Las Vegas ICAST Showcases angling goodies

Las Vegas is searingly hot in July, with daytime temperatures usually rising into the low 100's. The city has doubled in size each decade; the ding, ding, ding of thousands of slot machines is heard nearly everywhere; and a $10 bill will buy a beer but not two, though you'll need an extra buck for a glass of cheap wine.

But there is one pretty good bet in Las Vegas in July, and that's the ICAST Show presented by the American Sport Fishing Association.

"Walking the floor here, if you're a fisherman, is like a kid going into a candy store," said well-known tournament angler and Lindy Little Joe president Ted Takasaki.


Ted's right. This show attracts thousands of retail and wholesale tackle buyers who have an opportunity to decide which products will be displayed on tackle dealer's shelves during the coming year. Also attending are hundreds of media members whose work will usually trigger purchases of key products by anglers.

If I had to pick a single product that captured the fancy of all who attended, it would be the ZipVac, a far less expensive alternative to the more well known Foodsaver.

And, says Babe Winkelman, who serves as a celebrity spokesman for ZipVac, "it works a lot better than heat sealing systems."

The ZipVac pump is portable, takes up no counter space and lets you control the amount of air removed. The bags used in the process are of a reclosable zippered design with a patented triple layer oxygen barrier and an easy-to-use vacuum valve.

The vacuum pump is rechargeable, but there's a manual pump that's included in your purchase that can suck even more air out of the bag, making it perfect for storing fish or game in a freezer. The manual pump can be used in the field.

The price is sure to catch the attention of sportsmen. It's only $40 compared to the far-more expensive heat-sealing models that usually retail for $99 to $200. I am convinced this product will be a marketplace winner. It won the fishing accessories award at ICAST.

Members of the fishing media voted on the best products in a variety of other categories. Shimano American swept the rod and reel divisions while Pure Fishing's Crazy Legs Jerk Shad won in the soft lure category. Pure Fishing also owns Shakespeare, whose Ugly Stick Junior rod won in the kids division.

Pure Fishing also picked up a first-place award for their innovative Fireline Tracer braid, a line that features camo line interspersed with fluorescent line at 2.5 foot intervals. It should be perfect for pitching jigs or plastic worms where line movement can alert an angler to a fish pickup.

Expensive Vegas
I can remember when you could travel to Las Vegas for a convention and find low-cost motel rooms, sometimes as low as $30 per night. Not anymore. Vegas prices will rival what you'd pay in New York City, Washington D.C., or other pricey locations.

I don't believe you could eat very well for less than $65 per day unless you spent all your dining hours at buffets, which even in Vegas are notorious for their lack of food quality.

A story in the Las Vegas Review noted that Vegas visitations are declining. McCarran airport there is down nearly 4 percent, and at the prices charged for food and lodging, I can understand why. I spent a week there and I'm almost afraid to look at my total expenditures ... and I'm no gambler.

I had two idle days and would have loved to golf there because the city has some superb courses, but if green fees have risen to the level of other services, maybe it's best I didn't take my clubs.

The other thing you will quickly discover, Vegas moves on tips, and recipients are more aggressive than I can remember. I bought a drink for $6 at the Luxor where I stayed, tipped the bar tender a dollar, and he implied I was a tightwad. Just prior to that, a guy next to me ordered a glass of wine, a chardonnay by Yellowtail, a decent wine at an affordable price. However, he paid $12 for that glass of wine.

Next summer, the ICAST show moves to Orlando, FL, and I'm betting the prices are no higher than Vegas.

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Tony Dean ... Outdoors, Inc. 1013 North Grand Pierre, SD 57501 (605) 224-5104 FAX (605) 224-2977 E-mail for Tony Dean