Plano, IL – Buyers and media professionals representing their ultimate customers – millions of global angling consumers – flocked to the 59th installment of the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) Show in Orlando, Florida last week. Their mission: Sort through thousands of new fishing products on display by hundreds of manufacturers while keeping an eye out for the select few that deliver true, value-added performance and innovation.
The annual New Product Showcase, sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer, is a microcosm of the greater ICAST tradeshow, offering manufacturers the opportunity to display their most significant new products while affording media members the chance to view them in one efficient space and cast their votes for the best new products in 24 distinct categories.
“I congratulate all of the winners and everyone who participated in the New Product Showcase,” says ASA President and CEO, Mike Nussman. “The creativity and ingenuity that exists within our member companies adds excitement and discovery to the adventure of fishing.”
Participation and competition in this year’s New Product Showcase was especially fierce, something which is sure to benefit anglers when these exciting new products become available for purchase in the coming weeks and months.
And at least one of them will undoubtedly save lives.
One exciting new product floated above all others, rising to the top in the 2016 New Product Showcase’s crowded Technical Apparel category. Frabill, makers of trusted gear for anglers since 1938, earned top honors in the category with their all-new I-Float Suit, an innovative set of cold-weather outerwear (jacketand bibs) designed for ice-fishing, but highly appealing (and potentially life-saving) in any cold-water fishing scenario.
So how does a piece of ice-fishing apparel attract so much attention from the greater global sportfishing community? Well, the new I-Float Suit is an exceptionally engineered, ultra-functional and highly comfortable piece of cold-weather technical apparel, to be certain, but the real kicker is that the I-Float Jacket is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard as an approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD) – an accomplishment that took several years of intensive research, engineering, manufacturing and close communication with the Coast Guard to achieve. The I-Float Bib is not U.S. Coast Guard certified, but compliments the Jacket by providing additional flotation that elevates the legs, reduces fatigue, and greatly assists in self-rescue.
“The Frabill I-Float Suit is one of the safest, most technologically advanced, high-performance, cold-weather fishing suits an angler can wear, while providing all the benefits of built-in U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation,” says Frabill Brand Manager, Dexter Dornan. And while the I-Float has been designed primarily with ice fishing in mind, its exclusive technical features and benefits are expected to draw a loyal following with open water anglers as well. “Throw in high-performance materials and angler-friendly features like fully-articulated knees and elbows that allow unrestricted movement without binding, and you have a suit that’s not only extremely safe, but one that anglers are going to love to wear… and that’s the idea,” Dornan continues.
Plano Synergy Vice President of Marketing, Pete Angle agrees. “While the ICAST Show took place in sunny Florida, millions of people fish in cold weather throughout the world,” says Angle, who was humbled and grateful, but not surprised by the I-Float’s category-winning recognition. “No matter where or how one fishes in cold weather, a warm, waterproof and windproof suit that provides the exclusive advantages of USCG-approved flotation is going to attract attention… it’s a product that will undoubtedly help to save lives.”
In addition to its unique flotation properties, the new I-Float Suit shares all the proven safety features of Frabill’s other I-Series apparel, combining signature ergonomic design, durable construction, self-drainage openings, integral ice picks and 3MTM ScotchliteTM Reflective Material with a new high-visibility USCG Orange lining and garment accents for better detection while out in the elements.
Frabill’s award-winning I-Float Suit will begin shipping to retailers this fall in time for the 2016-2017 ice-fishing season. Jackets (MSRP $299.99) and bibs ($249.99) will be sold as separates in adult sizes small through XXXL.
