On July 21-23rd in Las Vegas, Nevada the 2005 ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades) show was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center not far from the famous "Las Vegas Strip". Over 170 companies were represented and over 6500 attendees were at the show. ICAST is an annual event where the major players in the fishing industry come together with displays to show off their new and upcoming items that they will be coming out with for the year 2006. The ICAST show is not open to the general public and is only open to manufacturers, tackle representatives, media, outdoor writers, distributors and business owners in the fishing industry.

TRENDS

During my visit with ICAST I noticed several emerging trends in the fishing and tackle industry. The growing trend of lighter rods was very evident at ICAST. The split grip and no fore grip style rods are slowly becoming the wave of the future for the serious angler. Reputable rod companies such as Powell Rods, Kistler, and Shimano rods just to name a few have all added these type of rods to their lineup.

In Electronics, Humminbird has certainly raised the bar with their new side imaging technology and I believe this type of technology will improve and fast become the wave of the future in the electronics/fishing part of the industry.

In hard baits, the multi-jointed hard bait trend is continuing its trends into 2006. Lucky Craft, Strike Pro, River2sea, Tsunami and even Strike King have all come out with their new multi-jointed style hard baits for 2006 to capitalize further on this trend in hard baits.

At ICAST I have also noticed the resurgence of frog type baits. In fact, the SPRO Corporation won the 2006 ICAST Best of Show award in the "soft lure" category with their new Dean Rojas classic bronzeye frog. Recently, other companies such as Reaction Innovations and Snag Proof Inc., which is a major player in the soft frog bait market, have also come out with frogs to compete in this category. Several other companies like Zoom's "horny toad", Reaction Lures "ribbit" just to name a few have also come out with soft plastic versions of frogs.

Flurocarbon lines are still a very strong and growing trend in the fishing line business. Flurocarbon line sales have sky rocketed upward compared to previous years sales. Several companies have come out with new fluorocarbon type lines and others have sweetened the deal and have found ways to make fluorocarbon lines more affordable and they are passing along those savings to the consumer. Another line trend that is becoming very popular is very tough co-polymer lines. There were quite a few companies like Stren's "Dura Tuf", Gamma's "High Performance Line and Triple Fish's "X Rated line" coming out with their own version of a high strength, high abrasive resistant line.

Several companies are still capitalizing on the red bleeding lure trend. Cavitron Buzz baits at http://www.cavitronlures.com have added a special chip proof red bladed and red hooked buzzbait to their uniquely designed buzzbaits. Lucky Craft has also introduced a few bleeding red colors as well. Several soft plastic companies have also added bleeding red type colors to their lineup of baits.

The ICAST is an overwhelmingly large show and it would be impossible to cover every new innovative product that was presented at the show. Here are a select few "HOT ITEMS" that caught my eye from some of the manufacturers at the show.

RODS

Powell Rods:
www.powellco.com
The split grip/no foregrip trend is alive and well with Powell Rods. Powell Rods is no stranger to the rod building business, namely the fly rod market. For 2006 they have entered the bass rod market with a bang! Powell Rods have been in the rod business since 1910 (95 years to be exact) says President Keith Bryan. In fact, Powell Rods is the second oldest fly rod company in the entire industry. According to Mr. Bryan, Powell has sought the help from Western fishing legend Gary Dobyns to design the tapers and actions of their entire bass rod lineup. With Gary's extensive fishing experience and Powell Rods rod building experience it seems like a match made in heaven. They have introduced 24 graphite rods and 2 fiberglass rods in various lengths and powers to accommodate even the most versatile angler. Eight of the 26 rods are spinning and 18 are casting and all of them have the split grip/no foregrip design. All of the rods are very light weight and equipped with a very high grade of cork and they use the very reputable fuji alconite guides. I am told that they will also have a very unique hook keeper that will be versatile enough to handle any type of bait you can imagine, including the problematic drop shot. Wait it gets even better!! Most of the rods will retail for 169.99 and only a select few with a 199.99 price tag. This price point is a steal for a rod with superior components and being completely tricked out with all of the latest rod mods. Powell Rods will become available in the fall of 2005. For more information visit http://www.powellco.com or call 415-382-9745.

