By John Merwin

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Carrot Stix
This new carrot-colored rod series from Ken Whiting (shown, center) won the overall "Best in Show" ICAST award. The rods are made partly from-"are you ready for this?-"carrots! Scottish chemists Eric Whale (shown, left) and David Hepworth (shown, right) developed a method of extracting strong microfibers from carrots. The fibers are used to reinforce the resins in various composites-"including fishing rods. Less graphite is required in creating the rod blanks, which, according to Whiting, "have the performance of graphite and the durability of fiberglass." Whiting, formerly of Airrus Rods, is now with a company called E21 Fishing. There will be 3 spinning and 4 casting models selling for about $350.00 each. (e21fishing.com)