ICAST 2023; Reels and CVNTS

Life is funny. Until a few weeks ago I had absolutely no intention of being at the show, and I had planned to publish a completely different article in early July then fly to fish the west Mediterranean. But then that trip got postponed because something came up for my hosts unexpectedly, and right around that time readers began asking me if I'm ever going back to ICAST. I don't believe they brought up the show at that time by coincidence, rather it was certainly because I had just spoken about it at length in a review published at the end of May. 

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Whatever the reason was, and with the fishing trip being pushed back, I decided to pack my undies and toothbrush and once again head to the natural habitat of the notorious "Florida Man". A place where when someone approaches you on the street you can never know if he's going to ask for directions or spit in your mouth then run screaming bloody murder about his mum's terrible marmalade sandwiches.

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Being a man who upholds traditions, I still wouldn't pay the $$ parking fees at the Convention Centre, and instead found myself a spot that's a good 20 minutes walk from the show. The trick is locating a parking lot with many businesses around, then leaving the car in an ambiguous location between them so no one would know which one I might be at. Parking right in front of one business would make it easy for them to know that I'm being a smart ass and tow the car, and then I'd be telling a completely different story with tears running down my face. 

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That's where I parked in case you ever want to pull off the same thing. I even made a very accurate rendition of my rental truck with me inside for the sake of comprehensiveness. My plans were almost derailed though when I spotted a Hooters just yards away, and since in my book boobs > reels always and forever, I made the decision to forget the show and instead have a beer while ogling the bosomy ladies. Sadly, it was too early and they hadn't opened yet, so I begrudgingly went back to the original plan and took off to the show.

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Some other day you well-endowed Goddesses... Some other day...

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As I walked under the punishing sun and unbearable humidity I came across this. Have you ever seen anything like it? A house like any other house, but upside down. It must be magic!!! Jokes aside, this stupid thing will never stop getting on my nerves, and what made me even more upset was spotting what appears to be a school trip preparing to go in. Are there no museums or national monuments left so that these poor kids had to be dragged into a corny tourist trap instead? I digress though....

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Entering the air-conditioned convention centre following a long walk in muggy burning weather was one of the best feelings I've had in years. Also felt really good to be back at ICAST. I didn't realise just how much I missed being there surrounded by the latest and greatest toys of the sport I'm crazy about.

Before we dive in, two things that you need to be aware of;

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1) Some of the photos will not be of a very good quality, that's because my phone requires the flash to take good photos indoors, and I feel it's rude and disruptive for me to be contentiously firing up the flash while people at the booths are discussing their products or negotiating orders. I only turned on the flash a few times when no one was in my immediate vicinity, therefore not all photos will be good. Sorry about this.  

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2) Please keep in mind that this article is just a showcase of some interesting items seen at the event. None of what you're about to read constitutes an evaluation or an opinion of any sort and it should never be taken as such. I only arrive at verdicts after buying retail pieces and extensively fishing them, therefore the commentary in this article is purely descriptive. If you see a reel here that you want me to review or push to the front of the queue, please let me know via the contact form. This site is all about you and the requests you send guide my choices, so don't hesitate to tell me what piqued your interest and want to hear more about.

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Where do I even start?

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Bass University? Not applying because I'd probably suck at it as much as I sucked in actual university.

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Chinese contractor factories were very well represented this year. They usually provide two main services; they offer clients a catalogue of existing reels designed and manufactured by the factory, which the client would customise with a limited number options then have their own name printed on them before importing and selling them back home. The other main service is manufacturing reels according to a design provided by the client and exclusively for that client, which is the way most mainstream reels are made today other than the big three actual manufacturers Shimao, Daiwa, and Okuma.

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Interestingly, these factories sometimes sell the reels under their own brand. Those factory brands are almost non-existent in developed markets, but in parts of the world where purchase power is limited they are respected brands with their own fans and loyal following. It's a concept that's hard to grasp for Western minds, but I've been to shops in Asia and Africa where not a single reel bore a brand that you've ever heard of, with the most expensive reel in the entire shop priced at about $18, while ones that cost up to $50 are considered luxury items that they'd need to order specially for you from the country's capital or the importer.

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Going through the catalogues of these Chinese factories is really interesting. As usual I spot several designs that are sold under various retailer names, but there is also some unusual stuff..

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Like this. If I had unlimited time and money I'd order hundreds of such exotic designs and spend all day and night casting and retrieving to satisfy my curiosity.

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I wish I'd made a video of this lure. Some crazy realistic movement in water.

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Daiwa's booth, starting with the Tatula rods. My buddy decided that the bass rod he'd borrowed from me is now his birthday present, so when it's time to pick a new largemouth rod I'll be checking these elegant ladies out.

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Travel rods displayed inside their closed cases so you'd know the actual final length and figure out if your favourite airlines would allow it on board, etc. Smart stuff.

