PUBLISHER
Dan Dannenmueller
EDITOR
Richard Simms
SR. WRITER
Tim Huffman
ART/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Mullikin
GUEST WRITERS
Steve McCadams
Keith Lusher
Richard Hines
Larry Whiteley
Terry Madewell
Keith Sutton
Michael Giles
Brad Wiegmann
Larry Marek
Brent Frazee
Scott Mackenthun
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Cover Photo Credit
Will Hinson is a veteran crappie fisherman and tournament professional from Cassatt, SC who embraced forward-facing sonar years ago. However, he understands that FFS is not for everyone. He shares the pros and cons to help you decide if it’s worth spending your hard-earned cash, or not, in this month’s issue of CrappieNOW Magazine.
JUNE OPENING CAST
ICAST 2025 is a wrap. This year, it was hosted in Orlando, Florida. Fishing vendors and manufacturers from around the globe attend to meet with dealers, retailers, rep groups and media. New products are presented to all attendees at the show, orders for the next year are processed and it is also a means for the fishing family to come together to celebrate friendships and industry partnerships. Sue and I and part of the CrappieNOW and CatfishNOW team were in attendance.
As media, on Tuesday evening, I attended the New Product Showcase and the reception. With over 800 products on display in various categories, I reviewed every product to vote on the best in category and overall best in show. The process was not easy, as some categories had several products within them which could have been winners.
Some of the noteworthy products for crappie and catfish included:
- BnM – New crappie BGJP 18 and 20ft jigging which also couple be used for trolling rods. New catfish rods which will glow in the dark.
- Bobby Garland Crappie Baits – Numerous new colors in the Itty Bit baits and Live Roam’Rs.
- Whisker Seeker – A new concept 22-gallon Bait Shack (minnow box) which is solar powered and has three bubbler systems for different types of bait. This won a best in category award!
- Catfish Pro – They displayed a new bait that will stay on the treble hooks longer for improved catches and less rebaiting processes. They also presented new glow catfish rods as well.
- Fishbites – They presented new scented catfish baits.
- Power-Pole – The new Move stainless steel prop was displayed. They also debuted the new Vision+ system with a camera for boating accessories. A new Atlas jack plate with functions integrated into the Power-Pole app was released for distribution later this year.
- Garmin – A new Kayak electric motor with highly sophisticated, easy to use foot controls was released and won best product in its category. Two new units were also presented in the GPS and EchoMap lineup, a 15 X 7 inch and 16 inches respectively.
- Bubba – A new smaller fish weighing scale was a big notable. It also is integrated into their app and can be used for tournaments etc. Bubba announced a joint venture with MLF using the Bubba tournament app for any tournament use.
- Crappie Magnet – They presented a new lineup of hair jigs, new heads, new scent and new plastics.
- Transducer Shield and Saver – They have new mounts for live sonar mounts on the trolling motor.
- Evolution Fishing – They have several new storage and tackle organizers that are well designed.
- ZMAN – New micro shad bait style for finesse fishing in popular colors.
These are just a few examples of crappie and catfish fishing products presented at ICAST 2025. Greater details are captured in videos with the companies which will be released on the CrappieNOW and CatfishNOW YouTube and social media channels. You won’t want to miss them.
Don’t forget to take a child fishing!!! They will remember it for a lifetime.
God bless
Dan Dannenmueller – PUBLISHER
