ICAST 2026 Best of Show
The Winners That Matter to Bass Anglers

Rapala CrushCity The CEO

Category	Best Freshwater Soft Lure · Rapala
Status	Announced 2027 lineup · not yet at retail
MSRP	$14.99 (15mm, 3-pack) · $12.99 (21mm, 2-pack)
Specs	Weighted glass-powder core in Super TPE body · integrated nail-weight channel · molded hook-alignment dimples · designed alongside VMC RedLine Urchin Neko Hook
Techniques	Urchin / Coike

Rapala's CrushCity team spent more than a year engineering their answer to the urchin craze, and it shows in the details. The CEO builds a weighted glass powder core into a Super TPE body, giving it castability and a slow, controlled fall straight out of the package — no nail-weight surgery required, though an integrated center channel accepts one if you want to tune the drop. Molded hook-alignment dimples take the guesswork out of rigging, and the whole bait was designed as a system alongside the VMC RedLine Series Urchin Neko Hook.

Two sizes cover the spread: the 15mm runs a softer formulation with tapered legs and silicone strands for finesse work, while the 21mm uses a stiffer blend that displaces more water for trophy largemouth, smallmouth, and spots. Applications read like our FFS family table of contents — forward-facing sonar, dock skipping, isolated cover, blind casting. The catch: Rapala has tagged The CEO for its 2027 lineup, so there's nothing to buy yet. We'll link it the moment it lands at retail.

VERDICT: WATCH — 2027 lineup; nothing to buy yet, but this is the mainstream urchin bait to preorder when it lists.

G-Ratt Urchin Rig

Category	Best Terminal Tackle · G-Ratt
Status	Announced sold out at launch · not yet at Tackle Warehouse
MSRP	$19.99 per kit
Specs	Weedless hook (size 2 small kit / 1/0 large kit) · five pushpin weights: 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4 oz
Techniques	Urchin / Coike

If the CEO is the bait, this is the hardware. G-Ratt's Urchin Rig is a complete rigging kit built specifically for urchin-style baits: weedless hook designs in two sizes (a size 2 in the small kit, a 1/0 in the large) plus five precisely tuned pushpin weights — 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 oz — so you can dial fall rate to conditions instead of settling for whatever's in the bait. Anyone who's fished a hover rig or Damiki rig already knows this game: fall rate is the presentation. G-Ratt just packaged it for the urchin.

Demand tells the story — both kit sizes sold out on G-Ratt's own site almost immediately, and no Tackle Warehouse listing exists yet. We'll add a link when either changes.

VERDICT: WATCH — sold out at launch; grab a kit the moment restock or a Tackle Warehouse listing appears.

BUZBE Basic Deep Urchin Bait Box

Category	Best Tackle Management · BUZBE
Status	Announced no release date
MSRP	Pricing TBA
Specs	Waterproof deep-box construction · wire-post organizer · lock-in dividers · each urchin seats on its own post

Here's the problem nobody had two years ago: how do you store a bait that's all spines? Toss urchins loose in a tray and they tangle, crush, and deform. BUZBE's answer is a wire-post organizer system inside their waterproof deep-box construction — each urchin seats on its own post, held by lock-in dividers that don't shift, spines untouched. It's a genuinely purpose-built solution, and BUZBE wasn't alone; the show floor also featured a pin-based insert for Plano 3700s and a dedicated urchin case from Evolution Fishing. When three companies independently build storage for one bait style, the trend has infrastructure.

No release date or pricing yet. Between this and the win below, BUZBE walked out of Orlando with two trophies.

VERDICT: WATCH — no release date; the right storage answer for anyone building an urchin box.

