ICAST 2019 Notebook: Humminbird, Power-Pole, Cannon, Frogg Toggs

ICAST 2019, the nation’s largest outdoors and fishing industry trade show, will be held July 9-12 at the Orange County Convention Center.

The annual event has become the premiere showcase for the latest in fishing gear, accessories and apparel.

Leading up to the event, Game & Fish gives you a daily roundup of significant products and unveilings expected (source: company press releases).

Power-Pole 20th Anniversary

Power-Pole will unveil the latest addition to its line of innovative anchors during next week’s ICAST fishing trade show in Orlando.

It’s part of JL Marine Systems’ celebration of Power-Pole’s 20th anniversary. The new release will be unveiled Wednesday.

Nashville recording artist and Power-Pole pro staff angler Tom Jackson will debut his new Power-Pole-inspired song “Poles Down. Trophies Up” during a “Happy Hour” reception at the company’s ICAST booth.

Along with the new product, Power-Pole will be featuring the C-Monster GATEWAY, which allows for immediate adoption of the wireless CM2 protocol by existing devices currently using NMEA2000 technology, that was officially introduced in March 2019.

JL Marine Systems, Inc. is the developer and manufacturer of the original Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor – the industry’s leading shallow water anchoring system for small skiffs, bass boats, flats boats, bay boats and more. Since their introduction in 2000, Power-Pole anchors have been celebrated among professional anglers and everyday fishermen.

Humminbird Extends 360 Imaging

Humminbird’s game-changing MEGA Imaging™ gets even more capability with its Humminbird 360 Imaging® transducer, which will be featured at ICAST 2019 next week.

---

Providing sonar clarity more than three times over traditional 455 kHz frequencies, MEGA 360 Imaging is said to be the only sonar option that gives a high-resolution 360-degree view around the boat and is integrated to allow full use of the trolling motor. MEGA Imaging provides clearer, sharper underwater views, making fish more identifiable, and fish holding to structure easy to find, so anglers can spend more time fishing the most productive water.

“Humminbird MEGA 360 sonar technology allows full use of the trolling motor while using the transducer and is another best-in-class element of Humminbird and Minn Kota’s One-Boat Network, which provides the ultimate in connectivity for angler navigation, boat control and sonar technologies,” said Joe Brown, senior director brand management, Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics.

The transducer mounts independently to the trolling motor, keeping a constant orientation and imaging in a 360-degree circle out to 125 feet. A key benefit to MEGA 360 is its ability to provide full use of the trolling motor, so anglers can utilize Spot-Lock and other important Minn Kota features without impacting their ability to use 360-degree sonar. This imaging technology provides anglers with a clear understanding of what’s below the water all around the boat – allowing anglers to mark and cast to structure accurately. Anglers can select the full 360-degree view, or customize the viewing area in 10-degree increments.

Also, it can be viewed side-by-side with Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar or mapping. Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar shows a 2D representation of what is below the boat, while GPS and lake maps keep navigation and waypoint details at your fingertips, and allows anglers to access the best in mapping information with LakeMaster mapping.

“My Humminbird 360 played a big role in me winning this year’s Bassmaster Classic,” said Humminbird pro angler Ott Defoe. “Knowing that MEGA Imaging will now be incorporated is very exciting to tournament anglers because it will provide the MEGA Imaging we’ve come to rely on, with Side- and Down-Imaging, into another one of our favorite on-the-water tools. When you combine MEGA 360 with Spot-Lock and the other One-Boat Network products, we will be able to pick apart entire structures knowing we aren’t leaving anything behind.”

Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging will be available in December 2019 and will retail for $1,199. For more information, visit www.humminbird.com.

Cannon Modernizes Downrigger Technology

Cannon® will debut its new Optimum Downrigger at ICAST. The product brings the One-Boat Network™ to life in trolling applications and fully integrates with Humminbird® fish finders, Fish Hawk electronics, a new mobile app and other Optimum downriggers wirelessly.

The Optimum Downrigger boasts a full-color 3.5-inch display. Whether on wirelessly connected Humminbird units, on the downrigger itself or through the Cannon mobile app, anglers can raise, lower and set trolling depths for the downrigger weights through the easy-to-use menu. In addition, the user will be able to read surface temperature, as well as the true depth, temperature and speed at the Fish Hawk probe. This information is critical for an angler to precisely present baits.

All downrigger data can be read and downriggers can be controlled from any connected Humminbird unit in the boat. The fact that these connections are all wireless makes installation easy.

“Making reliable downriggers has always been our goal but today’s angler is looking for more connected solutions to make boat management and bait presentation more precise and efficient,” said Brad Henry, Cannon brand manager. “As we explore more ways to bring our One-Boat Network to life, connecting the downriggers to Humminbird electronics and Fish Hawk products through a wireless connection means anglers can spend less time worrying about getting their baits to run exactly as they want them to and more time catching fish.”

The new Optimum Downrigger includes the ability to network up to four other Optimum Downriggers wirelessly, simplifying the rigging process. This wireless network provides the ability to share sonar data across all units and display it on the ultra-bright screen, so you always have access to the critical trolling data you need.

The new downriggers boast 250 feet-per-minute retrieval speed, as well as the waterline zero feature which keeps the weight a set distance below the surface of the water. Sudden stops at ascent and descent points are virtually eliminated by the Soft Stop feature.

When anglers need to cycle the depth of the bait within the water column, the new Optimum allows for presetting depth and time intervals with Depth Cycling to give bait a more natural swimming motion. The additional Bottom Tracking feature adjusts the depth of the weight to automatically keep lines and lures a set distance from the bottom, so anglers have accuracy in bait presentation.

The new Optimum Downrigger is compatible with Humminbird SOLIX® and second generation HELIX® models and will be available in the fall of 2019. Anglers can download the Cannon mobile app online or visit www.CannonDownriggers.com/Optimum for more information.

New Shoes from frogg toggs

frogg toggs®, the undisputed leader in lightweight, breathable, affordable rain gear, will debut its all new shoe line at ICAST Booth # 2526. frogg toggs will announce its brand new performance footwear collection. Working with the best shoe factories throughout the globe, frogg toggs has produced the ultimate in fishing, boating, and hunting footwear for the entire family.

This collection features high tech waterproof breathable materials, premium rugged leather uppers, rust proof metal hardware, memory foam cushioning, rip proof nylon uppers, moisture wicking linings, and slip resistant outsoles.