ICAST 2024 gear highlights

Another ICAST dropped our jaws and left us drooling at the latest and greatest fishing gear and apparel coming out soon. We saw everything from new and improved lures to rod retention innovations and apparel that will protect you from the elements found in all four seasons.

Below we highlight some of the best and most innovative gear we saw at ICAST 2024.

The company: Grundens

The gear: The tough sun mast hoodie

UPF 50, stain resistant and odor resistant, this fishing hoodie is a big step up from its predecessor. Staying close to their commercial fishing heritage, this hoodie is perfect for the casual angler, to the seasoned guide, to the commercial angler on the ocean. The odor resistance alone makes this hoodie the perfect accessory for multi day trips, or gifts for that one fishing partner most of us have. (If you don't have that one fishing partner, you probably want to invest in this hoodie) The abrasion resistant material is no joke either. Grundens is so confident this hoodie can stand up to any kind of fishing style, in any season and in any weather they backed the hoodie with a lifetime guarantee.

The company: Berkley Baits

The gear: Rigged Saltwater Cullshad

Last year Berkley wowed with the unrigged cullshad and this year they’ve outdone themselves with a pre rigged version. This new version is everything you expect from Berkley when it comes to catching strong, toothy, hard-mouthed saltwater fish. The shad come with a treble hook on the bottom and a large, inverted dorsal hook on top. The top hook is large and sharp enough for snook and tarpon, while the treble is great for smaller saltwater species like sea trout.

The bottom treble hook is also removable to help make the whole lure weedless when fishing around grass flats, or mangroves, when you need to worry about snags.

The company: Shimano

The gear: Ocea Jigger LD Reel

This extremely ergonomic large arbor reel can hold an impressive 900 yards of 20 pound power pro line. The infinity drive drag system puts out an extremely impressive 44 pounds of drag to fight strong saltwater species and the oversized T handle fits perfectly in your fingers allowing you to reel those fish in easier. This combination allows for an insane 30% less rotational force under load, eliminating the need for a two speed reel.

The company: Ugly Stik

The gear: Ugly Stik GX2 (winner of best new freshwater rod)

A staple in countless garages, trucks, rod racks and more, Ugly Stick is synonymous with tough. This new addition to your Ugly Stik quiver features stainless steel guides with a pVD coating to prevent grooving when using heavier braided lines. The GX2 changes the common moniker of Ugly Stik being Known for their toughness and not necessarily their sensitivity as well. The new open reel seat brings the rod blank all the way down to your hand, allowing you to fully grip the blank and letting you feel the slightest of bites. The rubberized handle is an integration from catfish rods, made into the all around GX2, but most importantly, Ugly Stik is so confident in their new rod they’ve gone from a seven year warranty to a 10 year warranty, no questions asked.

The company: Temple Fork Outfitters

The gear: Elevare Euro Nymph Rod (winner of best new fly rod)

Euro nymphing may not be the sexiest form of fly fishing, but no one will argue its effectiveness. This rod is featured as a 10 ft 2-weight through an 11 ft 4-weight. Euro nymphing is all about keeping your rod high and at an angle and the skeleton down locking reel seat helps better balance your rod so you can keep this proper position.

Half Wells cork grips are featured on the 2-weight and the 3-weight, while full Wells cork grips and fighting butts are on the 10 and a half 3-weight and the 11 ft 4-weight.

Black Pearl REC guides help keep the weight down, making this a fast action, yet highly sensitive Euro rod perfect for fishing tiny flies on easily spooked fish.

Whatever your fishing style, wherever you fish and whatever your preferred species is, ICAST 2024 has new gear for everyone. Sometimes its the slightest tweak that makes perfection even more perfect and sometimes its a completely new, never seen product, but either way we can’t wait to put some of this gear through the rigors.

Now let's go fishing. We'll bring the new gear worth drooling over.

If you haven't experienced the #1 fishing app worldwide, make sure and check out Fishbrain to see all the fish data, fishing spots, weather conditions you've been missing out on plus much more.

ICAST 2023 Highlights

Another ICAST has left our jaws dropped and our dreams filled with the latest and greatest advances in fishing gear for every kind of angler.

Fishbrain boasts a staff from all over the country who specialize in all different styles of fishing. We asked our anglers who were on the ground at ICAST 2023 to identify their favorite gear at the show for their favorite type of fishing.