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Look at this tiny cutie-pie! So small and short since it's an ice fishing rod, and for me it could also double as a toothpick after eating a hearty meal. Fun fact; ice fishing is the only major fishing discipline that I've never done, not even once. I can't imagine myself sitting still and staring at a small hole for hours, unless of course that hole was attached to one of them Hooters girls. Obviously I'm still bemoaning the fact that I had to walk by the place and head to a bloody fishing show instead. I mean who wouldn't. Duh.

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The new Revros LT. I lately find Daiwa not to be very inspired when it comes to reels below the mid range. Or let me say that everyone else has been doing a great job in this slice with fresh ideas and usable designs that they make Daiwa look stagnant in comparison. If all Daiwa can do now is put an "LT" next to the name or install a screw-in cover and call it a "Monocoque" then they better hold off releasing new models and leave what they've already got alone. At least some of the existing reels were meaningfully exciting when they came out.

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Exceler LT makes its debut. The rotor of this reel is shaped after that of the high-end Exist, but the frame is a standard design creating a visual mismatch. If one never saw an Exist the Exceler would look interesting, but since we did see that top Daiwa this new reel looks weird.

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The 2019 Certate LT is not new, but it's worth a nod whenever encountered. When it came out it was the smoothest and most buttery spinning reel ever created. It was soon eclipsed by the 2020 Saltiga and 2022 Exist, but in my mind the 2019 Certate LT breached new grounds in smoothness and took it to completely new degrees.

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And here is the indescribably lovely Exist 2022 itself. It's small and light, yet its construction quality gives it a sense of substantiality, and turning the handle feels almost like turning one's hand in the air with just a little gust of wind resisting the hand movement.

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Another angle of the Exist, showing the elaborate shape of the bail wire, which in real life testing I found to be extremely helpful in instantly delivering wet braid to the line roller, which is highly valued when playing light lures that have little resistance, eliminating any need to yank and splash in order to seat the line on the roller. There is a recently released spin-off model called Exist SF, which alters the smaller reels making them even lighter, freer feeling, and fine-tunes the drag to sublime levels of consistency, but this SF model was not at the show. Anyhow, top right corner of this photo is a part of the special care program for Exist and Saltiga owners in the US. Not sure if something similar is offered in other markets.

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Fuego LT. I'm still not inspired, are you? This time the reel has a mag-seal, which necessitates even more compelling reasons for me to pick one instead of the competition. Caring for the mag-seal requires special precautions, and one would be forced to use Daiwa's official service centres when the reel needs repairs since they don't sell the magnetic fluid to the public. I can live with that if it's an extremely special reel, but certainly not when it's essentially just another opportunity to slap an "LT" on a reel.

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You know the deal; I'm not into conventional reels and find them nowhere near as fascinating as spinners, yet the sheer size of these behemoths was a sight to behold.

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The Free Swimmer, made to claw into Shmano Baitrunner's dominance over this category.

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Its rotor also resembles that of the Exist.

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And this is the new Free Swimmer EX, which is practically the same reel as the standard Free Swimmer only with an additional bearing and nicer ergonomics such as a metal handle grip and a one-piece bail wire, etc. This duo is basically like the Baitrunner OC and Baitrunner D in Shimano's lineup.

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The new DF18000 is basically a slightly retouched version of the legendary catfish specialist DF100A, with the changes being only external. The fundamental build remains the same.

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Not a recent release, but just to renew my promise that its own full review is coming. The BG MQ is one of the reels stuck in the Covid backlog which I'm working hard to clear.

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No tour of Daiwa's enclosure is complete without a quick peek at the Certate SW. A true second-tier reel in the classic sense, delivering easily 90% of the Saltiga's performance for about 60% of a Saltiga's price.

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And here is the apex predator of the world's oceans itself, and in my book the greatest spinning reel ever made; the 2020 Saltiga "offshore", and I'm now informally naming it "offshore" since a complimentary smaller Saltiga model came out in 2023 which I'm calling "inshore" to prevent confusion. Anyway, I reviewed these 2020 Saltiga offshore reels the year they came out HERE, and 3 years later these reels are still reshaping everything I knew about spinning reels. Their novel gearing remains tight and virtually in new condition after years and thousands of hours of use, and while the reels sometimes have problems just like everything else, their failure rate is bewilderingly low. I'm away from my archives where I keep verified failure reports, but off the top of my head I believe this Saltiga has the second lowest rate of issues in all my records next only to a previous incarnation of Van Staal surf reels. The reel pictured above is the 10000 size....

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And this is the 20000. The reels made today feel every bit as refined and accurately manufactured and put together as the early ones I tested, and I thoroughly enjoyed standing there turning the handle and flipping the bail open and closed. Even if you don't have a need for these reels, I highly recommend that you find a friend or a shop that has one and go feel it. Spin it and let the unbelievably fluid sensation sink in, turn the spool and listen to the clicker whose loudness and crispness put some lever drags to shame, or remove the handle and tap its hood with your fingernail to hear the fine ringing of a metal that's so thin yet very solid and finished to perfection. Holding this generation of Saltiga is an experience that every fisherman deserves to have at least once in their life.

