Best of ICAST - Enthusiast Reel: Abu Garcia Zenon: It wouldn't be TackleTour if we didn't take time to recognize those products that stirred the soul of enthusiasts. If light spinning reels are your game, Abu Garcia's brand new Zenon could be just what the enthusiast in you has been craving in a spinning reel. Claiming to be the lightest spinning reel ever produced, Abu Garcia has built their new flagship reel on the foundations of a magnesium frame with extremely aggressive cut-outs to reduce weight. The Zenon is designed as a finesse tuned reel with a smooth, reliable drag. The reel's body and rotor feature a super compact design further reducing overall weight. As an example the 20 sized Zenon is specified at just 4.9 ounces while the 30 size is specified at only 5.4 ounces. Zenon will debut in March of 2021 and will be packaged with a spare, shallow spool. Retail is set for $499.99, which as crazy as it sounds isn't too bad for an enthusiast-class coffee grinder.

Best of ICAST - Enthusiast Rod: St. Croix Legend Xtreme: Originally introduced in 2012 and written up by Cal way back in 2013, St. Croix's Legend Xtreme series represented a departure from the norm for rod manufacturer. Known at the time for their more traditional looking builds, Legend Xtreme bucked that trend with new handle materials and avante-garde styling. But as different as St. Croix tried to make this series, there were not enough differences to set it apart from the old standby flagship line, Legend Elite. Well hello 2020. The new Legend Xtreme is now an abbreviated suite with three spinning and four casting models. Built with the company's highest end blank, the super high modulus SCVI graphite with FRS in the lower section to maximize power and strength, the companies proprietary IPC, ART, and TET technologies, the big news about Legend Xtreme are the guides. To set these Legend Xtreme rods further apart St. Croix sources Daiwa's AGS Carbon Fiber Guides to build their rods and the manufacturer goes the extra step by installing a Fuji KG Torzite guide for the tip tops. Retail price ranges from $630 to $650 depending on the model and will be available in just a few weeks at Tackle Warehouse.
 

Best of ICAST - Innovation: 13 Fishing Concept Z SLD: This ICAST 13 Fishing stayed true to their DNA by doing what the company is known for, pushing the boundaries of what anglers normally expect from their tackle, and in this case baitcasters. The new Concept Z SLD challenges what anglers can expect from low-profile cast control systems with an innovative on-the-fly magnetic slider that is integrated right next to the spool itself. The Concept Z SLD is part of the company's Concept refresh and rather than blow up their original design and build a new one from scratch they wanted to expand on what anglers already liked about their current line. In the case of the Concept Z SLD they pushed the boundaries in design by integrating a magnetic slide magnetic cast control that gives anglers the ability to effortlessly make on-the-fly adjustments between casts. Prior to ICAST Zander and Cal were both provided test reels to experience the reels for themselves, and are enjoying getting to know the reel's unique performance and feel characteristics. Are they the most refined baitcasters out there? No. But they are a heck of a lot of fun, and 13 should be applauded for taking risks to give anglers unique features, and something truly different. The Concept Z SLD is available now at Tackle Warehouse in a range of gear ratios for a price of $275 dollars each.

Best of ICAST - Overall Best of ICAST: Shimano Vanford F Spinning Reel: Shimano just keeps doing what they do best, designing and building products that continually push not only the performance envelope but also raise the refinement bar in the process. The Vanford F smartly takes a lot of what made the Stradic CI4+ great, and makes it even better. The incremental improvements add up, and the attention that was paid to the new MGL rotor design should make this one of the most responsive spinning reels on the market. Not only are these reels very technically advanced but they are built with purpose and come in sizes that address applications from trout and bass to big game in the salt. The really cool thing is that the Vanford F is that it is designed as a true workhorse reel, and while it sports plenty of the bells and whistles from Shimano's trove of spinning technologies, it still manages to remain within reach of mainstream anglers at $249.99. Good enough for us to pre-order? Check.  

In closing, thank you to ICAST, the many manufacturers, and all our readers for joining us during this week's ICAST Online coverage.

"This week at ICAST online has been a new experience for everyone in the industry, including the event organizers, manufacturers, press, and most-importantly to you, the end-users... our readers. As the entire industry continues to face the unique challenges of the times, it was great to see everyone come  together and forge forward with the event, the product launches, and the dialogue of how to make fishing better. It's just a reminder of what a unifying sport that fishing is, and what a great release that this activity, and all that comes with it, represents for all of us. Let's stay positive and keep those lines tight." - Zander