ICAST 2015 was a huge success
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) and the International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) show, both produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), are referred to as the ICAST Show. it was held in Orlando, Florida Convention Center last week (July 14 thru the 17).
Buzzing with energy
We spent 80% of our time with the fly tackle dealer portion of the show. Lots of smaller companies bringing lots of new products to market and the bigger companies not shy in that department either.
The Bahamas booth was buzzing with folks wanting to know if the Draconian anti-foreigner “FLATS REGULATIONS” would be “Cabinet Approved?” According Bahamian’s in attendance, a collective voice said: “Not as currently drafted.”
Here are the winners as selected by the media and the IFTD show board
Men’s Waders: Simms Fishing Products: WQW G3 Guide Waders
Women’s Waders: Redington: Willow River Wader
Chest Pack/Vest: Fishpond: Summit Sling
Men’s Outerwear: Simms Fishing Products: Vapor Elite Jkt
Women’s Outerwear: Simms Fishing Products Women’s Hyalite Jkt
Youth Product: Umpqua Feather Merchants: Rock Creek 2S Chest Pack
Eco-Friendly Product: Fishpond: Thunderhead Sling
Fly Rod – Freshwater: Sage Fly Fishing: MOD
Fly Rod – Saltwater: Scott Fly Rod Co: The Meridian
Reel – Freshwater: Nautilus Reels: X 4/6
Reel – Saltwater: Nautilus Reels: X 7/9 –
Boat/Personal Watercraft: Estrada Art, LLC: Estrada Signature L2 Fish
Fly Line – Freshwater: RIO Products: The Light Line
Fly Line – Saltwater: RIO Products: In Touch Striper Line
Fly Box/Storage System: Tacky Fly Fishing: The Big Bug Box
Fly Tying Materials/Equipment: Peak Fishing: PRVLIRS
Fly Pattern – Freshwater: Fly Men Fishing Co: Broyhill’s Jack Knife
Fly Pattern – Saltwater: Umpqua Feather Merchants: Lexo’s Pop Up Crab
Accessory: Hatch Outdoors. Inc: The Hatch Nipper
Men’s General Apparel: Sage Fly Fishing: Guide Shirt
Women’s General Apparel: Simms Fishing Products: Women’s Pro REINA Shirt
DVD: Angler’s Book Supply – Tributaries: The Series
Book: Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures – Fly Fish Belize
Gift Item: DeYoung Studio – DeYoung Saltwater Pilsner Glass
Luggage: Simms Fishing Products: Bounty Hunter 100 Roller
Wading Boots: Simms Fishing Products: The Intruder Boot
Best of Show: Scott Fly Rod Co: The Meridian
Our Best of Show selection was Korkers’ Greenback. New this fall at $100. It comes with an interchangeable felt sole in sizes 7- to -15.
Reel – Freshwater: 3TAND TF 50 / Black
Reel – Saltwater: 3TAND TX 80 — tied with Nautilus Reels: X 7/9 –
Fly Rod – Freshwater: Rajeff Sports’ Echo Glass 5-weight; 3 piece; B handle, 7’10”; rated Glass M-Fast / MSRP $199.9 — tied with Winston’s new Nexus 3-weight; 7’6″; 2 1/4-ounces with a cigar handle / MSRP $475
Fly Rod – Saltwater: Scott Fly Rod Co: The Meridian
Fly Line – Freshwater: RIO Products’ The Light Line 5-weight
Fly Line – Saltwater: ARC 99 Salt Coldwater
For Men’s General Apparel we chose True Flies’ Turtle Bay Tee II Long Sleeve featuring side mesh vents, tagless label (what a annoyance labels are), neck trim, saddle shoulders, 100% poly jersey, SPF 30, moisture wicking and unlike many of these types of shirts these don’t smell after a day’s use.
For wading boots our clear winner was Korkers’ Greenback – new this fall at $100.
Book: Stackpole; Fly-Fishing For Redfish by Chico Fernandez.
Fly Tying Materials/Equipment: Peak Fishing: PRVLIRS
Some show Images:
At a very busy booth, 3TAND’s new black reels got a lot of attention, especially from the trout anglers. That’s legend Stu Apte, in the background, a 3TAND fan, talking with owner Ron Poehailos.
ARC fly line systems and leaders have taken the industry by surprise. Their lines are a compliment to any fly angler s casting.
Matt Hardy, Winston Pro Staff guide from St. Louis, MO gets togeher with Annette McClean in the Winston booth. Annette is the Vice President of Operations and Design for Winston Rods. Read more about Annette.
The TrueFlies Turtle Bay Tee II comes in Key Lime, Ibis and Nassau Blue. It wears well as a layer shirt for cold weather and with an SPF of 30 a ‘safe’ choice on the water. It’s standout feature is that it doesn’t hold body-order like most of these tech shirts do. The comfort factor is another standout feature and no label tags to annoy.
Fly Life Magazine.com LLC Best of Show Choice. Images Korkers.
