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It’s mid-July and a tackle manufacturer, an executive producer and a former Bassmaster Classic Champion, are careeing across a central Florida fairway in a golf cart laden with fishing rods. Aiming for a pond on the far side of the next green, they’re about to break the usual club rules.
With golf clubs stowed in cart bags, the group pulls up to the pond and spot a flurry of topwater activity near a patch of reeds. Then, the golfers take turns fishing for off-limits, lunker bass. In a state bursting with legends of 10lb golf course bass that go years between seeing a fishing lure, each cast is filled with tension.
But there’s a catch: today’s fishing is fully sanctioned by Kissimmee, Florida’s Celebration Golf Course. For one day only, the rules of the golf course have been suspended.
The casts are being overseen by officials from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. With each hookset, the officials take scores to be tallied up with birdies and pars at the end of the day.
“I think fishing and golf go hand-in-hand,” says 2012 Bassmaster Classic Champion Chris Lane. “A lot of fishermen love golf.” Each year, for the better part of two decades, Lane has made the journey to ICAST to work with tackle manufacturers, network with potential sponsors and see the latest and greatest in fishing tackle. Today, he’s come to ICAST two days before show doors officially open to play in the show’s Lunkers & Bunkers golf scramble. The event raises money for Keep America Fishing, the American Sportfishing Association’s advocacy and outreach arm focused on clean water, abundant fisheries and conservation.
With more than 14,000 attendees representing 75 nations and hundreds of tackle manufacturers, ICAST is the best place on the planet to see the debut of brand-new fishing tackle and lifestyle products. But Lane believes events like the Lunkers & Bunkers golf scramble make the entire trip to ICAST about more than business – they also make a trip to ICAST about having fun. “We do come here to connect,” he explains. “But we also come to ICAST to have fun. To be able to spend time outside of the show with your friends – and to do that for a great cause like Keep America Fishing – is just awesome.”
Lunkers & Bunkers serves as the unofficial kick-off to ICAST week. It’s a signal flare that festivities are underway. And it’s joined by a host of other activities that extend far beyond the ICAST show floor. There’s the ICAST Cup, a pro-am bass fishing tournament hosted by Major League Fishing at the renowned Lake Toho. There’s ICAST On the Water Demo Day, where a small village of exhibitors line a demonstration pond outside of the Orange County Convention Center. And throughout the week, there are dozens of dinners, parties and gatherings lining Orlando’s glimmering International Drive, which sits just a few minutes from the Universal Studios theme park.
For one week each summer, the sportfishing community takes over Orlando, a city that feels almost purpose-built to host the world of angling. While New York and Los Angeles perennially take the top spots as the most visited cities in the United States, Orlando is never far behind. It regularly ranks in the top five of most visited US cities, regularly hosting more than 75 million tourists each year. It’s served by two international airports reaching more than 160 destinations. And last year, a new high speed rail service connecting Orlando to Miami extended that reach to a further 180 routes.
“One thing we have discovered in our outreach is that sometimes people don’t realise how easy it is to get to ICAST,” says ASA Vice President of Communications Mary Beth Long. “But thanks to its combination of theme parks and massive convention economy, It is truly a city designed to host visitors. Orlando is one of a handful of truly international cities in the United States.”
This month, registration for ICAST 2025 officially opens at ICASTFishing.org. For many qualified attendees like tackle dealers, registration is completely free. Visit ICASTFishing.org to reserve your spot at ICAST 2025 today.
