ICAST 2016 New Product Showcase Awards
See the industry picks for best new tackle
The New Product Showcase is one of the highlights of the ICAST sport-fishing trade show every year. It’s an assemblage of new products, divided into various categories, that are submitted by manufacturers and reviewed by the media, then voted on by the media for the “best of” in each category. There’s also a Best of Show category for the media’s favorite overall new product.
Winning a New Product Showcase award is a major goal of most companies because the award brings with it a good amount of publicity and, sometimes, a lot of tackle sales. Though that’s not always the case, considering that media members vote having only seen the products on display, yet rarely having tested said products on the water. Some turn out to be financial flops. The New Product Showcase is, after all, a competition of first impressions, where coolness often wins big.
Still, the products that win in the New Product Showcase usually reflect what’s popular – both in terms of products and brands – within the fishing industry, so it’s always fun to see what wins each season.
The 2016 New Product Showcase winners were announced Wednesday evening after the first day of the annual ICAST show. Headlining the reveal was Minn Kota, which took top honors with the Best of Show award for its new Ultrex trolling motor.
The complete list:
Best of Show/Boating Accessory – Minn Kota Ultrex
Freshwater Reel – Team Lew’s Custom Pro SLP
Freshwater Rod – St. Croix Legend Glass Rod
Footwear – Shimano Flats Wading Boot
Giftware – Weego Jump Starter 44
Kids’ Tackle – Steinhauser 48-inch Starter Rod Combo
Fishing Line – P-Line Tactical Fluorocarbon
Hard Lure – Savage Gear 3D Suicide Duck
Soft Lure – Squidnation Longtail Flippy Floppy
Tackle Management – Cobra Garage Door Storage Rack
Terminal Tackle – Trapper Drop Shot/Live Bait/Finesse Hook
Lifestyle Apparel – Under Armour Men’s UA Fish Stalker SS
Technical Apparel – Frabill I-Float Suit
Boat – Old Town Predator PDL
Rod and Reel Combo – Lew’s Mach II Speed Spool Combo
Electronic Product – Humminbird Helix 10 SI
Eyewear – Costa Del Mar Rafael
Fishing Accessory – Yeti Hopper Flip 12
FishSmart – EGO Kryptek S1 Genesis Medium Clear Landing Net