Award winners: ‘tremendous’ China Fish generated much needed optimism

Two award-winning international brands hailed the return of a record-breaking China Fish following a four-year absence.

German OEM line maker Ockert (main image) and serial award-winner American Tackle both won prizes in the Best New Product Awards at the 30^th anniversary event, which attracted a record number of exhibitors – 736. Of those, 34% (256) were making their first appearance at the show.

Jan Willenbruch, Managing Director of Ockert, winner of the award for its fishing line, said: “The visitors were there and we enjoyed a lot of interest. It was great to see the fishing world back.

“We always look to see as many new and existing customers as possible at the show, which we did, and winning the award was the icing on the cake. China Fish ticked all the boxes for us.”

Rod components suppler American Tackle picked up its 16^th international award at the show for the Tsuka 2 Complete Carbon Handle (above). Brook Oliva, Foundation Outdoor Group President and COO owner of the company, said: “The show was a tremendous success for us.

“We have always been successful here with our brands and that continued to be evident this year. We were able to revitalise past relationships and create new ones.”

Oliva accepted a generally lower attendance at the show, but added: “Despite that, the quality of our meetings and the visits made to our booth made up for the lack of quantity. Although the headwinds facing our industry are no secret, the general mood was enthusiastic and optimistic for the future.”

Qian Gang Wang, owner of Chinese rod maker Weihai Hanhigh, told Angling International: “Everyone had great expectations for the show and there were more exhibitors. The addition of another hall made it look emptier and the visitor numbers did not reach expectations, but most of the buyers still arrived.”

Wang said that the mood among exhibitors and visitors to the show was ‘cautiously’ optimistic regarding the future of the industry. “It is accepted that the sector is starting to recover slowly.”

China Fish 2025 will take place between February 9th and 11th in Beijing.

China Fish in numbers

The highest number of exhibitors in the 30 year history of China Fish attended the show when it resumed after a four year break following the pandemic. Of the 736 manufacturers who attended, 256 – 34.8% – were first time exhibitors.

Top 10 provinces that exhibited at China Fish:

1 Shandong

2 Zhejiang

3 Hebei

4 Jiangsu

5 Guangdong

6 Anhui

7 Fujian

8 Jiangxi

9 Liaoning

10 Beijing

International exhibitors

Twenty-four manufacturers from 14 countries and regions attended the show from: France, Germany, Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan (China), UK and USA.

China Fish international buyer statistics

Nearly half of the buyers who visited China Fish this year were first-time attendees. Of the 1,210 registered international buyers, 43% were there for the first time. Buyers from 82 countries registered to attend.

Buyers from European countries: Belarus, Denmark, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and Ukraine.

Asia: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Syria, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Turkey, U.A.E., Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

North America: Canada, USA and Mexico.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Paraguay.

Oceania: Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.

Africa: Egypt, South Africa, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda.

China Fish 30^th anniversary Best Product Showcase

International buyers voted 18 products as best in class from a total of 176 products. The list of winners were:

• Freshwater rod: Master Collection, Weihai Crony Fishing Tackle
• Saltwater trolling rod: Saltwater Trolling Rods, Aquahunting Outdoor
• Freshwater reel: Cixi Yule Fishing Tackle
• Saltwater spinning reel: Yangzhou Yuansheng Machinery Company
• Fly fishing and ice fishing: Tie Lure kits, Mulei Yazhida Fishing Tackle Company
• Hard lure: GT-Fisher Pencil, Weihai Ecoda Outdoor Products
• Metal lure: LED Fishing Eye, Shenzhen YX Fishing Supply Company
• Soft Lure: 3D Scale Artificial, Anhui Luremaster Sporting Goods
• Fishing line: Climax Ever Braided, Ockert
• Electronics: Autopilot System, Yachting Electronics
• Net: Folded Net, Hangzhou Fufan Industry Company
• Apparel: Breathable wader, Jiaxing Scientific Outdoor
• Tackle management: Recycled Fly Fishing Chest Pack, Gaobeidian Longyuan Tourist Goods
• Fishing accessory: Multi-functional Fishing Pliers Grip Set, Yangjiang Dingxing Industrial
• Tackle accessory: Tsuka2, American Tackle
• Fishing boat and accessory: Catch Mini Bait Boat, Ningbo Pelican Smart Fishing Tackle
• Camping & outdoors: Portable Outdoor Wading Shoes, Suzhou Yuzhongmanbu Rain Products
• Most popular product: Folded Net, Hangzhou Fufan Industry Company