Kistler Rods:
www.kistler.com
Kistler has come out with 2 separate classes of rods and both have the split grip/no foregrip (smart touch) style rods. The Magnesium TS and the Helium LTX series of rods are new for 2006.

The Magnesium TS series is Kistler's lower end rod for 2006. Along with the split grip and smart touch reel seat they are equipped with forecast guides and they retail in the $159-$179 price range and they will be available starting December 1st according to Trey Kistler. The Helium LTX Series is Kistler's new top of the line rods and also with the split grip/smart touch reel seat.

The Helium LTX series of rods are equipped with Copper Zirconia ring inserts in their guides. The rods are stated to retail for $299-$319 price range. The Helium LTX Series of rods have a unique grip. The grip appears to be a very hard material (not cork) and it is wrapped with some type of black thread which is supposed to enhance your grip on the rod. The Helium LTX Series of rods will also be available to the consumers on December 1st. For a sneak peak at these rods visit http://www.kistlerrods.com/53

St Croix:
www.stcroixrods.com
St. Croix has added 7 new rods to their Legend Tournament Series of rods that debuted last year at Icast 2004. Four casting style rods include a 7ft small cranker, 7ft Big cranker, 7ft 9" Swim bait, 8ft Mega swimbait rod. The 3 spinning rods include a 6ft 3" shaking rod, 6ft 6" split shot rod and a 7ft tube rod. These rods are priced in the $210-$270 price range.

St Croix also introduced their new Triumph rod line at Icast this year for the money minded angler. The Triumph series of rods consist of 23 different style of rods and are broken down with 13 spinning rods and 5 casting rods and 5 surf casting rods in various lengths and actions. Some of the rods are two piece rods which would make for a very economical travel/pack rod without the extra costs. The triumph rods are equipped with hard aluminum-oxide guides with black frames and black SCII graphite. The spinning and casting series of Triumph rods are priced in the $50.00-$70.00 range which puts them below their Premier Series of rods which are in the $90-$130 range. The Triumph rods will be available sometime in the fall of 2005. For more info visit http://www.stcroixrods.com

REELS

Shimano
www.shimano.com
I have several big topics to share with you on Shimano's new items for 2006.

CRUXIS:
Shimano has introduced the new lower end line of reels called the Cruxis. The Cruxis line of reels is Shimano's new $99.99 price point reel. I am going to be fairly breef since Shimano has done a lot of changes for 2006. The Cruxis is equipped with the Super free technology and comes in 2 different models CRX 200 and the CRX201 (available Spring 2006) . Both of these reels have 3 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing and come with a 6.2:1 gear ratio and weigh in at 9.5 oz.

CITICA:
The other reel is the Citica. The Citica has taken the place of the Curado at the $119.99 price point reel. Before you go aw dang let me tell you what they did with the Citica. The Citica is also a Super Free reel but with the 119.99 price point of the old Curado. Some other minor changes have been made, but I have been told that the Citica is now better than last years Curado SF reel. They have 3 models of the Citica. CI200D, CI201D (available Spring 2006) and the Ci200DPV, which has a 5.0:1 cranking ratio. All of the above reels are equipped with 4 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing and weighing in at 9.9oz.

CURADO D:
The Curado has been souped up and renamed Curado D. Now I will put all the rumors to rest. All Curados now come with the Super Free technology. Curado's have changed colors several times over the year and in 2006 they will be silver/grayish in color and have an aluminum frame. The Curado D now comes in 3 gear ratios!! Yep that's no misprint 3 gear ratios. CU100 and CU101 are 6.2:1 and have 4 BB and 1 RB and weigh in at 7.4oz. The CU200DHSV and the CU201DHSV (avail spring 2006) has 5 BB and 1 RB and a whopping 7.0:1 gear ratio. These reels tip the scales at 9.8 oz. The CU200DPV and CU201DPV have 5 BB and 1 RB and have a 5.0:1 gear ratio and also weigh in at 9.8 oz. All Curado D reels have the drilled handle shank (holes in the reel handle) to reduce weight and come with the new Magnumlite Spool which provides a extremely low startup inertia for increase line control and casting performance even when using lightweight baits or lures. To remove the side cap it only requires a ¼ turn for VBS brake weight adjustments. However, this feature is not available on the 100 series Curado D's. All of the Curado D's are suitable for saltwater applications.