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Outch! My eyes, having the tendency to zoom in on the tiniest imperfection, had no problem spotting this big fat one; the 20000 on display had a deep ding from what could only be a terrible fall, yet the hardened and separate spool lip was not affected at all by it.

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Here is that new 2023 "inshore" Saltiga, sharing the design and platform of its 2020 "offshore" big sister, with the following differences, which have never been listed before anywhere in any language and which will now -as usual- be picked by everyone and repeated as if it was their own knowledge;

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* The 23' inshore Saltiga has a standard drag clicker beneath the spool instead of the extremely loud clicker at the top of the spool in the 20' offshore Saltiga.   

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* There is no backup anti-reverse in the 23' Saltiga, while all sizes of the 20' model have one.

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* The legendary anti-reverse clutch of the 20' Saltiga (and every previous Saltiga generation in medium or full size) would not fit into the small frame of the 23' inshore model, so a clutch of a different design is used in them.

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* In an effort to leave no screw-heads visible for aesthetic purposes, the bail arm of the 23' Saltiga is held in place by a snap ring that's hidden on the inner side of the rotor arm, while the 20' Saltiga has a large screw whose head is visible since it's a stronger design needed to handle the higher loads these offshore reels are made for.

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* A similar setup is employed line roller assembly of the 23' inshore reel, where a threaded pin is inserted from its inner side, leaving the bail arm with no visible screw.

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* In the 20' offshore Saltiga a synthetic bushing is inserted between the oscillation block and the stainless steel rod it rides on in order to reduce friction under very high loads, while the 23' inshore reel has no similar bushing considering its much lighter work.

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And obviously the external differences don't need pointing out, such as the slotted spool skirt and handle hood of the 23' reel vs the solid ones in the 20' Saltiga, etc. Anyway, the reel pictured above is the 6000 size....

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And this is the itsy bitsy 4000. I'm nowhere near close to reaching a proper verdict on these 23' inshore Saltigas, but from what I've seen so far I wouldn't be surprised if they end up being virtually a 20' Saltiga only on a smaller scale.

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The conference venue had a heavy media presence, which is expected considering that, along with Europe's Efttex, this is one of the two biggest trade fishing shows on earth.

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The booth of the new downsized Zebco, which in the past few years has gotten rid of Fin-Nor and Van Staal brands.

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Zebco still owns Quantum though, and here are the Quantum Reliance and Quantum Throttle reels.

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Better look at the Reliance 80 and 55 reels. I reviewed this series last year HERE.

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And the brilliant Quantum Cabo PTSE is still going strong, although I still mourn the discontinuation of the short lived 100 and 120 sizes. Reviewed 8 years ago HERE, these 100/120 reels delivered capabilities way beyond their price range and had a drag that wouldn't be too far behind some of today's elite drags.

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Zebco's Bite Alert spinning reel, apparently sold only as a combo with a rod.

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A closer look at its unusually shaped body. When a fish pulls on the line of these "Bite Alert" reels, a large section at the back of the frame flashes lights and emits a beeping sound powered by a small battery. The silver lever you see where the handle goes into the body sets the sensitivity of the alert system, so you can make it go off at the slightest tug or only if it receives a big pull. This allows you to compensate for the strength of water currents, etc. Obviously it's not a serious reel and something that's geared towards young anglers, but who said I care only about serious gear? This is a silly little fun reel that I'm sure would have wanted as a kid, although it would've probably lasted only for a week before my big sister smashed it on my head in one of the epic beatings she used to give me for no real reason. I mean all I did was to inappropriately flirt with her friends when they came for sleepovers. Doesn't an 11 years boy have a heart that can beat for older girls? But I digress, yet again....

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Absolutely love this effect of fish swimming high above our heads. You see, it's not just about the fishing tackle. A lot of the magic of the event is being among like-minded people in an atmosphere that pays a tribute to sportfishing everywhere you look. I've been to all sorts of fishing shows around the world, both trade and general public ones, and while some have unmatched offerings in terms of first class gear, nothing has the spirit or fun ambience of ICAST.

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Come on! Who sets the hook with such composure and in this perfect form? I've been fishing my whole life, yet whenever I feel a good bite my heart races and I eagerly strike in a most chaotic fashion in breathless anticipation of starting a fight where I'd be feeling up and estimating the size of the fish. It's not uncommon for me to fall on my butt due to adrenaline rush while setting the hook.

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A fishing outfit that you put on so that when the boat sinks you float, basically creating a buffet for sharks presenting them with your meaty butt as an appetiser! Nah, just kidding. That's some innovative thinking that could indeed save lives. If I ever see it on a shelf I'm picking one up for the times when wearing a life vest is inconvenient or too limiting.

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The military was represented there. I don't think there are enough words to express the respect and admiration I have for the people in uniform. We all would die to protect our own families, but it takes a very special person to be willing to die to protect every family in the entire nation. Truly the finest of the very finest, and to all active military and veterans reading this THANK YOU.

