The Berkley Gilly swimbait, designed with help from Mike Iaconelli, took home the 2021 ICAST Best in Show Award in the New Product Showcase.
The "Best of Show" in the ICAST 2021 New Product Showcase was given to the Berkley Gilly, their brand new PowerBait-infused soft plastic swimbait.
The announcement was made on Thursday in the New Product Showcase, which was just a small part of the ICAST industry trade show held at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida. This year's event, held after a cancellation in 2020, drew 686 entries entered by 218 companies. It's produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA).
After all the voting from members of the media and buyers determined the "Best of Category" winners, the Berkley PowerBait Gilly was given the recognition of the fishing trade association's highest prestige.
Technically, the award went to Pure Fishing, Inc., which owns Berkley as well as a slew of other fishing brands and companies.
"My congratulations go to Pure Fishing, Inc. for winning this year's top honors as 'Best of Show' for ICAST 2021 with their Berkley PowerBait Gilly," said ASA President Glenn Hughes. "Taking top honors at ICAST has a significant impact on every company who wins. I want to thank all our member companies who participated in the show and in the New Product Showcase. The high level of innovation is good for our industry and benefits the anglers and outdoor enthusiasts who buy and use them."
The Berkley PowerBait Gilly is a scent-infused swimbait featuring ultra-realistic shape, color, and swimming action. Heavily influenced by popular Japanese baits, the Gilly has scale-shaped ribs in the tail section that give it an unconventional look, but a serious advantage in terms of rigging versatility.
Berkley has said the PowerBait Gilly will be in stores by September, leaving little time to wait before anyone who fishes can see for themselves how well the "Best in Show" winner works for them.
Hundreds of entries from this year's New Product Showcase have been donated to an upcoming online auction to support Keep America Fishing, ASA's angler advocacy effort to preserve fishing access and rights.
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