Baitcasting reels are getting smaller and easier to cast, such as Lew’s Custom Pro, which is being unveiled this week at ICAST 2024 in Orlando. (Photo by Adam Heggenstaller)
July 17, 2024
By Game & Fish Staff
The 67th International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) show this week in Orlando highlights the best and newest in fishing gear in numerous categories. Game & Fish editors are there to bring you info on the gear that matters to you.
Here’s what is new, cool and weird at ICAST 2024.
SCENE Cup Winners; On the Water Demos Tuesday's On the Water demos at ICAST 2024 was the first chance for media members and buyers to try out new gear. (Photo by Lynn Burkhead) Dubbed “Super Tuesday,” July 16 served as the unofficial opening of the annual show with the ICAST Cup bass tournament at Lake Toho and “On the Water” product demonstrations at the pond adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center.
The CPF Lures team of Jason George and Chuck Pippins won the 36-team ICAST Cup, with a three-fish limit weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces. American Baitworks (Robert Greenberg, JT Kenney and Justin Harant) was second at 12-8.
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”On the Water” returned for another ICAST for some midday fun, with media and buyers taking advantage of hands-on opportunities to try out new watercraft, rods and reels and other gear. Check out Lynn Burkhead’s story here .
It's mid-July in Florida. That's means it's likely going to rain sometime during the day at ICAST. (Photo by Lynn Burkhead) HEARD Here’s What We Heard at ICAST 2024 “I just came back from the Lake St. Clair Bassmaster Open, and all the competitors were looking at their forward-facing sonar. You got to do it if you’re fishing on the tour. Things trickle down from tournament fishing, so the average bass angler now has forward-facing sonar as well because they want that tool to catch more bass and have a better experience on the water.”—Josh Lantz of St. Croix Rods , which just expanded its PHYSYX line to include three new spinning rods purpose-built for the minnow-shaking presentation popular with forward-facing sonar “More than 57 million people now fish in the U.S., that’s 3.2 million more than ever before and more than twice the total number of golfers. But 87 percent of anglers start fishing before the age of 12, so it’s important to introduce kids to the sport early.”—Dave Allen, Pure Fishing CEO “At [fishing company name withheld], we get every Friday off to fish. It’s an awesome benefit. My wife doesn’t know.”—source undisclosed to protect domestic tranquility See More from ICAST on Instagram
WHAT’S COOL Smaller and Easier to Cast? Lew’s Custom Pro baitcaster Two trends we’ve already noticed this year among baitcasting reels: They’re getting smaller, and they’re getting easier to cast, especially with lighter baits. One new reel that exhibits both these qualities is the second-generation Lew’s Custom Pro, built with a 30 mm spool and frame—a first for Lew’s aluminum-frame baitcasters. The Custom Pro also features the new ParaMag ITB, a fully magnetic, friction-free Inertia Transfer Braking system that reduces backlashes without electronic components and provides a “free spool” feeling when reeling. The ITB features a gold brake wheel that allows for increased casting control as it auto-adjusts to the applied inertia with each cast. Carbon-fiber sideplates, 11 double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings and a dual-bearing-supported pinion gear are just a few other notables in this feature-rich reel. $279.99; lewsfishing.com —Adam Heggenstaller
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Salty Hundo Makes Debut Salty Hundo baitcasting reel. (Photo by Alex Suescun) Bates Fishing Co., maker of the Hundo, winner of the Editor’s Choice Award for top baitcasting reel in Game & Fish Magazine’s 2024 Tackle Test, has introduced a gunmetal-gray, saltwater version at this year’s ICAST Show. Like the original model, the Salty Hundo incorporates a one-piece, anodized bar-stock aluminum body, an adjustable, dual-brake system and a shallow spool. A number of upgrades, however, promise enhanced performance and longevity in the harsh marine environment. They include brass gears, stainless-steel components, ceramic bearings, an 88-millimeter, CNC-milled crank arm and more. The new reel, which comes in 7.1:1 and 8.1:1 gear ratios, weighs only 5.8 ounces, packs 100 yards of 30-pound braid and boasts a maximum drag of 15 pounds. $425; batesfishingco.com —Alex Suescun
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WHAT’S WEIRD Gator Imitator Alex the Propellegator. (Photo by Alex Suescun) When it comes to innovative lures, ICAST never disappoints. Every year manufacturers from around the world proudly exhibit exciting new designs in a wide range shapes, colors and sizes. But there’s always a couple that, though we have no reason to doubt their fish-catching effectiveness, border on the peculiar or are downright outlandish. Alex the Propellegator is a prime example. This soft and hollow little gator imitation features a detailed, high-quality silicone body, and propeller hind legs that produce a wake and surface disturbance like a buzzbait to spur attacks from any opportunistic fish with a taste for reptiles. This New-Products-Showcase entry from Natural Selection Lures in the “Freshwater Soft Lures” category is also rear-weighted for longer casts. $12.99; naturalselectionlures.com —Alex Suescun
Neon is the New Brown Lunkerhunt’s Furenzy Mouse lures. (Photo by Alex Suescun) There’s nothing odd about hollow-body mouse lures—bass happily eat small rodents as well as amphibians—but mouse lures in chartreuse and bubblegum? Well, the fish-outside-the-box bait designers at Lunkerhunt decided boring colors such as gray, red squirrel and chipmunk weren’t good enough for the new Furenzy Mouse and added a couple neon models to the lineup. One thing is for sure: You won’t lose sight of a Peep-colored mouse as you walk it through the slop. $10.99; lunkerhunt.com —Adam Heggenstaller
EDITOR’S CHOICE Not So Ugly; Rod Gets Facelift Ugly Stik GX2 combination. Anyone who has fished since 1976 knows the Ugly Stik. That’s the year Shakespeare first impressed anglers with these tough rods made to take a beating from fish as well as Hulk Hogan and William “The Refrigerator” Perry, as later ads would attest. This year the Ugly Stik gets, ahem, a facelift—or a “new cosmetic look and feel” according to the spec sheet—but retains the same strength and durability that has made the original so popular. The new Ugly Stik GX2 has one-piece stainless steel Ugly Tuff guides with a proprietary coating to resist wear and corrosion. It has a new EVA handle with a rubberized X pattern for improved grip and a more ergonomic reel seat with an exposed blank section for increased sensitivity. But one thing about the rod’s looks hasn’t changed. The GX2 still sports the classic clear tip that instantly identifies it as an Ugly Stik. It comes in casting and spinning models, in lengths of 4 feet 6 inches to 9 feet and in ultra-light to heavy power. Rod-and-reel combos are also available. Rough-and-tumble anglers will find peace of mind in the GX2’s 10-year warranty. $49.95; uglystik.com —Adam Heggenstaller
New Electric Reel Brings a Charge Penn's new Fathom Electric series. (Photo by Alex Suescun) The promise of larger fish and greater catches has more and more anglers prying the depths and developing techniques to hook and hoist dogged bottom dwellers and other species that do their feeding far below the surface. The use of electric reels has climbed accordingly, but the need for power outlets has limited the location and the number of electric reels aboard many boats. Luckily, Penn has unveiled the solution at ICAST: the new Fathom Electric series, the first and only reels with an integrated battery. Available in three sizes (30, 50, 80), all endowed with outstanding power and torque, the new Fathoms include a user-friendly LED display showing a true line counter, auto-stop functionality, and simple, customizable settings. $799.95-$899.95; pennfishing.com —Alex Suescun