The angler: Nate Roman, Partnerships Manager

Fishing home state: Ohio

Top three species: Steelhead, Smallmouth bass,

Product: TFO Steeldriver Rod Series

Link: https://tforods.com/product/steeldriver/

As steelhead & salmon season in the Midwest approaches, I'm already thinking about upgrades I want to make to my gear this year. The new Steeldriver rod series from Temple Fork Outfitters really caught my eye.

The blanks had the perfect mix of sensitivity & backbone that I look for in a float fishing rod, and TFO has a great reputation for durable products that can last for years even in tough, snowy conditions. The 9'6" ML will be a great "do it all" option that can handle Ohio steelhead with ease and also crossover into salmon on my trips into New York. The 11'0" centerpin rod is a great everyday rod for Lake Erie's smaller rivers & creeks. These are some badass looking rods that I'm excited to try out this fall!

Product: Westin Escape Cam

Link: https://www.westin-fishing.com/us/westin-cam

I've always loved capturing video & photos while I'm on the water, and the new Escape Cam from Westin opens up a world of new possibilities. I've been hesitant to try other inline underwater cameras in the past, but the Escape Cam seems like it checks all the boxes without any of the unnecessary bulk.

It's incredibly thin and weighs only 1.4oz. After holding it in my hand at ICAST, it really feels like you could get away with adding this to your line without spooking everything in the area. The video quality looked really solid too! It's easy to see why this took home the top prize in the electronics category.

I'm planning on grabbing one of these as soon as they hit the shelves in the US.

Product: Vibe Makana 100

Link: https://vibekayaks.com/products/makana-100

In the summer months, I do almost all of my fishing from a kayak. So far I've stuck with "old school" paddle kayaks, but I don't think I'll be able to hold out much longer with all the pedal-driven kayak innovation I saw this year at ICAST. One of my favorite examples was the new Makana 100 from Vibe Kayaks.

With a hull weight of only 55 pounds, it's light enough to car-top and solo carry with ease, but still packed with enough features to feel like a true fishing kayak. The deck layout was thoughtful and didn't feel cluttered, and I love the ability to quickly swap out pedal drives depending on the type of water you'll be fishing that day. As someone who switches between rivers and lakes often, this versatility is a huge plus. With a great price point, this could be the boat that finally gets me to bite the bullet and start fishing from a real modern fishing kayak.

The angler: Ryan Hearn, Data Specialist

Fishing home state: Iowa

Top three species: Largemouth bass, gar, redhorse

The shiny new gear:

American Baitworks Co. - Zoo pop

I use poppers in two ways, to target largemouth and white bass / wipers. Whenever I see white bass or wipers chasing shad at the top of the water, I know it is time to get out the popper! I cast it right on the current and work it out to the current seam - imitating a shad struggling in the current. Similarly, whenever I’m bass fishing and see big blowups, it’s popper time! I fish it right along the weedline and structure. This bait would be perfect with a white underside to imitate baitfish and brighter topside and the natural patterning of a perch. The lure’s combination between a popper and a frog is really unique and what struck me.

LIVETARGET - Hollow body sunfish

The look of a sunfish swimbait with the topwater action of a frog - a perfect combo! Whenever I’m pond hopping for bass and all I see is weeds, it’s time to get out the frog! This lure would allow me to fish the same style but add in the presentation of a dying sunfish. The colors of this lure imitate a spawning male pumpkinseed, a fantastic choice, allowing for brighter colors, but still natural patterning.

Lunkerhunt lures - Boshi Blade Crankbait Medium Dive

A brand I am very familiar with and a style of fishing I absolutely love - crankbait fishing - with a twist! It has a blade - my first time seeing a bladed crankbait! Crankbaits are already my go-to for bass fishing as long as the vegetation allows for it. So having the added noise and vibration of a blade is a huge plus. The lure is also close to my preferred depth for fishing around rocky structures from the shore and my favorite color to imitate crawdads when there’s poor visibility.

Chubbs Lures - Square bill

A brand I have never heard of, but was very intrigued because they offered exactly what I’ve been looking for. A really really shallow crankbait ideal for shore fishermen along with a downsized lure - which I actually prefer so I can imitate smaller bait. They even have my favorite color - crawdad! This specific color is mostly a pale crawdad green so I’d be throwing this on days with higher visibility.

Savage Gear - Sucker swimbait

This is by far my favorite lure I saw at the show! Make no mistake, I’m not a muskie fisherman, although I originally became hooked fishing for pike. While this is not a lure I would use myself much, I am a huge redhorse angler come springtime and love realistic looking baits and, as a biologist and redhorse angler, I can confirm that this is perfect to slay muskie, super realistic, good action, and a common prey of muskie that I have not seen imitated at all by lure companies.

