Virtual FLW Tournament to Benefit Keep America Fishing
Online-only ICAST Cup event will raise funds to protect our nation’s waterways
As part of the American Sportfishing Association’s first-ever ICAST Online fishing tackle tradeshow later this month, FLW is partnering with Keep America Fishing to host a special virtual ICAST Cup fishing tournament.
The ICAST Cup, which has been a popular part of the ICAST tradeshow for the last five years, has raised more than $49,000 for Keep America Fishing’s efforts to preserve your right to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways. This year, despite the fact that the fishing industry can’t come together in person for the ICAST Cup, FLW and ASA are maintaining the tradition by employing the FishDonkey app, which allows contestants to compete in a fishing tournament from any public waters in the United States. Best of all, it’s open to anyone in the country.
The tournament will be conducted Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, in advance of ICAST Online, which takes place July 13-17 and will be open to the general public for the first time in ICAST history. The virtual ICAST Cup competition is divided into five geographic divisions. Tournament participants in each division will compete for bragging rights and recognition during ICAST Online, as well as for the cause. Each participant’s $20 entry fee will help fund Keep America Fishing’s work to keep our public resources open, clean and abundant with fish.
FLW hopes you’ll consider participating in this first-of-its-kind event, which provides an opportunity for the fishing community to pay it forward and support a great cause – and have a lot of fun, too.
How to fish a virtual tournament
If you’ve never fished a virtual tournament, it’s easy:
1. Download the FishDonkey app at this link. You can also register for the ICAST Cup tournament at that link and pay your $20 entry fee. The app is free, but FishDonkey also charges a $3 fee when entering any tournament.
2. Each fish is recorded via cellphone photo on a valid measuring board and then entered into the FishDonkey app. For complete rules and details on how to enter a fish, click here or watch this YouTube tutorial.
3. Weights are tallied and displayed on the FishDonkey leaderboard throughout the event, so you can track your standing.
4. The winner in each division is determined by the combined length of up to five largemouth, smallmouth and/or spotted bass as submitted through the FishDonkey app and verified by the tournament director.
Contact the tournament director with questions
If you’re interested in participating and have questions, feel free to reach out to ICAST Cup Tournament Director Scott Ellison at [email protected]. Complete tournament details are available here.
Don’t miss ICAST Online
The International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, or ICAST, is the world’s largest sportfishing tradeshow. It’s managed by the American Sportfishing Association, which is the trade association for the sportfishing industry.
Each year, the ICAST show serves as an opportunity for manufacturers, distributors and retailers to learn about new products and conduct business, as well for outdoor media to share what’s new with the public.
This year, due to changes in the way businesses are operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICAST show has transitioned from an in-person event to an online experience – and it’s now open to the public for the first time ever.
The general public does not need to register for ICAST Online, and it is free to attend. Access to the virtual tradeshow website will be available through ICASTfishing.org at 8 a.m. ET on Monday, July 13. You can visit the website now to see the schedule of events and learn more.