CHRONARCH Mg:
Shimano has introduced a left handed version of the Chronarch Mg series of reels and it is called the CH51Mg and all of the Mg's are suitable for salt water applications. This reel is at the $249.99 price point and is a 6.2:1 gear ratio and weighs in at 5.9 oz

BAITS

Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits (GYCB)
www.baits.com
The soft plastic powerhouse Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits has come out with a new plastic swimbait (SB35) for 2006. The swimbait is approximately 3.5 inches long and will come in 9 different colors which consists of 4 laminates and 5 solid colors. Although the swimbaits were designed for saltwater fish and stripers, I am very anxious to try them for bass namely some of our big spotted bass here in Georgia. The swimbaits will become available to the consumer in the fall of 2005.

Also for 2006, GYCB has introduced some of their already popular baits in saltwater colors. Both the 5 inch Hula Grub (S97) and the Fat Ika (S92F) will be available in 10 different saltwater colors with contrasting skirt colors matched with separate body colors. Another bait also introduced in saltwater colors is the 6 inch single tail grub (S19). The 6 inch single tail grub will come in 10 different solid colors. The saltwater colored baits will also be available in the fall of 2005.

Also introduced at ICAST by GYCB is the addition of 4 more colors to the already popular two-tone Senko (coreshots). Be on the lookout this fall for some more chartreuse colored tails as well as some pink and blue tipped tails as well. For more info go to http://www.baits.com

Lucky Craft
www.luckycraft.com
Lucky Craft has quite a few new things happening for them in 2006. Before I get started I must say that Lucky Craft had an IMPRESSIVE 2 story booth. The booth consisted of 2 meeting rooms which towered above the showroom floor. One was halfway up the stairs and contained a couch and coffee table. The top floor had a business meeting style table with Lucky Craft décor. Very very nice booth and easily the best looking booth in all of Icast and it took 3 days total to put it up.

Live Sammy 120
The Live Sammy 120 is 4.75 inches long and weights 4/5oz and will be available in 5 different colors and come equipped with a feather treble hook on the back. The Live Sammy will be priced at $21.99-22.99.

Live LVR
Also added to the live concept is the Live LVR. The Live LVR will be available in 5 colors and come complete with a feather treble on the back hook. The Live LVR dives to the 9-10ft range and is 2.75 inches long and weights in at 3/5oz. It will retail for $17.99

Wooden Sammy and Pointer
Lucky Craft has introduced 2 lines of wooden baits that from what I understand both baits will be produced in extremely limited quantities. The first wooden bait is the wooden Sammy 100 and this is a bait that I am very anxious to try. If you remember the old wooden Ichiban Minnow and how productive it was, the wooden sammy should definitely be a competitor especially since the Ichiban Minnow is no longer produced. The wooden Sammy 100 will be 4 inches long and weight ¾ of an ounce and will come in 5 colors priced at 24.99 and 25.99. The wooden Pointer 78 is another bait I am anxious to try. The wooden pointer 78 is 3 inches long and weights 3/8oz and come in 5 limited colors and retail for $24.99 and 25.99.

FAT BDS 1 and FAT BDS 2
Two new baits in the BDS (Big Daddy Strike) line of baits are now being introduced. The BDS 1 and BDS2 are going to become very popular among the shallow water crankbait anglers. The BDS2 is already available and I am unsure when the BDS 1 will become available. The BDS 1 is 2 inches long and weights ¼ oz and will come in 45 different colors (all BDS colors already currently available) There are also 5 new different colors also shown on the website at the BDS link.