St. Croix Triumph Series

Category	Best Freshwater Rod · St. Croix
Status	Confirmed in stock now
Price	Casting $135–$140 · Spinning $130–$140
Specs	SCII Carbon blanks, mid-modulus fiber with higher strain rate · Fortified Resin System · premium cork · casting in 6'6" & 7' M/MH fast · spinning in 6'6", 7', 7'6" ML–MH · 2- & 3-piece travel configs available

The award went to St. Croix's fully refreshed Triumph family, and the heart of the lineup is the one-piece workhorses. The Triumph Casting Rods come in four models — 6'6" and 7' in medium and medium-heavy, all fast taper — and the Triumph Spinning Rods stretch to nine models across 6'6", 7', and 7'6" in medium-light through medium-heavy. Every rod in the family shares the same platform: SCII Carbon blanks with a mid-modulus fiber running a higher strain rate, St. Croix's Fortified Resin System to keep those fibers aligned under load, and premium cork throughout.

What earned the trophy is the value math — this is a genuine St. Croix blank under $150 that covers everything from a drop shot to a Texas rig. The series is also offered in 2- and 3-piece travel configurations in both casting and spinning if a packable rod is your thing, but for most of us the one-piece rods are the story.

VERDICT: BUY — genuine St. Croix under $150 that covers drop shot to Texas rig.

Shimano Curado DC 150

Category	Best Freshwater Reel · Shimano
Status	Confirmed right-hand ships 8/19 · left-hand 10/20
Price	$314.99
Specs	IDC4 digital braking (4 modes) · MGL Spool III · Hagane metal body · Micro Module gearing · 6 models (L/R in 6.2:1, 7.4:1, 8.5:1) · 7.8 oz

The new-generation Curado DC 150 pairs one of the most proven baitcaster chassis in bass fishing with Shimano's upgraded IDC4 digital braking — four modes covering max distance, braid/mono, fluorocarbon, and a max-braking setting for skipping and casting into wind. Add the low-inertia MGL Spool III for better startup with lighter baits, the Hagane metal body, and Micro Module gearing, and you get six models: left and right retrieve in 6.2:1, 7.4:1, and 8.5:1, all 7.8 oz.

Our call is a straightforward preorder-now Buy, and here's the reasoning: neither the chassis nor the braking system is a gamble. The Curado DC platform is already best in class, and IDC4 is proven technology carried down from Shimano's higher-end DC reels. First allocations of new Curado DC generations have a history of selling through fast. Right-hand models ship August 19; lefties are waiting until October 20 regardless, so lock one in either way.

VERDICT: BUY — proven chassis, proven brake tech, first-allocation reels sell through fast.

Zebco Rhino Spinning Combo

Category	Best Rod & Reel Combo · Zebco
Status	Confirmed in stock now
Price	$89.95
Specs	TriAx Core multilayer blank · fiberglass tip · one-piece PVD stainless guides · Asyx Drive gearing · 5 bearings · Hydro Shield seals · braid-ready spool · 6'6" MH w/ 40 reel (8–20 lb) or 7' MH w/ 50 reel (12–30 lb) · 5.0:1

The Rhino Spinning Combo — a Zebco brand — is built like its namesake. The rod uses a multilayer TriAx Core blank that Zebco claims runs 15% higher fiber density with less resin, making it up to 50% stronger and 10% lighter than the top competitor, capped with a durable fiberglass tip and one-piece PVD-coated stainless guides. The reel side gets Asyx Drive asymmetrical gearing, five bearings, Hydro Shield water seals, a braid-ready spool, and an oversized bail wire.

Two setups: a 6'6" medium-heavy with a 40-size reel rated 8–20 lb, and a 7' medium-heavy with a 50-size rated 12–30 lb — both regular taper, both 5.0:1. Read that spec sheet honestly and you see what this is: a durability-first outfit for the bank angler, the truck rod, the dock box, and the beginner who's going to drag it through a season of abuse. At $89.95 with sealed internals, it's a strong answer for all four.

VERDICT: BUY — durability-first truck rod / bank-angler / beginner combo at a fair price.