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Yo-Zuri has probably gone past simply being a brand to become an icon. Quietly and without much fanfare or advertisement hype, they've been creating quality lines and lures for as long as I can remember. Don't recall ever being disappointed in a Yo-Zuri product. I get what I expect.

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A quick assortment of their lures. I could've spent half a day admiring them but sadly don't have that kind of time.

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I doubt that there is a single angler anywhere in the world who hasn't bought at least one spool of the famous Hybrid fluorocarbon/nylon line with its unique mixture of abrasion resistance and stretch. Not as abrasion resistant as fluorocarbon, and not as stretchy as mono (nylon), but has a good amount of both characteristics if your fishing technique and environment require that.

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Not an apparel person and couldn't care less if I dress like a clown while fishing, but check this fish mount out! Groupers are not pretty and they freak me out with their human-like faces. Whenever they break the surface it feels as if I'm pulling a sleepy old man for a second or two before the rest of their body appears and dissipates that feeling. Yet they taste devine, and aren't very hard to locate and hook if one needs a bit of a challenge. One of my go-to species when I want to test a new heavy duty setup.

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As historical a name as it gets. Grew up trusting their quality hooks, always made in Norway, but since the company got sold and the globalisation bug bit it, I moved on. Don't believe I bought anything Mustad for 15 years or so.

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Jigs are probably the lure type I lost the greatest number of, mostly while fishing around wrecks for amberjacks. I don't want to make a rough estimate of the cost of jigs I lost because it would be in the 4 figures.

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What's that? Looks interesting.

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Aha. Soft bait with the hooks completely buried inside, and when a fish bites the hollow rubber easily gets out of the way allowing the hidden hook to penetrate the fish's mouth. Sneaky! That's a Mustad product that I might actually buy, and even if I have no reel use for it I could keep it as a collectible.

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Part of the food court. Always busy, always smelling like heaven. Food is one of the truest joys in life.

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Chinese factories specialising in lines were present too. A decade or so ago buying a Chinese line would've been nothing short of an act of sabotage, but as time passed quality gradually improved and today I wouldn't be completely opposed to filling up with select Chinese brands as long as it's not for a high profile job requiring only optimum quality.

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Not at all getting into any of the drama. Just saying that it's always nice to see companies taking pride in American manufacturing.

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Speaking of which, I still can't wrap my head around the purely American phenomenon of large gaps in the doors of toilet stalls. I take a break from the show floor to... ehm.. return my breakfast to nature, and I find myself staring right at people outside and them staring right at me. When did taking a dump become a group event that everyone participates in? Should I expect words of encouragement and thumbs up from total strangers if they think I'm doing a good job in there? I digress though, once more....

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Fuji is certainly another icon of the industry. Actually come to think about it, when I fish I don't always have something that says "Daiwa" or "Shimano" or "Power Pro", but I almost always have something that says "Fuji", either a seat or guides, or both.

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A good cataloguing of all sorts of insert material and guide finish.

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Some Tsunami reels are picked from Chinese contractors' catalogues, but not all of them. This new "Forged" spinner appears to be made to Tsunami's proprietary design, same as their other reel the Salt-X. More on that Salt-X later on.

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More sizes of the Forged. I have no useful information on this reel yet, but I can say that these display pieces felt very decent and had a certain degree of tightness usually indicative of at least partial sealing.

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Penn's booth showcased the latest Spinfisher 7 in three versions; the closest to the camera is the LC (Long Cast) version, then the LL (Live Liner) edition, and finally the standard reel.

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Here is a better look at that standard Spinfisher 7. You'll see it again later on.

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The new'ish Authority, which has become Penn's flagship spinning reel after the discontinuation of the Torque, seen here in small size.

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And this is the biggest Authority. Nice reels that so far appear to be reliable, but with every day that passes I become more convinced that it does not offer much more than the excellent Slammer 4 does, and the Slammer costs much less. Yes, I know all the build details and the differences between it and the Slammer, but I'm talking in practical terms when it comes to bringing fish home. I'll have much more to say at one point in the future.

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One flaw in the Authority though is a common theme in Penn's "Mammoth" sized reels; the bail wire of the 10500 doesn't have enough clearance from the spool, which would result in some contact between the wire and thick mono/fluoro topshot during a cast. Smaller reels do not have this flaw. Only the largest one.

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Before going to the next reel, let me explain that as a rule I don't test or evaluate reels below a certain price threshold, which changes with time and inflation. That's because beneath a certain price point reels become too generic and too similar, their quality ranges from absolutely atrocious to meah at best, and once one steps into this ultra cheap realm they discover that the number of models in existence is simply staggering. I would never be able to have a good grip on even 30% of what's out there. It's true that I try to handle every spinning reel I ever see, but ones that are priced below that threshold get put back down quickly and I move on to something else. That day at Penn's booth I picked up a reel that falls squarely into this group, but this time I could not put it back down that quickly....

