Gear

World’s Largest Fishing Tackle Show — A GoPro Gallery of New Gear

The 2016 ICAST Tackle Trade Show in Orlando, the biggest ever, was filled with new gear from manufacturers well-known and obscure. These 25 photos offer a peek at some of that gear.

By Doug Olander

Updated: July 18, 2016

BigFish Gear’s Bad-Ass Billfish

World's largest fishing show -- a BigFish shirt

BigFish Gear offers its line of Skelefish shirts for a number of popular game fish, both offshore and inshore. Grr. Retail is $59.95. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Penn Slammer III: Top-Award-Winning Reel

World's largest fishing show -- Penn Slammer III

Penn’s Slammer III took Best-in-Show honors in the saltwater-reel division. The new IPX6 sealed system is designed to keep water out; the reel boasts a full metal body, side plate and rotor. Sizes range from 3500 to 10500; retail price will be about $250 to $350, respectively, and will be available in November, 2016. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

ICAST 2016 – A Really Big Show

World's largest fishing tackle show -- ICAST 2016

A view from above — showing just three aisles out of dozens — offers some idea how large this international tackle trade show has become, the largest in the world. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Williamson Lures’ Wild New Finishes

World's largest fishing show -- Williamson Lures

Williamson has added new sizes to its Popper Pro and Surface Pro lines (a 160 and 150, respectively) and some distinctive and striking new colors/patterns. The 160 Popper Pro retails for $15.79; the 150 Surface Pro goes for $16.49. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

HUK Performance wear: In Your Face!

World's Largest Fishing Tackle Show - HUK Performance Fishing shirt

HUK Performance Fishing‘s Kryptek Icon Long Sleeve technical fishing shirt uses a poly knit with what it calls moisture transport for comfort; it adds mesh vent at the lower back, and builds in stain resistance and anti-microbials. MSRP is $49.99. (I tried to strike up a conversation with this fellow, but he just wanted to stare at me and never had a word to say.) Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

From Okuma: Serious Saltwater Baitcaster

World's largest fishing tackle show -- an Okuma Komodo reel

Okuma‘s new Komodo SS baitcasters are available in 350 and 450 sizes. The tough Komodos feature stainless main and pinion gears, and drive and spool shafts. The reels are available with either twin-paddle handles or power handles; they offer 25 and 30 pounds of max drag and retail for $219 to $269.99, depending upon size and features. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Halco Lures: Australian Tough

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Halco lures

Halco displays some of its models, for decades among the most popular and highly regarded lures made in Australia and now distributed in the United States. They’re built tough to take a pounding by such Indo-Pacific brutes as giant trevally and barramundi. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Yeti’s Newest: Keep Your Beer Cold Forever (Well, Almost)

World's largest fishing tackle show -- a Yeti flip 12 cooler

The new Hopper Flip 12 soft cooler from Yeti is designed to hold up under serious abuse. Its compact size just holds two six packs (hence the name); retail is $279. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Accurate Reels: Made in the U.S.A.

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Accurate reels

Accurate likes to emphasize its domestic manufacturing origin. Included in this display is the Boss Fury line of reels, single-drag reels in one- and two-speed models, all made of 6061 T6 billet aircraft aluminum, to be light and strong.The single-speed 400N retails for $234; the FX2 (two-speed) 600, at the top of the line, goes for $389. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Hanta Rods: Brute Strength

World's largest fishing tackle show -- a Hanta fishing rod

Determined to show how strong their surprisingly thin, light rods are, Hanta set up this demo with a 10-pound cannonball lead. Hanta’s specialized popping and jigging rods and blanks are designed for big lures and big fish. The rods retail for $485 to $709. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Shimano Stradic: A Great Reel Gets Better

World's largest fishing tackle show -- new Shimano Stradic reels

Anyone who’s used one of Shimano‘s hugely popular Stradic CI4+ reels will know the “new and improved” claim is anything but hype just by picking up one of the new models introduced at ICAST. They’re amazingly light and somehow even smoother than the prior release. The MSRP is $229 for sizes 1000, 2500 and 3000, and $239 for the 4000 size. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Savage Gear Popper: Create a Panic Attack

World's largest fishing tackle show -- a SavageGear Panic Popper

Savage Gear‘s Panic Popper is aptly named with a mouth the size of Mick Jagger’s but without the teeth. The popper is available in a 5 1/4-inch size ($8.99) and a 7 3/4-inch size ($15.99). Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Savage Gear: The Man Behind the Design

