallied for the ICAST’s prestigious “Best of Category” awards. 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 Fishing COO, Thomas Sonotra, who traveled from Denmark to attend the show and will fly back across the Atlantic as a winner. “To get exposure at a show like this really shows that your team has done something remarkable. A lot of hours go behind each product from field testing to making sure that what you design is super unique and capable of competing against tough competition.”
This year’s New Product Showcase featured a bonanza of products ranging from bass boats to personal watercraft, cutting-edge tackle and groundbreaking electronics. Now, after a full day of voting and analysis by an audience of peers, these category winners are left standing. On Thursday, Best of Category winners will go head-to-head to determine an overall ICAST 2023 Best of Show:
Best of Fishing Lifestyle
Novelties and Wellness
Product: The GoMist Drink and Misting Bottle | ExtremeMist Personal Cooling Systems
Contact: Devin Holmgren marketing@extrememist.com
Motorized Boating Accessories
Product: PowerPole Move ZR | Power-Pole®
Contact: Curt Hill curt@power-pole.com
Non-Motorized Boating Accessory
Product: BOTE WATER HAMMOCK | BOTE
Contact: Suzy Hunt suzy@boteboard.com
Boats and Watercraft
Product: Old Town Sportsman BigWater ePDL + 132 | Johnson Outdoors Watercraft, Inc.
Contact: Alex Sherbino alex.sherbino@johnsonoutdoors.com
Footwear
Product: Ankle Deck Boots – Black | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Ice Fishing
Product: LiveScope™ Plus Ice Fishing Bundle LI with ECHOMAP™ UHD2 93sv | Garmin USA
Contact: Carly Hysell carly.hysell@garmin.com
Eyewear
Product: King Tide 8, Black 580G Blue Mirror | Costa Sunglasses
Contact: Hannah Trotter hannah_ext@verdepr.com
Lifestyle Apparel for Women
Product: Women’s Coverup Dress | Huk Performance Fishing
Contact: Bobby Lader blader@marolina.com
Lifestyle Apparel for Men
Product: Ocean Bound Hooded Performance Shirt | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Warm Weather Technical Apparel for Women
Product: Mojeaux 1/4 Zip Performance Shirt | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Warm Weather Technical Apparel for Men
Product: Channel Hooded Performance Shirt | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Cold Weather Technical Apparel for Women
Product: Women’s Barricade Rain Suit | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Cold Weather Technical Apparel for Men
Product: Gale Pullover | Blackfish Gear
Contact: Addy Hansen ahansen@clamcorp.com
Best of General Tackle
Soft and Hard Coolers
Product: Flop Box 10 | Flop Industries
Contact: Kyle Dougherty Kyle@divebombindustries.com
Electronics
Product: Westin EscapeCam | Westin Fishing
Contact: Michael Trost mtr@fairpoint.dk
Cutlery, Hand Plies 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 Coolers
Contact: Chris Holloway chris@engelcoolers.com
Kids’ Tackle
Product: ProFISHiency Next Gen Crazy Combo | Anything Possible Brands
Contact: Amanda Rispoli arispoli@anythingpossible.com
Tackle Management
Product: Pontoon Boat Tackle Center | Boat Outfitters
Contact: Jared Walton jwalton@teakisle.com
Terminal Tackle
Product: VMC Swingin’ Ned Rig Jig | Rapala
Contact: Matt Jensen matt.jensen@rapalavmc.com
Custom Tackle and Components
Product: G2 Tsuka 2 Complete Carbon Handle | American Tackle Company
Contact: Kevin Landers Kevin@americantackle.us
Fishing Line
Product: Mastiff Fluorocarbon | Shimano
Contact: Cory Van Auken cory@darbycommunications.com
Best of Fly Fishing
Fly Fishing Waders & Wading Boots
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 (THIN) | BUZBE
Contact: Caleb Sutton Caleb@buzbe.com
Fly Fishing Packs, Bags & Luggage
Product: Flyweight Vest Pack | Simms Fishing Products
Contact: John Frazier John.frazier@simmsfishing.com
Fly Fishing Technical Apparel and Accessories
Product: Master M6014 Edition | Renzetti, Inc.
Contact: Lilly Renzentti Lilly@renzetti.com
Fly Fishing Reel
Product: Cheeky Spray Fly Reel | Cheeky Fishing
Contact: Peter Vandergrift pvandergrift@northpointbrands.com
Fly Fishing Rod
Product: Hardy Marksman Z | Pure Fishing, Inc.
Contact: Kimberly Hoffman Kimberly.hoffman@purefishing.com
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 Duke Dog | L&S Bait Company
Contact: Michael Tennian mtennian1@tampabay.rr.com
Best of Rods
Freshwater Rod
Product: St. Croix Mojo Bass TRIGON | St. Croix Rods
Contact: Josh Lantz joshl@stcroixrods.com
Saltwater Rod
Product: NRX+ Inshore | Shimano
Contact: Cory Van Auken cory@darbycommunications.com
Rod & Reel Combo
Product: Abu Garcia ZATA Baitcast Combo | Pure Fishing, Inc.
Contact: Kimberly Hoffman Kimberly.hoffman@purefishing.com
Best of 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 helpful features, the ICAST mobile app, sponsored by ANYTHINGPossible Brands, is a one-stop shop for maps, event schedules, booth locations and exhibitor listings. Available on both Android and Apple devices, the app is a convenient digital companion to keep a busy week organized.
Keeping 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.
Thank You ICAST 2023 Sponsors!
ASA extends our sincere thanks and appreciation to our members for their generous support of ICAST 2023.
Platinum: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, Under Armour and Wired2Fish
Gold:, Coastal Conservation Association, Crocodile Bay, Engel Coolers, Fishing Tackle Retailer, Garmin, Major League Fishing, KastKing, Shimano, St. Croix Rod, VisitOrlando and WayPoint TV
Silver: AFTCO, ANYTHINGPossible Brands, Bonnier Corporation, Get Folks Fishing Foundation and Marsh Wear.
Bronze: Beer Bung, Hook + Bullet and Hook & Tackle
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