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It was the upcoming Wrath 2. Don't know how to describe it, but basically a spinner that's priced to be garbage didn't feel like garbage to me at all. Did a quick 6-point check that would appear to onlookers as if I'm solving a rubik's cube, and the Wrath 2 passed it without displaying any of the issues I was looking for which are common in very cheap reels. I don't go by feelings or initial impressions, but let's say that this reel is intriguing enough to deserve a closer look to find out why it feels the way it does. We shall see.

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Van Staal had a small stand within Penn's booth since that company is now owned by Pure Fishing, the parent company of Penn. This is the skirted spool X2 bailless model.

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And this is the bailed one. Very well built, simple and durable, immense pulling power, but being speciality submersible reels they are too tight for most of my fishing. For those into wet fishing though nothing beats them, and their quality has been very consistent since around the time Zebco acquired them.

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Let's check that big board to see what else in Pure Fishing's empire is worth a look.

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Hardy certainly does. Still feels weird that it's no longer British owned, not for any practical reason but rather because some brands derive a lot of their character and desirability from belonging to certain countries, and with Hardy's deep history rooted in Britishness it certainly misses something by being foreign owned. Imagine for example if a Japanese conglomerate bought Ferrari and changed nothing about the cars themselves. You still wouldn't desire them the same way now that they've lost that Italian ownership "flare".

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There is no denial though that the reels are beautifully made. Superb quality throughout. This is "The Perfect" model, in production in one form or another for more than 130 years. Boundless amount of nostalgic memories are flooding my mind here. Better move on before my eyes tear up.

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Abu Garcia is another old name that's now under the pure Fishing umbrella. Most of us have probably owned or at least once used the classic Swedish made black Cardinals with the nifty rear drag knob.

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A display cabinet showing the internals of the latest Abu Garcia Revo 3 X.

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As well as the previous Revoe 2 X for comparison. I like how they describe the new gearing benefits in engineering terms. They now address a completely different breed of fishermen who've gained unprecedented knowledge of reels' mechanisms and can no longer settle for vague claims of improvement.

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Pflueger reels, another brand of Pure fishing, in one big display.

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A big tank of live bass and a gentleman demonstrating various lure techniques. The tank smelled foul and I didn't want to stick around for too long, but the dude is a true master with unbelievable skills. Made me feel that I was mediocre at best.

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The new Shimano Sedona FJ, which replaces the cheap but compelling Sedona FI, whose biggest size I reviewed a couple of years ago HERE. Love new releases, but hate that they render reviews of previous models irrelevant.

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The Sahara FJ at the bottom, and the Nasci FC at the top. Great, now another review has become obsolete since I covered the previous generation of both reels, the Sahara FI and the Nasci FB, in this one. Erghh!

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This is the Exsence A, intended by Shimano as the second tier reel in the freshwater lineup right below the freshwater Stella. 

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And this is the intended second tier reel in the saltwater lineup, the Twin Power SW. The much cheaper Saragosa SW-A is in my book a superior reel.

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Moving on to the intended first tier, here is the 2022 freshwater Stella, called "FK" in export markets. Very light, exceptionally smooth, and has an extraordinarily slow oscillation stroke seldom seen on spinners outside of the long-cast dominion. Definitely an improvement over the previous 2018 generation which came out with a hilarious design fault where the bail wire wouldn't clear the drag knob when the spool was up, discussed HERE, but they still have that weird sponginess felt during the final bit of the bail opening motion. Not a fault though, it's inherent in their design.

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And this is Shimano's intended first tier saltwater spinner, the 2019 Stella SW, called SWC in export markets. Shown here is the Mammoth 30000 with its bail open just to contrast it with the Penn Authority 10500 shown earlier. See how much bigger the clearance is in the Stella?

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The freshwater Twn Power, and the Twin Power XD. Neither is new, still interesting. I particularly like the styling of the cuts in the Twin Power's spool skirt.

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This model is a slightly altered version of the 2020 Saragosa SW-A, called "BFC". It's basically a Saragosa 14000 XG but with different drag progression, supposedly making it more suitable for specific applications. I have not tested these reels and have no intention of doing so considering that it would consume too much time and resources over a small alteration, therefore I can't comment on the veracity of Shimano's claims. I don't like leaving unanswered questions hanging, but when I don't know I'll just say so. No shame in this.

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The outstanding 2021 Spheros SW-A, which I reviewed last year HERE, and concluded that it has dethroned the 2016 Daiwa BG to become the new and current best value for money out there, and which I must have recommended more than 200 times since then to readers who massaged me seeking reel recommendations. 

