ICAST 2025 Viewer's Choice Winners

A crowd favorite that always seems to enter the winner’s circle at ICAST, the Shimano Curado 150 M Casting Reel won the vote for the best casting reel with an ultra-light and thin spool construction that greatly improves castability with lightweight lures. Earning over 45% of the viewer’s choice vote and selected as the best new reel by TW Staff members, the Curado M Casting Reel brings a performance-driven design geared for modern lures and fishing techniques that everyone can get excited about. The Lews KVD Casting Reels and Daiwa Lexa 500 low-profile casting reels also deserve a shoutout in this category, earning 15.5% and 10.3% of the viewers’ choice vote, respectively.

A tighter race emerged for best new spinning reel with the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT Spinning Reel barely edging out the Shimano Sustain Spinning Reel by less than one hundred votes. Perfect for fresh or saltwater applications, the Ballistic MQ LT Spinning Reel features a (MQ) Monocoque body and MAGSEALED technology, which amplifies rigidity and corrosion resistance, redefining the standards of strength, balance, and weight distribution with Daiwa’s comprehensive AIRDRIVE design technologies. Coming third in the vote count, Lew’s and KVD fans captured 11.4% of the best spinning reel vote to earn another honorable mention with a value and performance-driven construction and attention-grabbing cosmetics.

Another category where ICAST viewers and the TW Staff were on the same page, the St. Croix Legend X2 Casting Rods won the best new casting rods with an updated design that represents the pinnacle of freshwater performance in the St. Croix lineup. Built using an all-new proprietary SCVIII blank material, the Legend X2 Casting rods are the lightest and highest-performance rods ever made by St. Croix for anglers who demand uncompromising performance on the water. Other notable mentions include the comprehensive lineup of Daiwa Tatula Casting Rods and the Cashion Element Z2 Casting Rods that bring American-made performance at an unbeatable price.

The best spinning rod category vote played out very similarly to the best new casting rods, with the viewers showing the same excitement for the spinning rod models, as the St. Croix Legend X2 and Daiwa Tatula Cork Series also earned the top two spots. Built with titanium guides, a carbon fiber reel seat, and VEIL scrim, the St. Croix Legend X2 Spinning Rods push the boundaries of finesse fishing performance with extreme sensitivity, excellent balance, and an ergonomic feel. Inshore and saltwater anglers also showed up to the vote in this category, with the G. Loomis IMX Pro Green Inshore Spinning Rods gathering 10.8% of the vote with a design that is technically crafted for targeting species like snook, striper, and redfish.

Designed to fill a gap in the depth range of one of the most popular crankbaits of all time, the Rapala DT12 Crankbait gathered 38.4% of the best crankbait votes to secure one of the more decisive victories for the Viewer’s Choice awards. Engineered to quickly dive down to 12 feet and stay in the strike zone longer, the Rapala DT12 features a premium balsawood construction and an internal baritone rattle chamber that creates high-pitched rattling acoustics to expand the proven DT series. Also fairing well in the voting, the unique multi-jointed body of the 6th Sense Unit 24 Crankbait was received as a game-changing concept for a magnum deep-diver, and the old-school flat-sided build of the Strike King Hardliner 35 also collected a large portion of the runner-up votes.

A downsized alternative to the immensely popular Jackall Rerange Jerkbait 110, the Jackall Rerange 95 Jerkbait took down the vote for the best new jerkbait with a smaller profile that should prove more effective for pressured fisheries or when bass are feeding on smaller baitfish. Leveraging Jackall’s Zero Friction internal weight transfer system, the Rerange 95 not only delivers extended casting distance but enhances noise, balance, and action throughout the retrieve with a sliding fluororesin-covered tungsten weight. Honorable mentions in this category go out to the Rapala Floater Elite 120 by enhancing the fish-catching design of the original Rapala floater with modern components, and the pint-sized, slow-floating, BFS-driven Evergreen JXJ Minnow

Capturing more than half of the Viewer’s Choice Vote, the Rapala Claptail 110 won a landslide vote for the best new topwater lure at ICAST 2025! Designed by one of the most decorated bass anglers in the industry, Jacob Wheeler, the Claptail 110 utilizes a unique trailing blade that clacks against the metal tail prop to create a high-pitched layer of noise that triggers finicky fish to erupt for an explosive topwater bite. Other topwaters that garnered interest from viewers included the more traditional build of the Yo-Zuri Pro Series Popper, and the Strike King Clickin’ Chicken that had a similar plopping-style build but with SK’s MagTap magnetic chamber that offers a lower-pitch clicking sound.

