6 ICAST 2026 Bass Fishing Products I’m Putting to Work on the Potomac River
We came back from the 2026 ICAST show excited about new products and our upcoming adventures. While our Alaska trip is still two weeks away and our first visit to Don Joaquin River Lodge in Argentina won't happen until later this year, we'll spend the next several weeks chasing heavily pressured bass on the tidal Potomac River.
After walking the show floor in Orlando, these are the ICAST 2026 releases I’m most excited to put to work on our home waters, where heavily pressured bass, thick vegetation, changing tides, and unpredictable weather demand gear that performs.
I wasn’t looking for flashy products or gimmicks at ICAST. I was searching for tools that solve real problems: casting into the wind, getting through heavy grass, triggering bites from pressured fish, and landing fish once they eat.
These weren't products that simply looked good in a press release—they were the ones that kept pulling me back into the booths for a second look. Now it's time to find out whether they earn a permanent place in my Potomac lineup.
The Curado DC has long been one of my favorite reels when conditions get ugly. Wind, light baits, and awkward casting angles are part of everyday tidal fishing, and the new 150 size should make it even more versatile. This year the wind seems to change day to day and minute to minute and I don’t want to waste valuable moments picking out backlashes.
The grass may be spotty and inconsistent this year, but it’s where the biggest bass tend to live, and those residing in it are increasingly conditioned to creature baits – so this double-weedguard jig might be just the tool to pry them out of the thickest milfoil and hydrilla around.
I throw a swim jig A LOT and my longtime builder has retired, so while I’ve stockpiled a bunch of his creations I’m also looking for their eventual successor. I know that simple changes in skirt material, head design and hook quality make huge differences in catch rates. Based on the success of the Jack Hammer, I have every reason to believe that this one will be designed with great care.
When grass is thick, braid isn't just about strength. The right braid cuts through vegetation when a fish buries itself, helping you recover lures and fish that would otherwise be lost. I’m always on the lookout for that perfect situational braided line that’ll help me frog and flip with greater levels of effectiveness.
The topwater bite has been inconsistent for me this year – some days red hot, other days they miss it or ignore it completely. On days when fish follow, boil, and refuse a conventional walking bait, perhaps a wake bait will give them a different look without completely abandoning a surface presentation.
I use more spinning tackle than ever on the river, especially for flicking little urchins around wood and slider heads in the grass – and as those small plastics have become a bigger part of my tidal fishing game I’ve learned that a premier spinning reel is a necessary investment when you're making hundreds of casts with finesse presentations.
I’ve already started building my 2026 Potomac tackle box. If you want to experiment with these ICAST releases, you can find them all at Tackle Warehouse below.