Synch Fishing Artisan Wake & Crank

Category	Best Freshwater Hard Lure · Synch Fishing
Status	Confirmed all six colors in stock 7/31
Price	$79.99
Specs	5.1" · 2.5 oz · subsurface wake · 3-piece ABS body from hand-carved Andrew Gardner original · UV glow glass eyes · soft plastic fins & tail · BKK 3X #1 trebles on swiveling hangers
Techniques	Wakebait

The Artisan Wake & Crank starts life as a hand-carved original by wood carver and lure artist Andrew Gardner, then gets reproduced in a precision three-piece ABS body — the wake evolution of Synch's popular Artisan Gill. At 5.1" and 2.5 oz in the subsurface wake class, it swims with the smooth, natural roll a bluegill profile demands, dressed with factory colorways matched to Gardner's garage-built finishes, UV glow glass eyes, soft plastic fins and tail, and BKK 3X #1 trebles on swiveling hangers that kill leverage on hooked fish.

Six colors at launch — Bluegill, Coppernose, Pumpkinseed, Oyster Pearl, Filthy Gizzard, and Black & Chartreuse Glow. At $79.99 it's the accessible entry point into the Gardner lineage, and if you fish gill-heavy Piedmont-style reservoirs, a wake gill is one of the most reliable big-fish presentations of late summer. This one slots directly into the wake swimbait playbook from our wakebait guide.

VERDICT: BUY — accessible entry into the Gardner lineage, priced fairly for what it is.

Z-Man ChatterBait Elite EVO HD

Category	Best Wired & Skirted Lure · Z-Man
Status	Confirmed 3/8 & 1/2 oz, 19 colors, in stock now
Price	$12.99
Specs	Super heavy-duty nano-coated 5/0 needlepoint hook · direct head-to-blade connection · hybrid split-grip double-wire trailer keeper · tear-drop solid ring line tie · 40% stronger than Elite EVO
Techniques	Chatterbait

The Elite EVO HD is the heavy-cover version of the Elite EVO — 40% stronger in Z-Man's pull-strength testing. The upgrades are all in the load path: a super heavy-duty nano-coated 5/0 needlepoint hook, a direct head-to-blade connection on the trademark hex blade for instant start-up vibration, a hybrid split-grip double-wire trailer keeper that actually holds a trailer through a day of wood contact, and a tear-drop solid ring line tie in place of a bent wire.

Easy Buy. It's a proven platform with a real durability upgrade, it costs $12.99, and every weight and color is on the shelf today. If you fish bladed jigs through laydowns and grass edges, this is the one you stop straightening hooks on.

VERDICT: BUY — proven platform with a real durability upgrade at $12.99.

Seaguar Brawlr Monofilament

Category	Best Non-Braided Fishing Line · Seaguar
Status	Confirmed in stock now
Price	$11.99–$16.99
Specs	Proprietary low-stretch resin · Pinpoint Thermal Dynamics process · 9 tests 6–30 lb · 250–330 yd spools · Clear & Low-Vis Green

Seaguar built its name on fluorocarbon; Brawlr is its serious swing at mono. The pitch is a proprietary resin recipe with measurably less stretch than competing monofilaments — better sensitivity, harder hooksets — refined through a Pinpoint Thermal Dynamics process that boosts knot and tensile strength. Nine tests from 6 to 30 lb, with spool lengths from 330 yards down to 250 as the diameter climbs, in Clear and a Low-Vis Green that will feel right at home to anyone who runs subtle line colors for bottom contact.

A genuinely low-stretch mono at twelve to fourteen dollars is a topwater and squarebill story — the buoyancy and forgiveness of mono with less of the rubber-band feel that sends people to braid. Worth a spool to test against whatever's on your topwater setups now.

VERDICT: BUY a spool — topwater and squarebill mono at a real price.