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Funny story; while standing there, I overheard another attendee telling his buddy something along the lines of "Alan Hawk said it's a good bang for buck", which felt quite surreal. Not the first time I heard people referencing me in fishing events or tackle shops or on the water, but it never fails to astonish me every single time. I'm a complete moron, I know next to nothing, and I'm lazy and chaotic. Why anyone would care about anything I have to say is completely beyond me. Anyway, I don't know what came over me when I heard this that made me turn to the dude and say something to the effect of "I don't trust that Hawk fella, he's full of it". He looked quite startled by my unsolicited input and responded "do you know him?", to which I replied "can you keep a secret? I sleep every night with his tongue in my mouth". I probably expected this to get an amused reaction then maybe I'd introduce myself and have a quick laugh, but the dude just looked annoyed and turned to his buddy and walked away without saying a word. I don't know why I act like this. Sometimes I think that my emotional maturity didn't develop past secondary school. But I digress, for the seventeenth time it seems.

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Last stop in Shimano's booth was the new Stradic FM, the latest representative of a glorious series that has made it onto my Top Picks for two consecutive previous generations. We'll see more of this reel later on. 

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Chinese makers of fishing tools were there as well, ready to put your name on their designs or manufacture your own design for you. They are tenaciously present in virtually every aspect of the sport.

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Rapala and VMC, now a single company, are both brands that I've used a lot in the past. While I still occasionally reach for a Rapala Magnum in one configuration or another, I've completely moved on from VMC to Japanese brands, be it standard hooks, assists for my jigs, or trebles for the stickbaits....

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Japanese brands such as Gamakatsu

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Love how the warning tells us to keep them away from children, as if that would help. The real challenge is keeping the children away from them, because they'll go seek the dangerous stuff and find them no matter how hard one tries to hide them. Those little monkeys are unstoppable.

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They have knives made with their brand too, and they look absolutely lovely. Knives are one of minor passions, and while my everyday carry is often German brands made in China, one day I'll get a Rockstead as a safe queen to be viewed on special occasions then put back behind thick steel.

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Gamakatsu is actually my second favourite hook maker, but Owner is my unequivocal #1. My experience with them has been constantly pleasant, and they won't open or snap unless I sure as hell have subjected them to way more stress than they are designed for. Actually when baiting big tuna I wouldn't trust any other hook than 0/4 Gorilla, or Gorilla Light based on expected catch size. Need my hooks to be immensely strong since they are too small for those monsters, and they must be small if I want to increase my chances of getting bites; we usually remain completely silent on the boat, keep our heads low not to spook the big bluefins coming to the surface to feed, we slowly throw dead sardines and watch them being gulped one by one, then we sneak in a sardine that has a hook in it and wait for the strike. If the hook is not completely buried and hidden inside the bait, the bluefin will completely ignore it. If the leader is too reflective or has darker spots due to nicks or rubbing, they'll ignore it too. If the fish drops unnaturally due to being attached to a line, they'll also ignore it. This is why the way I do it requires small hooks, and only Owner gives me the confidence that I won't end with a mangled or a broken hook after an hour or so of a back-breaking fight.

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Back during the days of online forums those rods were all the rage, but I don't hear as much about them today. I avoid flying with rods and instead prefer to source borrowed or rented rods at my destination, and on the occasions I ended up with an OTI I found them to be dependable with consistent predictable actions.

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Another one of my favourites was also there. Regular readers would know that I hold several Sunline braids in high regard, particularly the 8 strand Cast Away Monster Battle. Their Siglon 8 is also an excellent cost effective line that I reach for when I want to save the costly Monster Battle for more demanding jobs.

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Another breathtaking mount. That would've been at least 400kg in reality. People who land those enormous fish are in a league of their own. My biggest fish ever was a shark half that weight, and I was sore for 10 day afterwards suffering irregular sleep due to both muscle aches and the sharp smell of the Biofreeze I covered my body with to numb that pain. Kudos to them.

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The "New Product Showcase" enclosure, where brands put their new products up for voting to win "Best of Show" awards in various categories. I've spoken profusely about these awards in the recent Penn Battle 3 review HERE, so I'm not going to repeat myself and will only say that the voting process involves no testing or any sort of meaningful evaluation and instead counts on gut feelings and the campaigning for votes. Nothing nefarious or underhanded, just don't put any weight on these awards because they are on par with the beauty awards given to dumb chicks for telling us about their brilliant plans for world peace. Fun, but the whole thing is pretty stupid.

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Stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. As you know I do love stuff.

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Only 3 fly fishing reels this year? Come on fly people, you can do better.

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The electronics. Not a believer in too much technology in fishing, other than safety equipment of course. The only hi-tech I'd use is an app to order a ride to the airport so I could go catch fish the traditional and very satisfyingly challenging way.

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The spinning reels' cabinet, also known as "my candy store".

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The Penn Spinfisher 7 was there. For a while now I've been happy with the new direction that brand is going, some Penn reels have even found their way to my Top Picks recently after a lengthy absence, therefore I have big hopes for this reel. At this point two things about it are obvious; it's laser-focused on elbowing Shimano's Spheros SW-A, and it has beautiful cuts in the spool's skirt. Everyone has been trying to come up with new shapes in this area to the point of it all becoming boring and unoriginal, but these ones on the Spinfisher 7 are actually handsome.

