The Best New Lures and Fishing Accessories from ICAST 2022

When it comes to gear, I’ve called been a junkie, an addict, and a hoarder (if you saw my gear closet, you’d understand why). It’s safe to say that I like tools that will help me catch more fish and be more efficient on the water. This gear obsession of mine gets even more crazed when it comes to lures and fishing accessories—and ICAST 2022 had no shortage of both. Here’s a look at some of the best and most innovative new baits and accessories I found.

• Z-Man Hellraizer Topwater Chatterbait
• Biwaa Kapsiz Kast HD 9
• 13 Fishing The Ladyfish
• Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil Popper 110
• Live Target Live Shrimp and Live Craw
• Berkley PowerBait PowerStinger
• Live Target Ultimate Frog
• Frabill Witness Weigh Net
• Rinse Off
• Bubba Scale 
• Yeti Wheeled Roadie
• Yeti Tan Panga
• Grundens Waders
• Smith Embark Sunglasses

The Best New Lures from ICAST 2022

Z-Man HellraiZer Topwater Chatterbait

If you combined a stickbait with a chatterbait, you’d get the Z-Man HellraiZer. The lure comes in several colors, but the shade that caught my attention was a slick matte black. The chatterbait blade and tail on hang off the back of the HellraiZer and run beneath the surface, while the body of the bait sits on top. This gives the lure a great wobble; I was impressed with its action in the water. You can retrieve HellraiZer fast or slow, but when I get my hands on one of these, I’m burning this back to the boat.

Biwaa Kapsiz Kast HD 9

I’m a sucker for big swimbaits. In my experience, a big bait equals a big fish—and the new Kapsiz Kast HD 9 from Biwaa is built to catch big fish. I absolutely love the perch pattern, which should be killer on lunker bass, monster pike, and giant muskies. The lure is a pre-rigged, soft-plastic swimbait, and comes with a 2x swivel-rigged treble hook and stainless steel through wire. It weighs 4.8 ounces and is 9 inches long. (Told you it was big.) Anglers can pick up the Kapsiz Kast HD 9 swimbait this fall for $25.90.

13 Fishing The Ladyfish

One of the more popular live baits used to target tarpon and big snook are ladyfish. When I saw this lure in the new product showcase it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. How have I not seen this before? The Ladyfish by 13 Fishing is an ultra-realistic soft-plastic bait that looks exactly like a real ladyfish. People will say that nothing compares to the real thing, but I’d argue lure this does. Fish it like a big swimbait on the flats, in deep channels, and under the mangroves and docks. While I know this bait will catch plenty of tarpon, I think it will be deadly for giant snook. Remember my theory about big baits and big fish? Well, this lure is your ticket to the biggest snook of your life.

Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil Popper 110

Last year, I fished for redfish on the Swannee River and its surrounding estuaries. I threw poppers the entire trip, walking them back to the boat each cast. It was that trip that sold me on walking-the-dog style retrieves for inshore fishing, because almost all of our fish came on top, and traditional retrieves weren’t nearly as successful as walking the dog. Since then, I’ve kept my eye out for new topwater walking baits—like the Yo-Zuri 3DB pencil popper. This bait can turn 180 degrees without moving forward and the cupped mouth throws water effortlessly. The lure has a rattle and comes in 11 different patterns, and with its three black nickel treble hooks, you shouldn’t be losing any fish.

Live Target Live Shrimp and Craw

These were my two favorite baits from the entire show. I’ve never seen a lure or bait as realistic looking as these two. The baits are designed to mimic a fleeing shrimp and fleeing crawfish. Attach your line to the tail of the bait and, as you retrieve it, the shrimp or craw moves in a defense position, just as a live one would. These hard baits have soft-plastic appendages, which give them even more lifelike movement. Perhaps the coolest part about both lures is that you can attach a weight underneath to give them a different action and look. Different size weights will alter the speed of descent and retrieve, ultimately separating it from a typical lure. (Check out the Field & Stream Instagram page for a more in-depth look at these lures.) You can pick up the Live Target Shrimp and Craw this winter.

Berkley PowerBait PowerStinger

The PowerStinger from Berkley is a slim, 4.25-inch swimbait designed to be used as a trailer on a bladed jig. It seems like a pretty simple bait, but here’s why I love it so much: Bladed jigs have a unique action that you don’t want to lose by adding a lanky trailer. The PowerStinger adds bulk to the jig and increases strike appeal, while the slim profile keeps the natural action of the jig. The swimbait is extremely lifelike and comes in 12 standard, and 4 HD Tru, colors, so you can match it to the baitfish in your region. They come in a pack of five with individual molded slots for $9.99.