Garmin LiveScope 2 Transducer Series

Category	Best Electronics · Garmin
Status	Confirmed in stock 8/10
Price	LVS44 $1,999.99 · LVS42HD $2,199.99
Specs	LVS42HD: 3.8" target separation at 30 ft · LVS44: 250 ft max depth · +50% detail, +20% resolution vs. prior gen · integrated image stabilization · water-detection sensor · no Black Box required

Garmin's LiveScope 2 generation splits into two purpose-built transducers, and the model names matter. The LVS42HD is the detail unit — 3.8" target separation at 30 feet, tuned for the close-range game where you're watching a bait and a fish in the same frame. The LVS44 is the range unit, tracking fish and lures cleanly at distance with a 250-foot maximum depth. Both deliver up to 50% more detail and 20% higher resolution than the previous generation, with integrated image stabilization, wider coverage in every mode, and a water-detection sensor that shuts the sonar off when the transducer leaves the water.

The quality-of-life headline: no Black Box. LiveScope 2 wires directly to a compatible chartplotter and power, which removes an entire component (and failure point) from the install. Garmin also pitches pairing it with the GT360UHD transducer to overlay live sonar onto a 360-degree image in 3D mode. If you're already in the Garmin ecosystem and FFS is central to how you fish, this is the upgrade the platform has been building toward.

VERDICT: BUY if you're a committed Garmin FFS angler — the upgrade the platform has been building toward.

Garmin Spy Pole

Category	Best Motorized Boating Accessory · Garmin
Status	Confirmed in stock now
Price	42" $1,999.99 · 49" $2,199.99
Specs	Motorized independently-steerable transducer pole · SpyLock / SpyScan / SpyLink modes · wireless foot pedal + gesture remote + chartplotter control · Force / Force Pro mount (or $499.99 gunnel mount) · pairs with 50" or 57" motor

The Spy Pole solves the quiet frustration at the center of every FFS technique guide we've written: your trolling motor and your transducer share one shaft, so boat positioning and sonar aim are permanently the same input. The Spy Pole is a motorized, independently steerable pole for your LiveScope and GT360UHD transducers — mount it to a Force or Force Pro motor (or the boat itself with the separate $499.99 gunnel mount system) and control it from an included wireless foot pedal, a rod-mountable gesture remote, or a compatible chartplotter.

The control modes are the point. SpyLock holds the sonar on a fixed point — a brush pile, a waypoint — hands-free while you fish. SpyScan sweeps automatically back and forth. SpyLink syncs the pole to your Force Pro's speed and heading so the view moves with the boat. The 42" pole pairs with a 50" motor, the 49" with a 57". Tackle Warehouse's own copy recommends pairing it with LiveScope 2, and Garmin already sells Spy Pole bundles with the GT360UHD. Buy it if you're a committed Garmin FFS angler; if you're not, this product isn't for you — and that's fine.

VERDICT: BUY if you're all-in on Garmin FFS. Otherwise, skip — this isn't for you, and that's fine.

Rapala High Capacity Line Remover

Category	Best Fishing Accessory · Rapala
Status	Confirmed in stock now
Price	$19.99
Specs	Motorized trigger-grip line stripper · collapsible paddles for bulk capacity · 2× AA

Twenty dollars for a tool that erases the worst chore in fishing. The High Capacity Line Remover is a motorized trigger-grip stripper that spools old line onto collapsible paddles at high speed — bulk capacity means it'll clear several reels before you need to dump, and when you do, the paddles collapse and the whole wad slides straight into the trash. Runs on two AA batteries.

If you maintain a full rotation of dedicated spools, respooling day just got dramatically shorter. Buy it, throw it in the bench drawer, thank yourself in March.

VERDICT: BUY — $20 tool that erases the worst chore in fishing.