With the advent of forward-facing sonar technology, ICAST 2025 ushered in a host of new minnow and baitfish imitations that offer unique types of actions, profiles, and sonar returns, but the 6th Sense Strobe Shaker earned the top vote for best baitfish and minnow. Built with a unique upward-angled soft plastic bill that imparts side-to-side rolling action on a straight retrieve, the Strobe Shaker moves slowly through the water column with maximum body roll, hovering in the strike zone longer when presented to targets on live sonar. The Yamamoto Fat Shad Shape Worm was the runner-up in the strolling minnow category, and the Z-Man Micro Graph Shadz rounded out the top three in voting with a micro-finesse profile and 10X Tough ultra-resilient Elaztech construction.

Winning the Viewer’s Choice award for Best New Craw or Creature Bait, the 6th Sense Bodega Creature Bait is perfect for flipping, pitching, Carolina rigs, and jig trailers with lively claw arm action that makes it ideal for all types of applications. Representing the smaller and more versatile option to the massive Bodega 6.5”, this downsized version is equipped with the same thin claw arm appendages that deliver subtle pulsing and kicking action as it travels through the water column. The Yamamoto Yama Bug secured a close second-place finish thanks to a custom plastic formula that offers the ideal blend of softness and durability, while the Great Lakes Finesse Micro Snack Craw captured the third most votes.

In a category filled with worms and uniquely shaped soft baits, the Rapala Crush City The Jerk Soft Jerkbait takes top honors for the Best New Worm or Miscellaneous Soft Bait by elevating the baitfish profile with a ribbed belly, scaling, and precise detailing that creates a deadly finesse presentation. Built with a solid-body construction that offers maximum durability and buoyancy, The Jerk is made from a super TPE plastic that creates enticing darting action whether rigged on a worm hook, moped on a jighead, or nose-hooked on a drop shot. In a tale of contrasting worm sizes and profiles, second and third place honorable mention goes to the ultra-thin 18-inch Geecrack G Crazy Worm and the short, stubby Ned-head profile of the 3.25” Yamamoto Slinko.

Fueled by top tournament finishes and growing popularity in JDM bass fishing trends, the ICAST show was packed with tons of new fuzzy dice baits and creatures, so we created its own category for Best Dice or Fuzzy Bait. Paying homage to one of the most productive bass fishing lures of all time, the viewers selected the Yamamoto Fuzzy Senko, which is threaded with skirt material for a slower sink rate and secondary movement that complements the famous quivering and rolling senko motion. In a tight race, the durable Elaztech construction of the Z-Man Fuzzy Nuggetz and the down-sized profile of the Geecrack Finesse Cue Bomb deserve a nod for following closely behind in the vote count.

Featuring a micro-finesse profile that’s been coveted by BFS anglers for some time, the Z-Man Micro Max Chatterbait captured 43.4% of the vote for best bladed jig with a design that’s ideal for high-pressure fishing situations and bait-finesse fishing tackle. Built with Z-Man’s trademarked hex-shape Chatterblade, the Micro Max includes the same direct head-to-blade connection that ensures robust vibration, sound, and erratic action in an ultra-compact size. The cost-effective design of the Dirty Jigs Weekender Casting Jigs came second in the viewer’s choice vote, and the Strike King Rattling Thunder Cricket Vibrating rounded out a third-place finish with a unique rattling blade perfect for dirty water conditions.

