“When the cat’s away the mice will play,” and this cat’s on the road all week, working with fellow staffers from The Fisherman at the big ICAST tackle show in Orlando, FL. One can reasonably assume the fishing action should be good while I’m gone, though honestly, it’s probably more FOMO than anything else, a “fear of missing out.” Typically whenever I’m away from my home, I am missing out on something.
An acronym for the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, ICAST began in 1958 in Chicago as the very first Associated Fishing Tackle Manufacturers (AFTM) Trade Show. Thirty years later, the show was rebranded by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) as ICAST. Phonetically speaking, I guess ICAST rolls off the tongue a lot better than AFTM.
This is not a “consumer” show, so it’s not open to the general public. But I do hope to bump into friends from home down there this week – Joe and Cheryl from Fairfield Fishing Tackle are typically walking the floor, along with teams from Fisherman’s Headquarters, Grumpys and Tackle World, among others.
There are no retail sales, it’s all wholesale, manufacturers selling to retailers. This is the event where major tackle companies unveil their latest new gear for shipping to tackle shops, and ultimately for release to the angling public later this summer and into the new year. It’s a pretty exciting event, getting a sneak peek at the hottest new offerings in the world of recreational fishing. But it’s also rather exhausting. I expect I’ll put in about 10+ miles worth of steps by the time I hit the airport on Friday, with the goal of getting at least 50 different video segments to showcase the newest innovations in the world of tackle.
Next week, we’ll start releasing these video spotlights, two a week, so that The Fisherman’s readers know what to expect on the inshore, offshore and freshwater grounds in the coming months. As these videos are released on our homepage, we’ll also stockpile them for future reference in our online Tackle & Gear Reviews on our website.
Some folks ask, “why does ASA hold this thing during the summer? Wouldn’t it make much more sense to do it during the winter?” Logistically, going back to the late 50s, this event was always held in the summer to allow manufacturers to have their big unveiling prior to the fall printing of all of those holiday catalogs we used to receive in the mail. Those were the days, prior to the Internet and social media, when the mailman would stick those slick, glossy catalogs into the mailbox that were thicker than a city phone book, (sorry kids, I’ll explain the “phonebook” at another time).
The Fisherman of course still produces our annual Holiday Gift Guide every December, printed and delivered in time for Black Friday shopping in November. A lot of the items we see this week on the floor of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando this week will ultimately find a place in that monthly edition of The Fisherman. As hard as it to believe, here in mid-July, manufacturers, retailers and media folks are already planning for the holidays. That doesn’t mean I’ll start my Christmas shopping early; typically not until around the time the fall run of striped bass at the Jersey Shore winds down, but still, it’s good to think about planning at least.
So, while I’m stuck in Orlando International Airport again this Friday – thinking about planning, and waiting on one airline delay after another while praying to be back home in time for Sunday breakfast – please think twice about texting me photos and reports of the bluefin you caught or the outstanding fluke bite you found at the spot where you and I fish every week. Because at that point, my FOMO will quickly fade to TMI, IDC and EOD!
