Some Thoughts on ICAST 2008
by Heidi Roth
Inside Line Assistant Editor
July 22, 2008
They've closed the poker room at the Las Vegas Hilton. Not enough players to keep it afloat it seems. In fact, Vegas seemed unusually empty this July - a sure sign of the country's trepidation when it comes to spending.
The sagging economy was definitely on everyone's mind at ICAST this year - I heard mumblings and grumblings as I walked amongst the booths and at the press conferences, but there’s still optimism, as shown by prolific planning to expand and grow the sport.
The New Product Showcase was just as full as last year and there was a large group of new exhibitors at the 2008 event as well.
In a difficult market, there are many companies that are doing quite well (Pure Fishing's continual acquisitions for example). There doesn’t seem to be huge growth across the board, but there is a ton of business out there to be had if companies continue to adapt and reach new customers. There seems to be a push to introduce the sport to a wider variety of people. ICAST has always been about "What's New?" but with the current market the way it is, there seems to be an even bigger push to embrace change.
Manufacturers are listening to their customers and while they’re not providing as many new products, they’re upgrading their current products and making them better. Minnkota’s new trolling motor, the Fortex, has received major upgrades. The thing is a tank! The material on the bracket is firmer, stronger, more solid and sturdy and the motor can be removed from the bracket which means you no longer have to remove the entire motor and bracket for repairs.
Hummingbird is now including XM Radio’s weather-channel in their new side-imaging models. Not that we’ll defer from watching the weather-channel in the morning before we head out on the water, but how cool to be able to get current weather conditions throughout the day while you’re on the water.
The giants in the industry are definitely embracing change and working towards more diversity. The swimbait is still the talk of the town but current companies are down-sizing some of their popular bigger models to provide fishermen with a bit of versatility. SPRO’s new four-inch jointed swimbait, the BBZ-1 Shad, is a good example of that.
I work for a company that makes one of the best bass baits in the world, the Yamamoto Senko. In the past we've focused mainly on bass fishing but this year we're introducing a line of Crappie & Panfish products and we received quite a fantastic reception this year at ICAST. Are there pro-bass fishermen wandering ICAST promoting companies? Of course (I've gotten a few autographs). Do large tournament trails impact the market? 
Most definitely; we all wish we could be as good as KVD and we're going to buy the products he promotes hoping we'll achieve even a moderate amount of his success. But this year at ICAST, horizons were a bit broader - there's something there for everyone, and it appears most manufacturers realize that to be successful, they need to embrace change and adopt diversity.
As a result of the general public paring down their recreational budgets, there seems to be a bigger push this year for quality versus quantity – In my opinion that can only be a good thing.