Press Releases

ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 18, 2020) – The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is pleased to announce that Take Me Fishing™ is the presenting sponsor for ICAST 2020 Online.

ASA, the trade association that represents the sportfishing industry, and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF), the national non-profit that promotes recreational fishing and boating through Take Me Fishing™, work together on programs and projects to engage people of all ages in recreational fishing.

This July, the ICAST Show, the world’s largest recreational fishing trade show, has transitioned from an Orlando-based physical show to a virtual event now called ICAST 2020 Online.

The virtual trade show, produced by ASA, takes place July 13 – 17, 2020, and will offer buyers, media and other attendees an engaging, interactive virtual trade show experience where they can connect with the largest marketplace of fishing industry businesses to see and learn about the latest recreational fishing products and services available to anglers. ICAST Online also offers a wide-range of seminars and business development sessions that will focus on issues that matter most to the industry, from conservation to increasing fishing participation.

“I want to thank RBFF’s President and CEO Frank Peterson for his support of the recreational fishing industry by committing to be the ICAST 2020 Online presenting sponsor,” said ASA President Glenn Hughes. “We appreciate all the work that the RBFF team does to engage and educate new and seasoned anglers about the fun and excitement of a day on the water. Their efforts are having a huge impact on increasing participation with women, children and multi-cultural families. As an industry we support this message and I encourage everyone to use RBFF’s tools and resources to bring even more anglers into the sport.”

“We’re working to help Americans get back outside safely and responsibly and are pleased to sponsor ICAST 2020 Online to help the industry rebuild coming out of this global pandemic,” said Peterson. “As we’re working to grow participation in the sport through our national Take Me Fishing campaign, we believe there’s a tremendous opportunity this summer to recruit newcomers and lapsed anglers alike.”

Hughes further noted, “We’ve seen dramatic growth in participation and tackle sales this spring and early summer. By partnering with RBFF, we can help ensure that our industry takes full advantage of the enthusiasm around fishing and grow our sport.”

About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation's aquatic natural resources. RBFF's recently announced 60 in 60 effort strives to attract 60 million anglers to the sport by the end of 2021. To help recruit, retain and reactivate participants, RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns creating awareness about boating, fishing and conservation, and educating people about the benefits of participation. These campaigns help boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The campaign websites, TakeMeFishing.org and TakeMeFishing.org/es, feature how-to videos, information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration, and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots.

About ASA
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry's trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry and anglers a unified voice when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic, conservation and social values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America's 49 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation's waterways through Keep America Fishing, our national angler advocacy campaign. America's anglers generate nearly $50 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation's economy creating employment for 800,000 people.