For many, a win at a distributor show is the equal of or better than winning at ICAST, where most of the voters are outdoors media. At the Big Rock Sports shows — and in their New Product Showcase sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer — the voters are retailers whose votes typically translate into orders and dollars. After all, retailers like what they can sell, and a vote by a retailer at one of the Big Rock shows is a vote of confidence that the product will succeed in the marketplace.
Big Rock dealers showed support for Berkley FireLine Ultra 8 at both shows. It was the only dual winner, which is extremely unusual. It also took the prize for fishing line at ICAST 2017.
The only other Big Rock winners that overlapped with ICAST were the 13 Fishing Fate Black Gen 2 casting rod (Best Fishing Rod at Big Rock East and Best Freshwater Rod at ICAST) and the Koppers LiveTarget Hollow Body Mullet (Best Saltwater Lure and Best Saltwater Soft Lure, respectively).
Rods and reels took overall Best of Show honors at both shows, with the Shimano Sedona spinning combo winning in the East and the Lew’s Mach Orange Crush baitcasting reel winning in the West.
Winners of the New Product Showcases at the East and West shows were as follows:
Fishing Rod
East — 13 Fishing Fate Black Gen 2 Casting
West — Daiwa PRTWN80MNF Proteus with Winn Grip Saltwater
Fishing Reel
East — Shimano Nexave Spinning
West — Lew’s Mach Orange Crush Low Profile Baitcasting
Rod & Reel Combo
East — Shimano Sedona Spinning
West — Okuma Aveon Steelhead Spinning
Fishing Line
East — Berkley FireLine Ultra 8
West — Berkley FireLine Ultra 8
Freshwater Lure
East — Lucky Craft Teckel Sprinker Frog
West — LiveTarget BaitBall Spinner Rig
Saltwater Lure
East — Koppers LiveTarget Hollow Body Mullet
West — Yo-Zuri High Speed Vibe
Terminal Tackle/Accessory
East — Ego Kryptek Medium Clear Rubber Net
West — Rapala Mag Spring Pliers
Electronics/Marine
East — Daiwa Soft-Sided Cooler
West — Onyx A/M 24 Automatic/Manual Inflatable Life Jacket
Overall Best of Show
East — Shimano Sedona Spinning Combo
West — Lew’s Mach Orange Crush Low Profile Baitcasting Reel
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