The best swimbait category featured a variety of soft and hard-body swimbaits showcasing versatile rigging options and collaborations with custom builders to bring high-quality production swimbaits to the masses. In the closest race of the Viewer’s Choice Awards, the Strike King Hog Father Jr Glidebait won best new swimbait in an epic collaboration to produce an ABS version of the original resin Tater Hog Father Junior. Notable runner-up in this category includes the Z-Man Swag LT Swimbait that features Z-Man's famous 10X Tough Elaztech plastic along with an innovative Over/Under Line-Through rigging harness that allows for both single top hook or belly treble hook rigging.

Braided fishing lines dominated the best new ICAST 2025 fishing line category, with the top three selections all being brightly colored hi-vis braided lines, and the Power Pro Max 8 Braided Line 4 Color taking 27.5% of the vote. Featuring a 25% thinner diameter while maintaining a high tensile strength, the Power Pro Max 8 Braided line is designed to increase castability, line management, and abrasion resistance when fishing offshore or around heavy cover. The hi-vis Firetiger colorway of the new Sufix 832 braid came in a close second place, and the Sunline Overwatch Chartreuse metered braid came third as the top choice for a finesse-focused spinning reel option.

Minnow-shaking jigheads garnered the most interest in the Best Terminal Tackle category, as the viewers selected three innovative swimbait, strolling, and shaking-style jig heads that are designed to give your favorite soft plastic baitfish and minnows a seductive swimming action. In another close race, the Dirty Jigs Pure Tungsten Guppy Swimbait Head narrowly edged out the competition with a pure tungsten construction that’s 30% smaller than traditional lead-based alternatives. Unlike most tungsten jigheads that only come with a plain metal finish, Dirty Jigs takes things a step further with brilliant 3D molded eyes and durable painted finishes that increase realism and durability.

Built to expedite the weighing process with a premium lip clip system and smart features, the Bubba Smart Fish Scale Lite received a third of the total viewers’ choice votes to take the top spot for the best accessory at ICAST 2025. Featuring a whopping 60-pound capacity, accuracy of +/- 0.3%, and an IPX4 water-resistant rating, the Bubba Smart Fish Scale Lite powers up your tournament fishing success with an easy-to-read color LCD screen and Bluetooth compatibility with the Bubba app. New Bubba fishing products controlled most of the votes in the best accessory category, with the Bubba Aluminum Telescoping net coming in second thanks to its rock-solid aluminum construction and floating design that offers maximum durability and portability.

Showcasing several key design and performance upgrades, the Lowrance Ghost X Trolling Motor won the Viewer’s Choice award for the Best Marine & Electronics by providing extended run times and producing 20% more power than the original Lowrance Ghost trolling motor. The Ghost X trolling motor delivers quieter, more efficient operation with a brushless motor that operates in near total silence and an integrated Active Imaging 3-in-1 nosecone transducer that enables access to Lowrance CHIRP, SideScan, and DownScan imaging. Honorable mention goes to the Humminbird Xplore Fish finders Intuitive Cross-Touch screen, and the Garmin GPSMAP 15x3 Ultrawide chart plotter that reduces screen clutter at the console with a massive 15-inch display.

The Gamakatsu G-Box Doubled Sided Slit Utility Case 3600 secured the most viewer votes in the best new storage category with a foam-lined interior that’s perfect for organizing jigheads, hooks, rigs, and other forms of terminal tackle. Built with a large single latch that allows for easy one-handed opening and closing, the Gamakatsu G-Box 3600 is a great option for storing used hooks and jig heads so you can keep the boat deck clear of loose tackle. Anglers who want to stay organized on the water should also check out the Rapala Rapid Pack for convenient soft bait storage, while shore anglers will enjoy tons of storage boxes and compartments included with the Evolution Fishing Drift Series Backpack.

Made from a premium 3-layer GORE-TEX Shell, the Daiwa GORE-TEX Shell Bib is guaranteed to keep you dry in harsh and rainy conditions with a durable fabric that ensures long-lasting breathability and comfort on the water. YKK water-resistant zippers keep your wallet and phone dry, while a buckle-less shoulder strap design and soft square ring keep you comfortable during fishing. Other popular apparel choices from ICAST included the Frogg Toggs Vetra Jacket, which captured 27% of the votes, and the stylish, warm, and lightweight design of the Under Armour Fish Elite Hoodie.