ICAST

[CustomRod]

I've been at the ICAST fishing products show the last two days. Had a great time but definitely on tackle overload right now!

Here's a quick recap . . .

There were at least 10 super coolers. Most expensive I saw was about $850 but the cup holders on the side were optional. As one of the vendors told me "Everyone needs a $400 ice chest".

Reels you guys like. The Lews BB1 and BB2 Inshore felt really nice along with the CI4 Curado. There were so many Revo models I lost track. Some of the Okuma models seemed pretty good, but on the show room floor it's really hard to relate to real world saltwater use. Shimano didn't give out catalogs this year. I've always bought quality reels and then taken care of them, but with prices continuing up I might look at some lower cost stuff as disposable after a year or so for my wade fishing.

Spent some time in the Boca Bearing booth and they really demonstrate the performance improvement with ceramic bearings!

Lots of nice rods that carry hefty price tags.

Plenty of $150 and up fishing shirts to get blood and guts all over.

Sunsect is a DEET based insect repellent/ sunscreen that has been supplying the military for 15 years.

Lures, lures, lures. A larger Paul Brown soft Mirrodine was displayed and is in production. Some of the big swimbaits are amazing. Can't imagine casting/retrieving one of those all day. Z-man had a soft plastic popper that floats a 5/0 hook. Shad lures of every size, shape and color. Topwater lures of every size, shape and color, some even have electronics built in!

No jig heads that even closely rival the Matrix lead heads (no offense, I've used Matrix but not YMB).

Lots of other neat stuff and lots of bizarre stuff. Watched a video of an elastic rope that is hooked to the winch strap to help you launch your boat by yourself. The rope pulls the boat right back to the ramp as you pull the trailer out of the water. I mentioned that most of the ramps I use are paved and the guy said it didn't matter because most bass boats have a keel guard.

Tons of celebrities from fishing shows and such. Saw Bill Dance, Flip Pallot, and Henry Waszczuk. The BASS pros are the best. They are so accessible and friendly. Current Classic champ Randy Howell, Aaron Martens, Jason Christie, and Brandon Lester all took time to answer my questions about their sponsors products and there were many others shaking hands and signing autographs.

Well worth taking two days off from work.