The BDS2 is a bait that I already have experience in using as they just became available a few weeks ago to tackle retailers. The BDS 2 is very comparable to the already popular RC 1.5 sold at Bass Pro Shops. The BDS 2 is 2.5 inches long and weights in at 1.5oz. Both BDS 1 and 2 will retail for $14.99

Flat Mini Crankbaits:
Okay I think I am about half way through with the new stuff from Lucky Craft coming out in 2006.

Also for 2006, Lucky Craft has introduced 3 new crankbaits called the Flat Mini Series. They are Flat Mini SR, MR and DR and they are ALL 2 inches long and all 3 models will have 42 different colors. They will retail for $14.99

NEW COLORS:
Lucky Craft has introduced 40 new colors for 2006. If I understand it correctly these new colors only apply to the entire Pointer and Live Pointer jerkbait series of baits. There are 24 new freshwater colors and include cool colors like Matt Tiger, Largemouth Bass, Several trout colors as well as Perch, Hitch and blue gill colors. Four of these colors are actually capitalizing on the red hook trend. Sixteen of the remaining colors are saltwater type colors. I will say that a few of the saltwater colors look awesome for using in freshwater. Colors such as Spotted Shad, Shiner and salty chrome all look very appealing for saltwater. Sorry guys no smallmouth bass color as of yet. I did put a bug in the Presidents ear about adding a smallmouth color so we will see.

Lucky Craft Rods
Lucky Craft has introduced 7 Signature Lucky Craft rods. All of the rods are casting rods and have an adjustable weight system on the butt end of the rods, which will allow you to vary the weight of the rod. The blanks have some very nice decor which is customary of most Japanese rods. The rods vary from 6ft to 8ft and most are MH to Heavy action with one rod being a M action. There is very little detail on this rod's break out date or the expected retail price of the rods. Also Lucky Craft has expanded on their apparel line as well. I understand the website will be updated as soon as they apparel becomes available. For more information visit Lucky Crafts new website at http://www.luckycraft.com

LINES:
I didn't get around to as many line booth as I would have liked but I did pick up some literature on a few of them. Two of the biggest trends I saw coming out were tough co-polymer lines and flurocarbon lines.

GAMMA Lines
www.gammafishing.com
Gamma lines have come out with their own Gamma High Performance Copolymer line that comes in a variety of colors and spool sizes. Line sizes are ranging from 4# to 40# test and are stated to have high strength, shock resistance, more abrasion resistance, less coil, longer casts and more natural presentation. The Gamma co-polymer is stated to be available in Nov 2005.

GAMA EDGE (Flurocarbon)
Gamma was at Icast showing their Flurocarbon called "Gamma Edge" in which they state they have altered the molecular structure of the Polyvinylidene Fluoride polymer. Their line is only offered in 6 different sizes ranging from 6-20lb test and offered in 55yd and 120 yd spools. Contact info for Gamma is http://www.gammafishing.com

TRIPLE FISH International:
www.triplefish.net
Triple fish has also come out with their own super tough Co-Polymer and it is called X-rated co polymer line. This line consists of 4 different polymers to come up with this new "X Rated" line. Tests show that this X-rated line has 5 times the abrasion resistance than other lines and it is an extremely strong line per its smaller line diameter ratio. It is very rare that you see such a thin strong and abrasive line coupled with the softness characteristics of their X-rated line. The X-rated line comes in line sizes ranging from 4-25lb test and comes in 440yd spools as well as bulk spools ranging from 2000-6000 yards depending on line size that you get.

