ICAST Best of Show Winners
July 15, 2004 -- Shimano American Corporation won the Overall Best of Show Award, and Best of Show for the reel category, in the ICAST 2004 New Product Showcase awards competition for its Chronarch B Series Reel. The company also took top honors for the new Bagio Fishing Traveler Case in the Tackle Management category.
This year's New Product Showcase winners also included four first-time ICAST exhibitors-Bikini Lures, Fishworks, Hawg Pockets, and Target Fisherman. Two companies-Airrus Rods and Shimano-won Best of Show awards in the rod and reel categories respectively for the third year in a row.
Nearly 200 companies entered angler equipment and accessories into the New Product Showcase, sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer magazine this year. The showcase is the flagship feature of the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, or ICAST, the sportfishing industry's premier trade event produced by the American Sportfishing Association. The 47th annual show was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, July 14-16. Selling out in February, the show ultimately hosted nearly 400 exhibitors-more than 60 additional exhibitors over last year-and floor space that was 15 percent larger than last year.
"The New Product Showcase is the best part of ICAST," said Mike Nussman, President and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. "Every year it's amazing to see all the creativity and ingenuity our member companies have used to add curiosity, excitement, and discovery to the adventure of fishing."
Making up a special section of ICAST's 250,000-square-foot show floor, the New Product Showcase gives the industry's latest innovations special visibility during the show, with nearly 6,500 representatives of the sportfishing community attending.
Buyers and media judged several hundred products based on their level of innovation, execution, workmanship, and practicality to select Best of Show honors in 11 categories, as well as the Overall Best of Show winner.
Category Company Product Overall Best of Show Shimano American Corp. Chronarch B Series Reel Rod Airrus Rods Tradition Series Reel Shimano American Corp. Chronarch B Series Reel Terminal Tackle VMC David Fritts Scorpion Treble Hooks Line Pure Fishing Vanish Transition Hard Lure Bikini Lures Solaris Fatshad Soft Lure Pace Products LA Slider Tackle Management Shimano American Corp. Bagio Fishing Traveler Case Kid's Tackle Target Fisherman Target Fisherman Boating Accessory/ American Rod & Gun Bassmaster LMS 480 Electronic Sonar and i Finder Combo Fishing Accessory Hawg Pockets Hawg Pockets lure guard Clothing/Giftware Fishworks Clipperton Walk Shorts
For the next three years, ICAST will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the dates coinciding with the National Marine Manufacturers Association's Marine After-Market and Accessories Trade Show (MAATS). ICAST is scheduled for July 20-22, 2005; July 19-21, 2006; and July 18-20, 2007.
