What Is ICAST and Why You Should Care

When the 68th edition of the ICAST fishing trade show opens this week in Orlando, several thousand attendees from around the world will surge into the Land of the Magic Kingdom and onto the spacious floors at the Orange County Convention Center with big smiles, lots of enthusiasm, and an unbridled passion for fishing.

For exhibitors, fishing industry leaders, professional anglers and outdoors media, the July 15-18, 2025, ICAST Trade Show is a big deal—arguably the biggest single angling event on the annual calendar outside of the Bassmaster Classic.

But for many others, like the nation’s recreational anglers, the arrival of the annual ICAST show will draw little more than a curious online glance, an inquisitive look on social media, or perhaps even a yawn and indifference.

So, just what is ICAST and why should you, the recreational angler, care? We’re glad you’ve asked, so read on and let us try to explain!

ICAST Defined

Originally known as the AFTM (Associated Fishing Tackle Manufacturers) Fishing Tackle Trade Show, the very first such show was held from July 27-30, 1958, at the Hotel Sherman in Chicago. Described as the show for “…fishing tackle and closely allied lines,” it drew 136 exhibitors and some 2,500 attendees. Except for the pandemic year of 2020, the show has been held annually and, in general, has slowly and steadily grown.

Technically, ICAST stands for the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, a long moniker about a mid-July event that is billed as the world's largest sportfishing trade show by the American Sportfishing Association, the owner and organizer of the show.

Today, bass fishing is a big part of the ICAST show floor scene, along with inshore saltwater fishing, deep sea fishing and even fly fishing. While the event was once the annual showplace for fishing industry manufacturers in each field to display their new equipment each year and then take orders from large and small retailers, the show has evolved. In fact, in recent years, ICAST has become as much a marketing, educational, networking and industry growth catalyst even as it remains a retail destination for both domestic and international buyers and outdoors media.

ICAST Happenings

ICAST is big, and then some, with three full days of show floor exhibits beckoning attendees. While not SHOT Show level in size and attendance, there is still some 200,000-plus square feet of exhibit space at the Orange County Convention Center, enough to lure more than 630 exhibitors annually. With more than 1,000 new products debuting in recent years in the New Products Showcase, ICAST draws attendees from all 50 states and more than 80 countries.

Attendees descend upon Orlando to see not only what’s new on the show floor each summer, but also to get a hands-on look at the new gear at the growing On the Water Product Demo Day. There is also the opportunity to attend ICAST-associated events like the ICAST Cup—a media/celebrity fishing tournament on Lake Toho, put on each year by Major League Fishing. Other ICAST-associated events include seminars, a golf tournament and private events held by manufacturers.

A New Year, a New Show

Several things are different this year, most notably who will not be in Orlando this week.

Pure Fishing, one of the largest fishing companies in the world, and the parent company to some of the industry’s most well-known brands (Berkley, Abu Garcia, Plano, Frabill, Fin-Nor, Pflueger, Penn, Hardy Fly Rods and Reels, Grey’s Fly Rods and Reels, Stren, Shakespeare, Fenwick, Ugly Stik, Spiderwire, and more) will not be in attendance this year, choosing to build a showroom floor at their South Carolina headquarters where they invite in clients for something of an in-house version of ICAST as the company shows off their new products in a more intimate and focused setting.

That is significant because Pure Fishing had five winners in the "Best of Category" awards last year in Orlando, including the overall "Best of Show" award presented to the company for the PENN Fathom Electric saltwater reel. Other Pure Fishing brands that took home hardware a year ago include the Ugly Stik GX2 spinning rod, the Berkley Krej hard lure, the Hardy Averon fly reel and the Shakespeare Canyon fly fishing combo.

Also choosing to sit out this year is Simms Fishing Products, the powerhouse brand from Bozeman, Mont. that successfully straddles the freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing and fly fishing markets all at once with a wide variety of products ranging from waders to rain suits to insulative gear to gear made for the tropics. Simms will also be a huge no-show in 2025 after the company won four "Best of Category" awards in 2024, including the Tailwind Rod & Reel Vault, the Headwaters Sling Pack, the Latitude Hoody for women and the Pro Dry Suit for men.

The kayak and paddle board market will be missing several recognizable names as well, including companies that have garnered ICAST "Best of Show" and "Best of Category" new product awards in recent years. Those include Old Town Kayaks & Canoes, BOTE Boards and Wilderness Systems, to name a few.

Why are these companies declining to attend ICAST this summer? These reasons are mostly speculative, but most likely center around the cost to attend (including the rental of booth space, the labor to assemble booths and run power to them, the cost of transporting staff to Orlando, and then putting them in a hotel and feeding them, ICAST parties and/or media events, and more). There’s also this year’s business climate, with nearly all companies in the industry dealing with rising costs, tariffs, increased shipping costs, etc., during 2025.

Other news topics that are being talked about heading into ICAST 2025 include the continued battleground of forward facing sonar and its place in the angler’s world, the effect of forward facing sonar on lure design and sales, the changing tournament playing field for the nation’s professional anglers, the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariff battles, and more.

Why ICAST Matters for Recreational Anglers

For an angler, the week is something like Christmas in July as exhibitors from around the globe show off the latest and greatest in terms of fishing lures, rods, reels, lines, marine electronics, footwear, apparel, angling accessories and lifestyle items. Aimed at recreational anglers, if you see a product over the next 12 months in a box store, at your favorite tackle shop, online, or in a catalog or mailer, odds are, it will be on the show floor in Orlando this week.

And while it is true that a lot of new items are introduced in this era by YouTube influencers, competitive anglers, and industry celebrities with short, hitting social media pieces, there is also more in-depth looks that can be gained by traditional outdoors media. That includes our own ICAST coverage plans here at Outdoor Sportsman Group in general, and Game & Fish magazine specifically, where our crew will hit the ground running on Monday evening, hardly slowing down before the show concludes on Friday. Expect plenty of fresh content, including news flashes about what’s new, what’s innovative, and what’s news-making over this week through the Game & Fish website, social media platforms and in print.

The bottom line is that while ICAST has changed a good bit over the years—including in recent times—the event remains in can’t-miss fishing industry territory that demands the best-in-class event and industry coverage. Stay tuned to what we’re discovering in Orlando this summer, because that’s a part of our mission here at Game & Fish magazine—to keep you informed as you go about the process of spending your hard-earned dollars on the latest and greatest in the fishing gear market.

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