Live Target Ultimate Frog

I love fishing frog lures—and the Ultimate Frog from Live Target has the most lifelike action of any frog lure I’ve ever seen. The secret? Pouches in the feet. Water collects in these small pouches, which extend the flexible legs as you retrieve the lure. Then, when you pause, the legs retract back toward the body. When it all comes together, it looks just like a frog that’s kicking its way across the water surface. Each lure comes with a set of replaceable legs. The lure also has an exposed hook to increase hookups. While you might think that an exposed hook would only get caught up in vegetation, the lure is designed to ride facing up, which should prevent snags. The lure also comes in a popper design with a rattle if you want more action.

The Best Fishing Accessories from ICAST 2022

Frabill Witness Weigh Net

The Witness Net from Frabill is as good of a conservation tool as it is a fishing accessory. This all-in-one net, ruler, and scale features tangle-free micro-mesh netting and a flat-bottom design to limit stress and harm to the fish. This saves the difficulty of getting the fish onto a handheld scale, while also dramatically improving the safety of the fish. The scale can weigh up to 30 pounds and comes with a 48-inch handle that features a molded rubber grip. Frabill took home the trophy for best fishing accessory for this product.

Rinse Off

The Rinse Off is a four-gallon pressurized water container that can be used for a variety of tasks, such as hosing down gear, cleaning your truck, or washing a bloody deck after a productive day of saltwater fishing. It comes in two units: one with a 12-volt battery and another that plugs into a cigarette lighter. It has a 9-foot hose that is extremely durable and has a tight bend radius to prevent kinks. I plan on putting mine in the back of my truck to hose down fishing and hunting gear or for a quick shower in the backcountry. The 12-volt battery will cycle 80 gallons of water before you have to recharge it. The handle has different modes with various pressures depending on what you need to do.

Bubba Pro Series Scale

The Pro Series Scale from Bubba is the most detailed fishing scale I have ever seen. It comes with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile app that allows you to upload and log all of your catches. The scale even comes with a built-in GPS, making it easy to share the weights, weather details, and locations of your catch with friends. The different modes allow you to switch from tournament competitions to everyday fun. The LED screen holds up to eight different weights at once, making it easy to keep track of your bag and cull fish. The Pro Series Scale is ideal for competitive bass anglers, whether that’s professional tournaments or friendly competitions. The organization and Bluetooth technology allow anglers to document and share their catch in a push of a button. It has a 60-pound weight capacity and runs off of either a rechargeable battery or AAA batteries. Anglers can pick one up this winter for $199.

Yeti Wheeled Roadie

The new Wheeled Roadie was the main attraction at the always-popular Yeti booth at ICAST. This cooler will serve boat anglers well. Simply put, it’s a cooler with wheels. So, what’s so great about that? In this case, it’s the build quality. The wheels are made from a solid, single-piece trie construction that is impact and puncture resistant. It doesn’t matter if you are on the beach, boat, or riverbank—these wheels can handle it. I usually stay away from periscope handles because they break very easily—especially when the cooler is packed. Yeti took their time making sure their periscope handle will withstand the abuse anglers will put a cooler through. It has metal handles that are reinforced to add extra durability and strength. The Wheeled Roadie comes in two sizes and is on sale now.

YETI Tan Panga

The Panga isn’t new. The only difference about this one is the color—which is pretty sweet. But that’s not why I am including the bag here. I’ve tested and reviewed the Panga Duffle, which I took on a chukar hunt in Idaho. To sum up my experience, I left my Panga outside my tent in the pouring rain all night long. Every piece of clothing and gear I had for my hunt was in there. I woke up in a panic—only to find that not a single drop of water entered the bag. Anglers, you can bet this bag will serve you well whether on a boat, wading a river, or casting from the surf.

Grundens Waders

Grundens made a big splash with their new wader collection. Traditionally a saltwater brand, Grundens is breaking into the fly arena in full force. The waders were announced this past May, but won’t be released until next spring. I had the chance to get a first look and some inside info about their new Gore-Tex waders and I was impressed. They are designed with an articulated leg pattern that removes seams in high-wear areas to reduce the chance of leaks. I also liked the suspender system which is large and comfortable and will serve well for long days on the river. While I haven’t tested these on the water yet, I am excited by the design, look, and feel of the waders. I will be testing them this fall and writing a review before their release next spring.

Smith Embark Sunglasses

Smith’s Embark sunglasses weren’t originally tailored for anglers, but after a large adoption in the fishing community, Smith is releasing an angling-specific lens for the Embark glasses this fall. I like the fit and feel of these glasses. They aren’t your typical fishing frame, but I enjoy the lifestyle look. It has good protection and the removable and ventilated side shields add strong peripheral light coverage. They also include Chroma-Pop technology to deliver better color and contrast performance. Once Smith releases the lenses tailored for fishing this fall, anglers will be all over these new shades.