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Okuma picked their new Inspira ISX to feature here. The reel is made of Okuma's interpretation of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, similar to Daiwa's Zion and Shimano's CI4.

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St. Croix is basically following what Tsunami did years ago, namely introducing a line of reels to sell along their well known rods. The reel brand is named "Seviin", and this is its GSW model. As time goes by I'll find more about these reels and figure out whether they're made to St. Croix own design or picked from an existing catalogue.

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Better look at the unusual shape of its body. For some reason I find it bearing some uncanny resemblance to the super robots from old Japanese manga.

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Having just referenced it, here is Tsunami's latest reel; the SaltX 2. The one thing I immediately noticed was the improved fit and finish over the previous generation. Of course it's a pre-production demonstrator reel meant to be as nice as it gets, so it remains to be seen if the actual production reels will maintain this level of improvement.

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And a better look at the Stradic FM, along with its description card so you could read whatever Shimano says about it. Naturally we'll know what's what once it's out in the wild being put to real life challenges.

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Okuma's ITX-CB, which judging by the description card seems to be attempting to compete with the reel we've just seen, Shimano's Stradic. Interestingly, it seems to have an aluminium alloy main shaft, which I assume would have to have been surface-treated in order to last. We shall see, too.

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Abu Garcia's new Zenon X. So tiny and light, and surprisingly smooth. I'm talking smoothness approaching expensive Japanese reels' levels here.

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There is also a category for combo reel + rod sets.

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Police were criss-crossing the show on those electric vehicles. As wacky as Florida is, it's one of a shrinking number of places where common sense still rules and there is real safety. I felt way safer there than I did walking in several major European cities lately.

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There was no shortage in new freshwater lures.

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$4500!! Sure glad I'm not into electric reels or I'd now be homeless after selling my house to finance a few reviews of them.

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Comes with an instructions sheet. Too complicated. Just gimme back my spin reels.

A selection of new lines competing for votes....

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Shimano's Mastiff fluorocarbon.

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Daiwa's J-Braid x8 Grand, which is supposedly more abrasion-resistant than standard J-Braid x8.

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Sea Slayer Hyper Tough mono. When it comes to mono I'm ultimately a Maxima man, but this Taiwanese made stuff sounds interesting enough to be worth a try. Want to see just how "hyper tough" it actually is.

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Yo-Zuri making its mark with a new fluorocarbon....

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And a colour-marked braid. Absolutely love coloured braid when I deep jig. Allows me to roughly determine the depth at which fish are hitting so I would drop it back within that range.

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New braid with Gore fibres from Sufix.

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Described as braid woven around a lead wire for fast sinking. Will also try to source some and see what it's all about.

Some saltwater lures....

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These squids glow, and I'd imagine would be really productive.

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More glowy squid.

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This flyfish is a piece of art. Soft material, superbly painted, and it's so wiggly I wanted to bite it right there and then!

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See how realistic the eyes are? That thing would drive marlins crazy. I will be buying one to display in my house because it's a beauty.

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More wiggly stuff..

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Dredge teaser. I don't fish that style, but it sure looks fascinating.

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I do troll occasionally though, and these aluminium mackerels would be fun to drag behind.

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More trolling lures, extremely deep diver this time.

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That would be a mid-diver, and it rattles to attract more fishing attention.

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This one would create massive surface disturbance with its screamy open mouth, and it has the humorously fitting name "panic popper". Love it.

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A squid jig with more teeth than any I've seen before. It's supposed to catch squid to be used as bait, but I'd rather just eat the squid and call it a day. Yummy.

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If I was to be stranded on a deserted island and can have only two things with me, I'd pick Naomi Watts and a crate of condoms. Well, If the two items had to be fishing related though, I'd pick any of these three lures and a spool of braid and then I don't have to worry about food ever again. I've caught everything and anything on this style of lure. Lost all my jigs? No problem, I'd pick one of these and drop it and still catch something. Out of shrimp and squid on shore? Just let me toss and drag one of these and something will eventually bite. Incredibly versatile, and whenever I see them I buy some regardless of how many I already have because all of them are bound to be used at one point or another. 

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I've had great success with this style of spoons too, but not casting them as the escription card says. Instead I troll them while moving between spots to get bait fish, and they seldom fail to yield.

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This had to be videoed. A specialised printer that prints directly on blank lure bodies, turning them into very convincing ready-to-fish lures. Here demonstrating its artistic abilities.

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Seaguar is an example of a brand that decisively dominates a category. Just like their advertisement says, the company indeed invented the fluorocarbon line, which gives them special prestige, on top of the prestige coming from the fact that they make the finest fluorocarbon line money can buy.

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Not all is well though. See the stuff to the left? That's the new Gold Label, which is claimed to be thinner than other Seaguar fluorocarbon lines of the same breaking strength. In simple words, the Seaguar Gold Label that breaks at 30# is supposed to be thinner than the Seaguar Blue Label that breaks at 30#. Well, in reality the Gold Label is thinner indeed, but it also has lower breaking strength that is in line with its lower diameter. Therefore in my opinion the Gold Label is nothing more than a fluorocarbon with exaggerated and unrealistic breaking strength printed on the spool.

