ICAST 2018 BEST NEW PRODUCT AWARDS

The second week of July has become the make or break moment for many fishing tackle retailers as members of every part of the fishing industry including retailers, celebrities, manufacturers, media, sales and more converge on Orlando, Florida for the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known as ICAST. This is not your normal consumer fishing show as it is not open to the public but is instead a place for those with a fishing-related product to get in front of those of us who then bring the products to you, the angler.

Spanning four full days (and then some), each day of ICAST is filled with great opportunities to discover that next hot item that is sure to take the fishing world by storm. Tuesday begins with some hands-on demos where attendees get a chance to actually fish with the new gear. From kayaks to rods to lures, this is the first time many of get to see the new stuff. Later that evening there is a semi-private event—the New Product Showcase—in which manufacturers set out their hottest of the hot new items, sorted by category, and the attendees get a chance to vote on what they feel is going to make the biggest splash on the industry. This is a big event for manufacturers as with the votes and eventual crowning of the “Best New” categories comes a bit of bragging rights. From the list of “Best Of” winners in each of 25 different categories, the winning products are then displayed once again and a best of the best is chosen and dubbed, “The Best of Show.” After all the ballots were counted, here is a look at how the voting shook out.

ICAST 2018 Best of Show Category Winners and Best of Show Winner

Best Marine Electronics/Best of Show- Garmin Panoptix LiveScope