Two Days of Fun in the Sun Kickstart ICAST 2024

Lunkers, bunkers and hardware signal the start of fishing’s largest trade show.

For the past two days, a trio of Sunshine State fisheries served as playgrounds for travelers gathering in Orlando in anticipation of sportfishing’s largest trade show—ICAST.

On Monday at the Celebration Golf Club, golfers teed off in golf carts laden with fishing rods at Lunkers & Bunkers sponsored by Power-Pole. The 18-hole golf tournament added four holes of bass fishing in a unique mashup, allowing anglers to land a bass on waters typically off-limits to the public. The foursome of David Hooper, Dan Hooper, Bob Cosmos and Greg McIntosh from Kel’s Rods & Reel Service took home the grand championship, besting a field of some 120 participants.

“What a fun way to engage with the fishing industry here at ICAST,” said Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission TrophyCatch Director KP Clements. “It’s a must-attend event for people that missed this one.”

On Tuesday at Kissimmee’s Lake Toho, a fleet of fully-loaded bass boats—and one Freeman Boatworks offshore boat—blasted off at the ICAST Cup sponsored by Major League Fishing. For four hours, anglers sliced through the glassy waters of one of America’s best bass lakes, scouring grass lines and hydrilla mats in pursuit of monster bass. As it has for a decade’s worth of ICAST Cups, Lake Toho produced.

CPF Lures co-owners Chuck Pippin and Jason George came out on top of the ICAST Cup field with a three bass limit weighing 15 pounds 7 ounces. The team used their own 10-inch ribbon tail worm to lure lethargic mid-summer bass into an early morning bite not far from the launch ramp.

Pippin and George will share the ICAST Cup’s glimmering, traveling trophy until next year’s tournament.

“This is the 10th anniversary of the ICAST Cup presented by Major League Fishing,” said Dave Washburn, MLF Vice President of Operations. “We are proud to sponsor the event as an annual kickoff to ICAST and fundraiser for Keep America Fishing. It’s a great opportunity to reconnect with friends in the industry, and there’s no better way to show off new products than while catching some incredible bass on Lake Toho.”

While anglers were weighing in at Lake Toho, ICAST hosted thousands of attendees at the Orange County Convention Center for the ICAST On The Water Product Demo Day sponsored by Garmin. Outside the North Concourse, a throng of early birds arrived a day before show doors opened to test products like watercraft, baits, rods, reels and marine electronics.

“Being able to demo our new 580G Gold Mirror lens out on the water, where they’re meant to be used, was huge and really well received,” said Costa Brand Director Jed Larkin. “It was a solid day at On the Water for the Costa team today, and we’re looking forward to the next three days.”

Entertainment from Start to Close

ICAST attendees are invited to enjoy a host of interactive activities on the show floor. At the Lure Tank, visitors can see how new hard and soft lures perform both under and on top of the water. In addition to the FLYCasting Pond, the adjacent ICASTing Pond serves up the best in spinning and baitcasting rods and reels for fresh and saltwater applications. Meanwhile, the ICAST Fly Shop replicates the experience of browsing a mountain town fly shop inside the convention center.

The Marine Accessories Pavilion, presented by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) brings dozens of boating accessories, electronics and propellers to center stage in a dedicated home for all things boating.

And each day, ICAST’s famous social hour kicks off at 4:00 p.m., where a competitive array of booths open up for cocktails, live music and celebrations before attendees overflow onto International Drive for post-show dinners and meetings at the assortment of restaurants dishing out global flavors just outside of the OCCC doors.

The doors of ICAST 2024 officially opened on Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. after the annual State of the Industry Breakfast with keynote speaker and author Sebastian Terry.

Navigate the 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.