I went to ICAST this year and worked my tail off in the time I was there. It's always good to see in person sponsors and other folks that you otherwise spend much of the year talking on the phone with.   I feel the show was pretty much standard operating procedure in terms of attendance and impact of new products.....but....there are always things I feel fill a void for my personal style of fishing, or open up an entire world and/or evolution of new thoughts like..., "Man, that thing will work when I....!"

Anyway, here is a quick glimpse at my top 5 represented at the show:

1. I have no argument with Humminbird winning best in show with 360 Imaging. Unreal! The commercial says it all. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsOGUx7O3nk&feature=youtu.be
2. Jackall Aska 50 and 70 - The Aska 60 came out last year and I love it, but this 50 (smaller) and 70 (larger) complete the line of shallow diving silent square bills that are perfectly engineered. Plus they have new colors that are right on to what we and others have been asking for.
3. Pinnacle Perfecta 7'0" Heavy Action Tournament Class spinning rod - Seems like Pinnacle is always coming out with great new equipment but this one is particularly perfect for me! If you like skipping docks with a spinning rod and like having some serious backbone to haul em' out, this is the rod for you. If you like fishing for big smallmouth on spinning setups, either deep or shallow and have never felt the rod you were previously using could drive that hook home in some big smallmouths' boney mouths, well now you know where to look. This rod recently helped me finish 6th at the FLW Tour Major on Lake Champlain. In a largemouth dominated field, I weighed in mostly big smallmouth, and this is the rod that got the job done.
4. Sunline SX-1 Braid - The FX-2 braid was launched a while back for froggin and flippin with lb tests of 50-60-80 and...in a nutshell... I love it. The SX-1 fills the braid void for Sunline finesse braid in the US. It is made with only 4 strands and an improved abrasion resistance formula allowing for thinner diameters and pliability throughout while maintaining strength. It's going to be great for everything from topwaters to braid-flouro spinning rod setups. Its dark green in color and it comes in 10, 12, 16, 20, 30 , 40 and 50 lb tests.
5. Fin-tech SS Minnow - In the land of the Land of the Free and the Home of the A-Rig.....A premier jighead producer like Fin-Tech needed to come out with a jighead to suit the A-rig needs, and to get it right with some extra bling. I think they nailed it especially in hook size with all the finesse A-rig applications becoming more prevalent lately. The hook is just the right size, detailed paint jobs and eyeballs and it comes equipped with a small optional spinner secured to the bottom of the jighead. Dual eyelets also give you options for points of attachment.

Check all these great new products out! Each will make you better equipped and more thorough in your advanced fishing approach....-dw

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