ORLANDO, Fla. — Humminbird was among the multiple award winners at the ICAST 2019 Best of Show awards banquet Wednesday night.
Media and buyers spent Tuesday night and all of Wednesday considering new products in 29 categories, and the votes were tallied to decide the Best of Category winners.
The Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics division won in the new Ice Fishing category and also for Best Electronics with its Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging, one of the most talked about products at the industry-wide show.
“It’s a huge achievement for us,” said Humminbird’s Jeff Kolodzinski. “We continue to push the barrier of sonar innovation. We’re the first ones to come out with sonar that you can see in 360 degrees on the consumer angling level, but we weren’t settle with how it performed. The engineers pushed the frequency and the range, into the mega range, and the images we get with the Mega 360 is astounding.”
Kolodzinski was ecstatic after both announcements and said he believes the entire team of Humminbird workers are proud.
“This shows the tireless innovation we have. This is a celebration for every person in our factories and all the engineers,” he said. “The marketers are over here accepting it, but it’s the entire team that’s doing a phenomenal job.
“We put so much effort into our jobs, when you make something like this that’s acknowledged as the best in your category, it’s really rewarding for you and your teams.”
The following 29 Best of Category products will now all be considered Thursday for the prestigious overall Best of Show award.
Best of Show winners
Best Fishing Lifestyle – Garmin Force Trolling Motor
Best Kayak Accessory – Hobie Mirage 360 Angler
Best Eyewear – Costa Water Woman
Best Footwear – Frogg Toggs Skipper
Best Giftwear – 13 Fishing Fillet Table Beverage Management System
Best Lifestyle Apparel – AFTCO Yurei Air-O-Mesh Performance Shirt
Best Technical Apparel Cold Weather – SIMMS M’s G4Z Stockingfoot Wader
Best Technical Apparel Warm Weather – AFTCO Overboard Submersible Shorts
Best Ice Fishing – Humminbird ICE HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G3N
Best Cooler and Bait Storage – Frabill Magnum Bait Station 30
Best Cutlery Hand Pliers & Tools – BUBBA 110V Electric Fillet Knife
Best Electronics – Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging
Best Fly Fishing Accessory – SIMMS Dry Creek Z Sling Pack
Best Fishing Accessory – American Tackle Company MW20 Finesse Set
Best Fishing Line – PowerPro Moonshine Braid
Best Kids Tackle- Anything Possible Brands he Bumblebee by ProFISHiency.
Best Tackle Management – Plano Edge
Best Terminal Tackle – VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble Short
Best Freshwater Soft Lure – Lukerhunt Phantom Spider
Best Saltwater Soft Lure – LIVETARGET Slow-Roll Shiner
Best Freshwater Hard Lure – LIVETARGET Erratic Shiner
Best Saltwater Hard Lure – LIVETARGET Flutter Sardine
Best Freshwater Reel – Shimano SLX DC Baitcasting Reel
Best Saltwater Reel – Shimano Stradic FL Spinning Reel
Best Fly Reel – SEiGLER Reels SF
Best Freshwater Rod – St. Croix Rods Mojo Bass Glass Rip N’ Chatter Rod
Best Saltwater Rod – St. Croix Rods Avid Surf
Best Fly Fishing Rod – St. Croix Rods Imperial Salt
Best Rod & Reel Combo – Lew’s Mach Smash Baitcast Combo
The Overall Best of Show winner will be announced at 2 p.m. ET Thursday at the New Product Showcase as voters will chose among the listed winner from 9 a.m. to noon.