World's largest fishing tackle show -- lure designer Mads Grosell

Both figuratively and, here, literally, Mads Grosell is the man behind the design of the new Panic Popper. The Danish lure designer prolifically and ingeniously designs lures, hard and soft, for his Savage Gear line. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Pelagic Overseer: Just Plain Creepy

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Pelagic Aeroflex Tek Shirt

I admit it: This guy creeped me out! But I liked his threads — Pelagic‘s Aeroflex Tek Shirt is an ultra-lightweight , UPF50 shirt with hex-mesh vented paneling and a zipper pocket. It retails for $69. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Seaguar, In Its Many Shades

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Seaguar leader material

Seaguar spools of Blue Label, Pink Label and Red Label, as well as STS offer consumers a considerable choice in leader material. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

AFTCO Fighting Belt: Go For the Gold

World's largest fishing tackle show -- AFTCO fighting belt

AFTCO‘s new Vallarta Magnum fighting belt (top) is the largest belt in its lineup but, like other gold belts, is chock full of features making AFTCO’s belts preferred by many of the best stand-up anglers. The belt will retail for $149. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Trokar’s Boxer: A Jig With a Mean Hook

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Eagle Claw Boxer jigs

Trokar from Eagle Claw has several new jig heads this year, including the Boxing Glove Jigs, which range from 1/16 ounce to 3/4 ounce in four colors (red, silver, white and chartreuse). Featuring triple-sided super-sharp hooks, they’re available from online retailers at $5.99 for a three-pack. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Fin-Nor: Mega Features, Lite Price

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Fin-Nor Mega Lite spinning reel

For a $49.99 to $66.99, Fin-Nor‘s new MegaLite spinners are tough to beat. Key West’s renowned skipper R.T. Trosset tells me they’ve been beating the heck out of ’em for months but the Mega-Lites haven’t missed a beat (or fish). Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Sebile: Gen 2 Stick Shadd

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Sebile Stick Shadd

New and improved means more dollars and cents, right? Not in the case of the better-than-ever Sebile Second Generation Stick Shadd. A proven favorite of saltwater anglers around the world, the new Stick Shadds will range from 2 and 3/8 inch ($6.99) to 8 1/4 inch ($19.99) — prices less than before. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Cuda Knives: Slice ‘n Dice Like a Pro

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Cuda filet knife

No fooling around when it comes to getting a filet job done with Cuda‘s new Professional Series knives made with corrosion-resistant stainless steel and a 47-layer compressed, cold-molded Micarta handle. This 7-Inch Cuda Semi-Flex Wide fillet knife retails for $64.99. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Alutecnos: A Gorilla of a Different Color

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Alutecnos Gorilla reels

Powerful, light and compact, Alutecnos‘ famed Albacore Gorilla 8v reels have in the past been available in silver, silver or silver. As this photo clearly shows, now you can pick silver or any of four more colors. MSRP is $639 to $649. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

D.O.A. New Topwater: Smashingly Simple

World's largest fishing tackle show -- D.O.A. lures new PT-7

D.O.A. Fishing Lures‘ new PT-7 “casts like a bullet and skips into tight places where others can’t,” says the manufacturer. D.O.A. head honcho Mark Nichols here shows his creation, which measures 3 inches, weighs a half-ounce and is packaged with two lures, one rigged with a single 6/0 EWG hook. Expected to be available in the fall of 2016, the PT-7 will retail at $5 for the pair. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Raw Accessories: Floating Live Well

World's largest fishing tackle show -- floating live well

Now you can have your trophy and release it too, thanks to the **Kayak Live Well” from Raw Accessories USA. Perfect for kayak tournaments, the two circular mesh ends create water flow to keep big fish alive and well next to a kayak. Otherwise, of course it will serve as a live-bait well. MSRP is $49.99 for the inshore (redfish/trout) series and $58.99 for the snook model. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

HUK Performance Gear: Swimming Away

World's largest fishing tackle show -- a HUK shirt with K.C. Scott art

The redfish in this design by famed marine artist K.C. Scott seems to come alive as the GoPro creates a motion-blur effect on this HUK Gear technical shirt. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing

Bay Rat Lures, Swimming Upstream

World's largest fishing tackle show -- Bay Rat lures

Another motion-blur image that gives the impression of movement, this cool Bay Rat lures display shows colorful plugs seemingly suspended, with the show going on in the background. Doug Olander / Sport Fishing