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Rapala USA created history at ICAST by winning five awards at ICAST – its largest total ever – and regaining the coveted hard lure accolade for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.
Matt Jensen, VP of Marketing, could not hide his delight at the company’s success in the hard bait category. He told Angling International: “Hands down, the freshwater hard bait category was the most satisfying of the five. It has been more than 25 years since Rapala won it. Even though we are the number one hard bait brand in the world, it just goes to show how hard it is to compete against hundreds of other amazing products launched in the industry.
“The Rapala Claptail 110 is an exciting new topwater bait that is going to bring a lot of hype in 2026. On top of that, to win the best new hard bait for saltwater with the Countdown Mag Elite was a really big compliment to our company.”
Rapala’s roll of honour included:
Freshwater Hard Lure: Rapala Claptail 110
Saltwater Hard Lure: Rapala Magnum Countdown Elite
Terminal Tackle: Rapala VMC Minnow Shaker Jig
Ice Fishing: Strikemaster Maven 40V
Novelties & Wellness: Rapala Giant DT Crankbait USA
“Overall, Rapala had a very successful show,” said Jensen. “We focus on ICAST as a team effort between Product Development, Sales and Marketing. Our PD team enjoyed our most successful awards tally ever in one year, the sales people met with every retailer in the industry as well as key independents and our Rapala digital media team were very busy bringing thousands of impressions to our brand, influencers and amazing new products coming out in 2026.”
Jensen added that Rapala is proud to support ICAST. “The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is our trade organisation and works very hard to fight and support the fishing industry year after year. We are a member driven organisation and the success of ICAST is important to continue to support the ASA so it can continue to bring advocacy to all the fisheries around the country.”
