The annual ICAST show has become a tradition in the fishing world, with companies large and small showing off their new products. Each year, these brands unveil what they've been working on for the past year, and the fishing media and retail buyers get their first look. Another facet of the event is the annual awards, which give one product the designation of a "Best in Category" trophy for a variety of different categories.
Typically, these awards are from the biggest brands in fishing, and the same brands win almost yearly, but there are always some unique items that get overlooked. As it has been a staple for the past several years, I've compiled a list of some items that you may not have heard of—the truly unique, the innovative, and the unicorns from the 2024 ICAST show.
Hard Lures: GOMEXUS Cyberbait
Much of the show this year focused on jigheads and minnows, but there was still some good representation of big baits. One of the most unique was the Cyberbait from GOMEXUS, the first metal glide bait.
Made of CNC-machined aluminum, this bait was unique and looked great. It's a 240mm glide bait that is 9.45 inches long and weighs 4.3 ounces. In addition to the distinctive look and the fact that it's made of metal, the bait is also customizable and can have three different actions.
You can pull the bait and change its swimming motion. It also has several different rubber tails for even more customization. It's a unique lure from a company that makes all sorts of aluminum parts for fishing and hunting. The retail cost of the Cyberbait 240F is $129.95, and they also have a few other baits on the way.
Soft Lures: Reins Umbrella Wire
The soft bait category was full of the normal soft plastics we have all used for years, but there was also a heavy JDM influence with dice-style lures and unique baits for mid-strolling. One other unique offering was the Reins Umbrella Wire.
This bait looks like a gob of nightcrawlers on a hook, with many different arms and appendances all coming from one center piece. The bait can be fished in a number of ways, including on a drop-shot or wacky rig.
The video of this bait in action is truly unique and it has a great undulating action as it comes through the water. It was cool to see in your hands, but looks even better in the water and shows the bass something very unique.
Tackle Storage: BKK OCD Tackle Storage System and "Loaded" Version
This was one product that won an award but is truly unique. BKK is an up-and-coming hook brand that has made waves in recent years and garnered many fans since it hit the North American market. Besides the great hooks, they also have some storage solutions.
The OCD box is a customizable box that keeps all of your hooks and terminal tackle very organized, hence the "OCD" name. But the loaded version is even better as it comes with a bunch of their different hooks loaded into the box. It's essentially a kit, and you can purchase the box and have all of the hooks neatly organized by size and style.
This system won an award this year, but was still very unique in how well the box was built and the ability to buy all of the hooks at once. The box itself is made of a durable and thick plastic that allows you to label the contents of each compartment, which alone was innovative, but the ability to buy the hook kit makes it even better even though it's a hefty retail price of nearly $300 with the hooks included.
Electronics: Lithium Pros Sodium Ion Marine Battery
In the past several years, all of the talk about batteries has been about lithium. There are countless brands that make a great product, but one of them has introduced a new power source: sodium ion.
There are several benefits to sodium ion, including a lower cost because sodium is much more abundant than lithium. It still has some of the same benefits of lithium, like faster charging and more power, but also works very well even in frigid temperatures.
This new battery from Lithium Pros is unique because it's the first marine cranking battery to use sodium ion. It remains to be seen if this will mark a change in marine power, but they are definitely unique compared to other batteries.
Fishing Rods: FISHNFX Gold Series
The fishing rods we all use have become much better over the years and there are also plenty of choices when it comes to rods. They've all become much lighter and more sensitive, including the Gold Series from FISHNFX. Currently, there are three spinning rods and four casting models in the initial offering.
This small company was recently started by Douglas Roberts, an award-winning custom rod builder and it shows in his rods. They include great components like MicroWave guides, a super strong Bushido Toray carbon fiber blank, and overall great build. Doug's custom rods have garnered a Top 10 finish in an international competition and he's taken his experience building rods to create a line of solidly built mass produced rods with a custom feel.
The story of the company is also unique as his partners are friends, several of which are veterans, who urged him to start the brand and chipped in money to get started and have become part owners of the brand. It's a feel good story about a company with a great product looking to make a name in the industry at their first-ever ICAST show.
As always, ICAST was a great show with many booths to view, and it's almost impossible to see it all, even in three days of walking and exploring. The items listed above were unique and may not have gotten as much attention as those from the popular brands with big social media reach and pro-staff sharing the news. These are items and brands that are unique and deserve some added attention.
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