PORT ARTHUR — A little over a week ago I returned from the ICAST Show in Orlando, Fla.

This is the largest fishing tackle trade show in the world, open only to media, tackle buyers, retailers and associated fishing industry personnel.

It is the place most companies debut new products and learning about them is the main reason I attend on an annual basis.

This year’s unofficial theme was “the past is the future” because many of the products were things from years past have become popular all over again.

The most prominent is the “Alabama Rig”.

It is a multi lure rig that won a major tournament last year for pro angler Paul Elias. Now virtually all major tackle companies have some version of this and were promoting it heavily at ICAST.

An “Alabama Rig” is essentially am umbrella rig, which has been used for decades in the offshore fishery. They are popular with bluewater fishermen and had some use in freshwater and inland saltwater fishing many years ago.

People are treating it as if it were something knew but the reality is the lure is an old idea.

Another old idea that is back in the spotlight is using fiberglass rods instead of graphite and other materials.

Four time Bassmaster Classic champion Rick Clunn was the first to bring this back last year with his S-Glass Reaction Rods from Wright & McGill.

According to Clunn, most modern rods are too sensitive for crankbait fishing because the anglers feels even the lightest touch of a fish and when bass strike a crankbait they often “push” it or touch it before striking.

“If an angler sets the hook before the fish has it in its mouth they miss the fish,” Clunn said.

These rods are designed specifically for a variety of crankbait styles and allow the angler to have a chance at catching the fish.

“This old concept with new glass technology is creating rods perfect for crankbait fishermen,” he said.

Other companies also promoted glass rods and were heavily marketing crankbait specific sticks modeled for everything from deep divers to shallow water square bills.

Another old but new concept is “wake baits”.

These are crankbaits that swim only a couple of inches under the surface, thus creating a large wake. The concept is this type of lure targets the fish that will not hit a topwater.

Super shallow running crankbaits have been on the market for years but this seemed to be the new trend under a new name.

Something interesting from this year’s show is that the inshore saltwater market seemed flat. Despite incredibly healthy fisheries along the Gulf Coast, there were few innovations or major pushes for new rods and lures for this market.

There was however a lot for tuna and swordfish gear on display.

Someone at the show asked me why that was and my reply was that the people with the kind of bucks to lay out a tuna fishing boat or charter swordfish trips can afford just about any lure so the industry is marketing all kinds of expensive rigs to them.

I have no problem with this and wish them well but I do not think many of us in Southeast Texas will be using them.

We have to run 100 miles plus offshore to find tuna and the gas bill on that alone is more than most of us make in a week.

The bottom line is the only tuna we’ll be getting comes from opening a can, not chunking a foot long topwater.

(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at  cmooreoutdoors@yahoo.com. You can hear him on "Moore Outdoors" Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI. you can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/extremewildlife.)