BUZBE Magnetic Launch Pad

Category	Best Custom Tackle & Components · BUZBE
Status	Announced no release date
MSRP	Pricing TBA
Specs	Cushioned easy-clean bench mat · built-in dual-scale ruler to 16" · parts compartments · magnetic trays for hooks, split rings, screws

BUZBE's second trophy of the show is a rigging, repair, and maintenance workstation — a cushioned, easy-clean bench mat with a built-in dual-scale ruler running to 16 inches, a bank of parts compartments, and magnetic trays that keep hooks, split rings, and screws exactly where you put them. Anyone who's worked on small mechanical things recognizes this instantly: it's the magnetic parts tray and bench mat from the garage, finally built for the tackle station. The ruler is long enough to measure leaders and check bait lengths mid-rig, which is smarter than it sounds.

No release date or pricing yet. Pairs naturally with the line remover above for a proper maintenance-day setup.

VERDICT: WATCH — no release date; pairs naturally with the line remover for a proper maintenance bench.

Bubba Pro Series Gen 2 Electric Fillet Knife

Category	Best Cutlery, Hand Pliers or Tools · Bubba
Status	Confirmed in stock now · ground shipping only
Price	$249.95
Specs	20% slimmer handle · brushless motor · two-finger paddle trigger · 2× lithium-ion batteries · waterproof case · 4 titanium-nitride blades (7"/8" E-Glide, 9"/12" E-Stiff)

Credit where due: the Gen 2 is a real refinement. The handle is 20% slimmer, the brushless motor drives a two-finger paddle trigger that reduces fatigue over a long session, and the kit is generous — two lithium-ion batteries, a waterproof case, and four titanium-nitride blades spanning 7" and 8" E-Glide flex for smaller fish up to 9" and 12" E-Stiff for heavy rib cages.

But $249.95 is a hard number to defend when the category is full of capable electric fillet knives at a third of the price. Comparable lithium-powered cordless knives from Bass Pro Shops run about $99, Rapala's heavy-duty corded model is around $80, and Bubba undercuts itself with a $189.95 cordless and a $168.99 corded 110V in its own lineup. The four-blade kit and second battery are nice, but that's accessories math, not two-and-a-half-times-the-performance math. Unless you're filleting constantly enough to feel the ergonomic difference every week, skip it — the award rewards engineering; your wallet should reward value.

VERDICT: SKIP — real refinement, indefensible price. Bubba's own $189.95 cordless does the job.

Turtlebox Cub

Category	Best Non-Motorized Boating Accessory · Turtlebox
Status	Confirmed direct from Turtlebox
Price	$330
Specs	118 dB · 5.3 lb · 1.3" titanium tweeter · 4.5" woofer · IP-67 waterproof · 14+ hr battery · stainless tie-downs · floats

The Cub is impressively engineered: 118 decibels from a 5.3-lb cube, a 1.3" titanium tweeter over a 4.5" woofer, IP-67 waterproofing, 14-plus hours of battery, stainless tie-downs — and unlike most mainstream speakers this size, it floats. If you've already drowned or crushed a JBL, that's the whole argument.

For everyone else, $330 is luxury pricing in a brutally competitive field. JBL, Sony, and Bose all sell excellent speakers in this size class for half or less, and a $150 speaker in a cup holder plays music on a boat just fine. The Cub is the cooler-grade option for people who want their audio built like their Yeti. Most anglers don't need that, and the price says so.

VERDICT: SKIP for most — luxury pricing in a competitive field; only worth it if you've already drowned a speaker.

Rapala Giant Lure — Bald Eagle

Category	Best Novelties & Wellness · Rapala
Status	Confirmed wall art, not tackle
Specs	29" Original Floating Minnow · bald eagle / stars / "EST. 1776" livery

And finally: a 29-inch Original Floating Minnow wearing a bald eagle, stars, and "EST. 1776," designed to hang in garages, restaurants, and man caves across America. It is, remarkably, the second consecutive year Rapala's Giant Lure has won this category — the flag-livery version took the same award in 2024. We have nothing to add except that ICAST's Novelties judges apparently know exactly what they like, and what they like is very large patriotic wall décor. USA.