TRIPLE FISH Fluorocarbon
Although, Triple Fish fluorocarbon is not a new item for 2006 I will share that for 2006 Triple Fish will increase their flurocarbon spool from 125 yds to 200 yds and maintain the same price point that they used for the 125yd spool. This easily makes their fluorocarbon one of the best values in the fluorocarbon market. For More information visit http://www.triplefish.net

SPRO's Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog
www.spro.com
First off I wanted to congratulate my good friend Michael Murphy for winning the ICAST Best of Show in the "soft lure" category. Michael is from here in Acworth, GA and he is the lead designer who worked with Dean Rojas to design this new frog. I had a brief moment at the Las Vegas airport to talk with Michael about the frog design that took over a year to design. Michael stated that the frog was primarily designed for open water use but it will work in heavy cover as well. He stated that they used special hooks to increase the hookup percentages, which is where a lot of frogs lack in design. He explained that bass notoriously strike baits from directly underneath the bait due to the limited side visibility in heavy cover. But in an open water environment the strikes mostly occur from the side so the frog hooks on this bait were spread out more to the side of the bait to increase your hook up percentages. The Spro frog will come in 7 different colors and Michael stated that the first 11,000 frogs have already been sold. The new Dean Rojas Bronzeye frogwill be carried by Bass Pro Shops and Anglers Arsenal and will arrive in the stores around the end of September. For more information go to http://www.spro.com

ELECTRONICS

Humminbird Industries
www.humminbird.com
The 900 series Humminbird units were introduced earlier this year. I am not going to go into much detail on the humminbird primarily because the website will explain this very unique technology much better than I can. But I will say that this new side imaging technology by humminbird is mind shattering and I am absolutely shocked that this unit did not win the best of show in the Electronics division at ICAST. Briefly, the side imaging technology allows you to scan 180ft out on either side of the boat (that's 360 total feet!!!) and present a black and white camera like picture on the screen of your unit. The side imaging technology really shines in finding hidden underwater structures and the shadows of the structures play a very important role in determining the severity of ledge drops and size of structure based on the shadow size. You can also scan up under boat house to locate brush or fish tucked up under those boat house structures. The 987 series is the most impressive of all units and comes with a color sonar that you can split screen with the side imaging technology. This capability makes this unit a very valuable learning tool for pros and amateurs alike. I'm not going to spoil you any more but go to the website at http://www.humminbird.com/generic2.asp?ID=514 and read up on the capabilities of this unit. This unit is truly in a class by itself and quite possibly the wave of the future. The unit retails for $1999.99 for the 987 that comes complete with color sonar, GPS and Side imaging. I know that sounds expensive but I honestly think the technology that you are getting with this unit is worth more than their asking price. In fact I plan on buying one myself when I scrape up the cash.

STRIKE KING
www.strikeking.com
Strike King has entered the hard swimbait market in 2006. They have two size of swimbaits named King Kong and they are a multi-jointed (4 joints to be exact) swimbait. The King Kong come in both 6 and 8 inch sizes and are offered in 9 different colors to choose from. I didn't get a date on their arrival in stores or expected retail price.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Drop Shot Keeper System: The drop shot keeper problem has been solved!! The drop shot weight keeper system is a product that is long over due and it is actually designed by BFHP's own Diane J from NJ. The drop shot keeper is made out of stainless steel and is gold plated with possible plans of a silver version coming out in the future. Not only will it handle a drop shot rig but it will accomodate any other type of bait as well. The good thing about this new keeper is you don't necessarily need a rod builder to install the keeper. With every keeper comes an adequate supply of silicone tape. The tape is not a sticky substance but it does allow you to secure your keeper anywhere on your rod by stretching the silicone tape and wrapping it tightly around the base of the keeper to hold it in place. The tape is waterproof, heat resistant, gas and oil proof and is currently being used on Rogue's line of rods. I suspect it will become a mainstay not only on custom rods but also on several other major and minor rod manufacturers as well. Retail for the drop shot keeper is $2.75 and they are available now for sale at http://reeltimedesigns.com/

Remember that ICAST is an enormous show and it really takes a good two days there to see everything and I am confident I have missed several items that have just become available for 2006. Be sure to check out http://www.bassdozer.com for Russ's always stellar Icast review. To see who won "best of show" in their respectable category at Icast please visit this link for the list of winners. http://www.asafishing.org/asa/shows_events/icast/

All the Spots

"Triton" Mike Bucca