Man Versus Fish

After going through all of our materials from ICAST, all of our pictures, press releases, and notes from conversations, a few things stood out

Obviously, this convention is all about showcasing new product for the manufacturers and creating a buzz around these offerings. The new baits, improvements to existing lures, rods, reels, lines, terminal tackle, watercraft, optics and all the other components that we witnessed are going to take some time to cover in their entirety but, for the sake of anyone who has never had the opportunity to witness an event like this first hand, there are other, less publicized features that make ICAST very special.

As I’m sure all of you are aware, the pro’s come out in force to represent the companies that sponsor them and that they help design product for. However, underlying those obligations there are so many stories that we could tell you about interviewing the anglers and manufacturers reps, from the new companies whose only contact is with the inventor and his immediate circle to the very large well established concerns who have multiple staff members on hand, there are certain qualities that really stand out as well as individuals.

Conversations With Pros And Legends

Some of our most memorable time was spent simply talking fishing with people all across this spectrum.

There are guys who attended the event like Bill Siemantel who will talk fishing all day long and has probably forgotten more about the sport than most of us will ever know. I realize that this is a bit cliche but when you speak with Bill, you realize that this is a guy who studies every part of the mechanical aspect of fishing to the nth degree.

From the way you are holding your rod and reel to the proper hookset to employ for various lure types, Bill not only knows it cold but is willing to share his expertise without asking, “What’s in it for me?”. His willingness to discuss with us all aspects of fishing was one of the most memorable aspects of our trip this year. He is truly a bass angler’s, bass angler.

Zona’s Surgery

Another great example of this was when we had the chance to ask Mark Zona about the reports that led to the development of Strike King’s new Dream Shot Worm. We reported that it all began when he was fishing for smallies using five inch Caffeine Shad’s for bait.

When we asked him about this, he lit up and shared the whole story with us. Apparently, he was indeed using the Caffeine Shad and not having a great deal of luck. But, he explained that it was during the taping of an episode for his show, “Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show”.

He told us that he asked the cameraman to quit filming while he took out an exacto knife and proceeded to perform surgery on the bait. When he was done, he rigged it up on a drop shot and let fly. Mark said that the first cast he was rewarded with a very solid smallie. He went on to tell us that he called Kevin VanDam while he was in the truck leaving the lake.

That was the pivotal event that spawned the Dream Shot Worm which, coincidentally, was the main bait used by KVD’s nephew, Johnathan VanDam to win his first elite series event as a pro this year out of Green Bay Wisconsin.

Mike Iaconelli was another pro who freely answered all the questions that we posed to him. Of course he did so in his own inimitable style but that’s what makes our conversation with “Ike” so special.

Greg Vinson is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet in person and he too was more than willing to talk fishing as well as the applications that uses specific baits for. He actually gets excited discussing baits that have been successful for him as well as the particulars of how, when and where to use them to take advantage of a lures design.

At one point, we were in the Jackall booth with Cody Meyer, Brent Ehrler and Scott Martin discussing the new products that will be available soon on top of how they use existing products. You might think that these guys wouldn’t give you the time of day but you would be wrong. They enjoy what they do and are more than willing to discuss specifics with you.

A Fly Fishing Legend

Another encounter we had was with Lefty Kreh who is arguably the most accomplished fly caster of the last generation or two. Even at his advanced age, he was more than friendly, willing to talk shop, stayed for the entire event and even took time to tutor some neophytes in the art of fly casting.

We sat and watched as he spent almost an hour on the casting pond with different people helping them with their mechanics. I gotta say, after watching that impromptu demonstration, Lefty Kreh has taken the art of fly casting to a whole new level.

We also got the chance to meet other, less visible icons of the sport including Don Barone who, in spite of a recent very troubling diagnosis, was at the event doing what he does best – taking notes and photos, no doubt in preparation for his unique spin on the convention.

I wish I could give a recount every conversation we had with these and other contributors to this sport verbatim, unfortunately I can’t.

What I can say is that we tend to forget that people make this industry work, not the other way around. Almost without exception, the humility, passion and willingness to give back are evident in everyone we spoke with.

From the manufacturers who are sincerely trying to put out better products each year to the pros who help design them, use them, test them and perfect them so that the average angler stands a much better chance of success without having to attain the same level of knowledge as the guys who do it for a living and everyone in-between, there is a spirit of giving and sharing that people simply don’t take enough time to talk about much less acknowledge.

So at least for a moment, we want to say thank you to everyone who make this year’s ICAST the success that it was and we look forward to next year.

See ya’ on the water …