Prestigious industry awards highlight the best of the best in OrlandoOrange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL — July 12, 2022 — Astronaut Mike Massimino captivated a sold-out State of the Industry Breakfast with tales of space shuttle flights and interstellar telescope repairs as the recreational sportfishing industry’s largest trade show officially blasted off from the Orange County Convention Center on Wednesday.
“Mike Massimino was rejected by NASA three times before he became an astronaut,” said St. Croix Rods V.P. of Sales & Marketing, Jeff Schluter. “For our industry, it was an inspirational message of overcoming obstacles and sticking together to work as a team.”
Massimino’s inspiring stories of unity in space started a countdown clock to one of the most anticipated events at the annual trade show hosted by the American Sportfishing Association—the ICAST Industry Awards Reception. After a jam-packed day of activities on a show floor bustling with thousands of retailers, media members and exhibitors, the votes were tallied for the ICAST’s prestigious “Best of Category” awards. From a field of 1,087 new products representing 292 companies, 37 winners were crowned.
“Winning an award at ICAST puts a product on the map,” said Westin Fishing COO, Thomas Sonotra, who traveled from Denmark to attend the show and will fly back across the Atlantic as a winner. “To get exposure at a show like this really shows that your team has done something remarkable. A lot of hours go behind each product from field testing to making sure that what you design is super unique and capable of competing against tough competition.”
This year’s New Product Showcase featured a bonanza of products ranging from bass boats to personal watercraft, cutting-edge tackle and groundbreaking electronics. Now, after a full day of voting and analysis by an audience of peers, these category winners are left standing. On Thursday, Best of Category winners will go head-to-head to determine an overall ICAST 2023 Best of Show:
Best of Fishing Lifestyle
Novelties and Wellness
Product: The GoMist Drink and Misting Bottle | ExtremeMist Personal Cooling Systems
Contact: Devin Holmgren marketing@extrememist.com
Boats and Watercraft
Product: Old Town Sportsman BigWater ePDL + 132 | Johnson Outdoors Watercraft, Inc.
Contact: Alex Sherbino alex.sherbino@johnsonoutdoors.com
Footwear
Product: Ankle Deck Boots – Black | AFTCO
Contact: Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Ice Fishing
Product: LiveScope™ Plus Ice Fishing Bundle LI with ECHOMAP™ UHD2 93sv | Garmin USA
Contact: Carly Hysell carly.hysell@garmin.com
Eyewear
Product: King Tide 8, Black 580G Blue Mirror | Costa Sunglasses
Contact: Hannah Trotter hannah_ext@verdepr.com
Lifestyle Apparel for Women
Women’s Coverup Dress | Huk Performance Fishing
Contact: Bobby Lader blader@marolina.com
Lifestyle Apparel for Men
Ocean Bound Hooded Performance Shirt | AFTCO
Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Warm Weather Technical Apparel for Women
Product: Mojeaux 1/4 Zip Performance Shirt | AFTCO
Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Warm Weather Technical Apparel for Men
Product: Channel Hooded Performance Shirt | AFTCO
Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Cold Weather Technical Apparel for Women
Product: Women’s Barricade Rain Suit | AFTCO
Denny Le denny@aftco.com
Cold Weather Technical Apparel for Men
Product: Gale Pullover | Blackfish Gear
Contact: Addy Hansen ahansen@clamcorp.com
Best of General Tackle
Soft and Hard Coolers
Product: Flop Box 10 | Flop Industries
Contact: Kyle Dougherty Kyle@divebombindustries.com
