iCast is the fishing-industry event held in Orlando each year. For me, the week has also meant guide trips with people who work throughout the tackle industry. The 2023 week began with a group trip, continued with the iCast Cup on Lake Toho, and ended with another day of lure testing.
Starting the week with a Rapala group trip
I had been involved with the Rapala group outing for two years by 2023. That year’s boat included Chris Hockley of Rapala and Pierre from VMC France. We started catching fish quickly, and Pierre put several bass in the six-pound class in the boat. Those fish gave him a new personal-best largemouth bass.
Most of our fish came from hydrilla beds. We used a swimbait from Rapala’s then-new Crush City line on a weighted willow-style hook from VMC. The important fishing detail was not simply the brand name: the presentation let us work a swimming bait around submerged grass where the fish were holding.
A short Lake Toho tournament morning
The iCast Cup followed the next day. The event gives media representatives and fishing-industry participants a short tournament experience before the trade show. In 2023, the early weigh-in kept the competition to only a few morning hours.
I fished for Team CPF Lures with Scott McIver and company representative Jason George. We began on an offshore shell bed on the south end of Lake Toho and caught our initial limit, but we did not have the size we needed. We then shifted to flipping and working shallow cover.
Jason caught our largest fish of the day by slowly swimming a jig tipped with a soft-plastic trailer through Kissimmee grass. We finished in 10th place with a three-fish limit weighing a little more than 10 pounds. The winning team brought in a three-fish limit of 17 pounds.
Those numbers belong to that specific tournament morning. They are preserved as a historical result, not a prediction of current Lake Toho conditions or future tournament performance.
Finishing with lure testing
After time at the iCast show, I concluded the week with a trip involving visitors from Geecrack Japan and my friend Kazuki Kitajima of Geecrack and Hayabusa Fishing. We worked an offshore hydrilla line that held active bass.
The productive presentation was a soft-plastic swimmer on a weighted swimbait hook. We cast it onto thicker hydrilla, reeled it slowly back across the vegetation, and waited for the bite. The larger profile and deliberate retrieve fit the cover we were fishing that day.
The lasting part of iCast week was bigger than the standings. It was a chance to fish with old friends, meet people from across the industry, and compare ideas on the water.
For present-day access and trip planning, use the Kissimmee Chain location guide and Lake Toho bass fishing service page. Tournament-preparation sessions are separate from competition results and must be confirmed with Captain Erik.