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How do I know?

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I bought several Gold Label configurations and tested them versus other Seaguar fluorocarbon as well as other brands, and from my own first hand experience I formed the firm opinion that Gold Label is a bunch of nonsense. Now I'm sure they could claim to have obtained those advertised breaking strengths on special testing machines that don't create knots that weaken it etc., but that would still be rubbish because at the end of the day the Gold Label marked 40# broke with much lower resistance than a Blue Label marked 40# as well. Regardless of the testing process, when the exact same process is applied to both Gold Label and other lines, the Gold Label still breaks much earlier. Get it?

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This is not me dismissing the brand in any way shape or form. They still make the best fluorocarbon in existence, and when I need maximum performance and reliability for high-stakes jobs I would not use anything but the Seaguar Blue Label. I just feel that the Gold Label nonsense is beneath a company of this stature. It's tough love that I'm giving them here.

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Let's see what Okuma is cooking for us.

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The new generation Salina. Will have more to say about it in the future.

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The Makaira lineup. The undisputed toughest spinning reel on the market today. When I reviewed it 6 years ago HERE it was only made in 20000 and 30000 sizes, but they have since added an additional one....

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The 10000 size. A few moths ago I told you about an optional drag knob for the 10000 (HERE) which doesn't have the preset mechanism, but that knob was nowhere to be seen at ICAST. Hopefully it will arrive soon.

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This is the Mammoth 30000 Makaira with its bail opened, once more to let you contrast the clearance btween the wire and spool with that of the Penn Authority 10500 so that there will be no doubt.

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The free-linning Coronado CDX. Maybe I should one day do a combo review of this reel alongside a Shimano Baitrunner and a Daiwa Free Swimmer. Hmmmm...

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The new Tesoro, here in the full size 18000 which was announced a while ago....

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But surprisingly they debuted a small 6000 size at ICAST which I hadn't even heard a single leak about. That was such a shock to me, in a good way of course. Who hates having more sizes for even more exploratory fun?

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The other size of the 6000 with the bail open. So tiny I could probably fit it in my mouth, but I don't see the point or benefit of doing such a foolish act. Anyway, when I first saw the Tesoro I imagined that it's meatnt to compete with the Saragosa SW-A, but as I got to know it more intimately I realised that they are aiming for something entirely different, maybe even attempting to pioneer a whole new category. I'll leave it at that for now, and in due time I'll have more to say.

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The limited edition "Wave Off" reel, whose paint is designed to wear off exposeing hidden colours beneath it. So basically like breaking in a pair of denim, methinks? Not sure where they get these lunatic ideas from, but that whole "Urban Fishing Revealed" moto is scary stuff. "Urban" makes it feel as if while fishing I'll get mugged or be hit with a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting nearby. No thanks..

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As stated earlier, apparel is of no interest to me, but I love the spelling of this brand. Maybe I should change my address to AlanHuk.com for some added edginess!

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More impressive mounts on my way out.

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And gorgeous stautes as well.

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Why so sad? I'm leaving now, but if I ever come again I want to see a big smile on that pretty face of yours, Ms.Roosterfish. Alirght?

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I just never learn that being a cheapskate rarely pays. I thought I had beat the system by parking for free, but I didn't count on it raining on my way back to the car which meant 20 minutes of getting mercelssly soaked. 

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It didn't stop me though from enjoying the views. Such a charming city Orlando is, and truly a fitting venue for what I believe is the best edition of ICAST I've ever been to.

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So, I came to Florida, did what I needed to do, and was only a few hours away from flying out without having a single encounter with the infamous "Florida Man", but that turned out to be a pipe dream. As I was driving off the parking lot heading away from the convention centre, this car pulled next to me in a traffic light....

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A pink Mercedes with a number plate reading "CVNT", and I don't even want to know what the small drawing next to the letters is, because if turns out to be what I imagine it to be I'd be psychlogiically scarred for life. Florida is a state where the front plate is the one that doesn't matter and you can mess around with it, but this rear one is legally required meaning that it was officially approved and processed by the state. Having just spent a few hours among sane people who still know right from wrong and fact from propaganda I had almost forgotten the depth of moral degeneracy and complete societal collapse taking place outside, but that pink Mercedes slapped me out of my fantasy and brought me back to a world where it's perfectly acceptable by the state and population to drive around women and children with a plate spelling what used to be one of lowest examples of foul language. Now you know where the subtitle of this article comes from; a clash between two worlds, one that tries to hang into any remaining shreds of normalcy, and another that's ruled by a bunch of CVNTS.

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That's all for now. If you've enjoyed the read and want to make it easier for me to finance the trips, gear, and fishing tours essential to produce these reviews and articles, please click the paypal link and support my work using your own paypal account or credit/debit card HERE.

Cheers

Alan Hawk

July, 15th, 2023

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