The angler: Jack McKinney, Director of Business Development

Fishing home state: Montana

Top three species: Trout, smallmouth bass, pike

Product: KastKing Micro Gila Fishing Plier

I know what you’re thinking … “how in the world are pliers making the top products list?!” … well, because these fishing specific pliers aren’t your grandpa’s rusty-trustys sitting at the bottom of your Lund. These are pliers that were designed from the ground up with one thing in mind - function. You don’t need a PhD in rocket surgery to understand that these pliers feel good in the hand and are very well thought out and were tested by actual anglers. We have all heard that form should follow function and features are a product of function. “What features, Jack?” Well reader, I’m so glad you asked!

Aircraft grade aluminum frame means saltwater resistance and 33% lighter than steel, and doesn’t rust when left in the bottom of a Jon boat or tackle box.

The business end of the Gilas boast stainless steel jaws and tungsten carbine cutters. You lead crunchers and braid users out there should appreciate that they are fully replaceable, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

The finger hole on the bottom arm allows you to pull knots tight on hooks, let the pliers fall free below your hand to allow for full hand use, and most importantly lets you swing the Gilas around your finger like a bass bustin’ Butch Cassidy.

Overall, these pliers are priced to sit on the Bass Pro tool wall, but have the design and feel that you would normally find in a fly shop. If you’re looking for an upgrade or replacement, do yourself a favor and check out the KastKing Micro Gila Fishing Pliers.

Product: QuietKat & the Villager E-bike

Now, you’re in for a treat, because this is a twofer! Founded in 2012, QuietKat has long been a leader in electric bikes, and for good reason. The ideation of the company was based around the mission of better access for hunters and anglers. Now fast forward to 2023, we have rules coming out of our ears when it comes to E-bikes… Introducing QuietKat V.P.O.!

V.P.O. stands for “Variable Power Output” and it allows you to change your bike type to 1, 2, or 3 - basically, compliance when you need it, power when you want it.

When you add this tech to a baby blue cruiser built for specifically for going from the house to coffee shop to the beach, you get the Villager. It’s not the beast we’ve come to expect from QuietKat, but it is purpose built, multi functional, and cruises, pretty damn well! When you add on the 6 rod holder to the back, sand specific tires, and cooler loaded trailer, you have the ultimate beach fishing rig. Is it better than a 1973 VW Dune Buggy? No, of course not, but Dune Buggys are bad at weaving through coastal town sidewalk traffic and being stored in your closet… The Villager is a do-all bike that is at home in many different environments. If you're a beach comber, fisherman, boardwalker cruiser, this bike might just be for you.

Product: Abstract Watercraft - Model 1

Every once in a while, a product comes around that you never knew you needed, or wanted. But then you see it, and the stars align and the future is clear and as the drool slowly falls to the floor, the only thing in your mind is, “me want,” paired with an audible caveman grunt. Well, at least that was my experience with the Abstract Watercraft Model 1. It’s a fully carbon frame for a raft! Carbon! For those of you who have no clue why I’m so excited, let me explain. Since the dawn of time, rubber rowing river rats have had to make due with steel and aluminum for frames. A complex meandering of bars crisscrossing the boat that bares more resemblance to a forgotten playground set than a drifter. It’s hard to move around, there are no flat spots, the floor is spongy. But, a raft is forgiving on rocks, and can go places a hard boat can’t. I always say a raft is like a jeep, and a drift boat is a cadillac, you can go anywhere in a jeep, it just won’t be as comfy, or nice.

However, if you drop a full wrapped carbon frame into a rubber boat, you just made yourself a 4x4 lifted Caddy on 35s, and you're gonna be crawlin’ down those rapids in style! Well, at least in theory. I have yet to be on the water in one of these bad boys, but it sure did put a smile on my face and made me look at rafts differently. As you can imagine, they are going to be a bit pricey, but they're not for everyone. If you’re just wanting to get your family on the water for a day float, or buying your first raft to see if it really is better than wading this is probably not for you. But, if you’re a diehard angler that spends as much time on the water as possible, you will absolutely drool over the design. Walk around design, integrated anchor, and tool/rod trays on both sides…they make it easy to look good out there. Abstract Watercraft is still in the early stages as a company, and currently only available on a “reserve” basis for future production, but I for one, will certainly be following them closely.

Now let's go fishing. We'll bring the new gear worth drooling over.

If you haven't experienced the #1 fishing app worldwide, make sure and check out Fishbrain to see all the fish data, fishing spots, weather conditions you've been missing out on plus much more.